Imamura's 1964 black and white drama Akai Satsui is a great example of his cold style. The 150 min of runtime allow the director to establish a controlled and ambitious fiction where nothing is easily dismissed or fully interpreted.
The plot deals with a middle-class housewife Sadako (Masumi Harukawa) who lives with her librarian husband Richi and his young son Masaru. After she is raped by a burglar Hiraoko while being at home alone, she cannot even think about letting others know about the incident and initially intends to kill herself, but later drops the idea because of her love to Masaru. Sadako is treated badly by virtually everyone ,especially her mother-in-law and even Richi. Richi is also having an affair with a co-worker for a decade. Sadako's behaviour grows increasingly difficult to understand for the remainder of the film. Her rapist transitions into a stalker, an admirer, and, finally, a lover. Her past is so full of psychological mistreatment by her in-laws that it doesn't feel bad to think that to her, rape is not worse than her life as it is. Still Sadako is able to stay strong throughout her trials.
The black and white cinematography, stark shadows, wonderful scenery and the planned mise-en-scene make the frames of the film very interesting . The pacing always stays unhurried, making the film long but never tedious. The lead character is an unhappy,unappreciated woman who is dragged through conflict only to emerge with complicated,specific victory. The director has something deeper than shock effects in mind. His theme is natural instinct versus social convention, and his approach is original. However, it puts forward a strangely subversive view of "modern" Japan.
where i can get this film to watch ?
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