In The Realm Of The Senses

Released by: Criterion Collection
Released on: April 28, 2009.
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Cast: Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda
Year: 1976
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The Movie:

Directed in 1976 by Nagisa Oshima (well know for Gohatto and for Max Mon Amour) and based on a very well known true crime that took place in his native Japan, In The Realm Of The Senses remains a lightning rod for controversy more than three decades after it was initially banned in various countries around the world and wound up bringing the director into court on obscenity charges. In fact, the film remains digitally blurred in its native country to this day, where it's illegal to show the film in its true uncut form due to strict censorship laws as they relate to the showing of genitalia on film.

Set in the Japan of the mid thirties, a country on the brink of the Second World War, the film follows a former prostitute named Sada (Eiko Matsuda) who is now employed by Kichizo (Tatsuya Fuji) as a maid. When she spies Kichizo in bed with his wife, she's drawn to him and soon begins a lusty affair with the married man. Initially, their relationship allows them to explore their different sexual fantasies but it soon becomes darker and more bizarre as they push one another to the limit, replacing vanilla sex with taboo busting dominance and sadomasochistic behavior all of which leads up to the film's inevitable conclusion.

First things first - the reason that In The Realm Of The Senses is a pretty valid one, and that's the film's unflinching and very real portrayal of taboo sexual activity. This has caused many to label the film as blatant pornography, though in order for that to really be the case, it would have to have been made with titillation in mind and once you experience it for yourself, it quickly becomes obvious that this wasn't exactly the case. There are some pretty strong scenes in the film, however, that even by the modern standards of a society that has made some progress in terms of sexual acceptance, still pack a hefty punch. As their tryst becomes increasingly obsessive and begins to get violent, it becomes obvious that the pair literally live, as the title implies, only in the realm of the senses and only for the physicality that they're able to give and take to and from one another.

Political subtext is offered up in interesting shots of children outside waving flags and seemingly brainwashed by nationalist pride and in shots of soldiers marching through the town, but this is all about our two leads and their voyage through the dark side of human sexuality and their sexual exploits almost seem to be a blatant rejection of the state. Oshima's film builds on a visual level very similar to its structure. Things start out quite slowly and are tame enough by most standards but are slowly and surely wrenched up to increasingly extreme levels to the point where the camera soon leaves little to the imagination. There are moments where he chooses to show us the performers faces and moments where he chooses not to - all deliberate and with the intention of creating a certain tension and distance or a certain intimacy. It's an effective tactic and one made all the more clear when certain other parties - a john that Sada services or a geisha they request the services of - begin to become repulsed by them, their obsession having lead to a distinct lack of cleanliness and basic hygiene.

The art direction in the film is outstanding and the performances brave and believable. The actors very definitely give their performances their all and at times it's hard to say what is acting and what isn't. The film does exist pretty much solely to provoke and makes no qualms about rubbing our faces in its own explicitness, but at least it does so with the intention of making us think. As the film plays out, it's easy to get lost in its endless array of perversion but underneath all of the flesh there are a few sparks that make you think about not only the battle of the sexes but also about traditional male/female societal roles and the limits thereof.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Criterion's 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen AVC encoded high definition transfer is as excellent as you'd expect from the company at this point in the game. The colors that Oshima employs in the film look bold and beautiful without ever appearing too over saturated while the film's skin tones look lifelike and natural throughout the film. The detail levels are consistently excellent while black levels remain deep and don't show any obvious compression or crush. There doesn't appear to be any edge enhancement or an abundance of noise reduction applied here as the grain structure looks to be intact. Sharpness and contrast are spot on and for an older, more obscure film, the transfer here is a true thing of beauty.

The Japanese language 48 kHz/24 bit PCM Mono track, which comes with optional subtitles in English only, sounds good for its age. There's a clarity and conciseness to this mix that makes it pretty tough to argue with. Levels are all properly balanced and the dialogue comes through as crisp as you'd want it to be. The subtitles are clean looking and easy to read. It's a fairly basic track to be sure but it sounds great.

First up, as far as the extra features are concerned, is a fascinating audio commentary with film historian Tony Rayns which delves deep into the history of this picture and which does a fine job of explaining the cultural significance of its ensuing controversy. On top of that he provides a welcome critical analysis of the film and relays all manner of interesting facts and trivia regarding its case, crew, and history. Rayns keeps the information moving at a good pace and his mix of history and criticism really does a fine job of explaining and elaborating on the different reasons why this picture is important both artistically and culturally.

From there, Criterion offers up a trio of interviews, the first of which is the brief six minute Oshima And His Cast, which is an archival piece from 1976 in which Oshima is joined by Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji for a discussion of the film. Tatsuya Fuji is interviewed separately for eighteen minutes in a piece produced in 2008. Here the actor describes Oshima as quite pleasant and polite while elaborating on what it was like shooting the very explicit material at a time when Japanese society and much of the world in general simply wasn't ready for it. Last but not least, Recalling The Film brings together production coordinator Hayao Shibata, producer Koji Wakamatsu, assistant director Yoichi Sai, and film distributor Yoko Asakura for thirty nine minutes worth of recollections about working on this picture and about working with Oshima himself. Rounding out the extras on the disc itself are the American theatrical trailer for the film, six minutes of deleted scenes that were removed by producer Anatole Dauman with Oshima's blessing, animated menus and chapter selection sub-menus.

In addition to that, the requisite full color booklet of liner notes that Criterion includes with most of their releases this time around contains a few essays, the first of which is Some Notes on Oshima and Pornography by Donald Richie. This piece intelligently debates the more explicit aspects of the film and is a pretty fascinating read. The second essay is Nagisa Oshima on In the Realm of the Senses and it allows the director to discuss this, his most controversial picture, by breaking down his experiences into five different sections which cover preproduction work, teaming up with Koji Wakamatsu, casting Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji in the lead roles and some of the techniques employed in making this film.

The Final Word:

A fascinating and politically charged exploration of the dark side of human sexuality and dominance, In The Realm Of The Senses could easily be dismissed as simple pornography by those who can't be bothered to look past the explicit content and appreciate the artistic value of what Oshima and his team have created. Criterion's Blu-ray release makes it much easier to appreciate the picture thanks to a stellar transfer, fine audio, and an impressive array of interesting and insightful extra features. Erotic, thought provoking and powerful, it's not a film for all tastes but for those who can appreciate the picture as the incredibly well made piece of cinema that it is, this release should be considered essential.