In the Realm of the Senses
Encyclopedia
is a 1976 Franco-Japanese romantic
drama film
directed by Nagisa Oshima
. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of an incident from 1930s Japan, that of Sada Abe
. It generated great controversy
during its release; while intended for mainstream
wide release
, it contains scenes of unsimulated sexual activity
between the actors (Tatsuya Fuji
and Eiko Matsuda, among others).
), molests her, and the two begin an intense affair that consists of sexual experiments, drinking, and various self-indulgences. Ishida leaves his wife and family to pursue his affair with Abe. Abe becomes increasingly possessive and jealous of Ishida, and Ishida more eager to please her. Their mutual obsession escalates to the point where Ishida finds he is most excited by being strangled during lovemaking, and he is killed in this fashion. Abe then severs his penis
and writes, "Sada Kichi the two of us forever," in blood on his chest.
's book about Japan, L'Empire des signes (Empire of Signs, 1970).
.
In the US, the film was initially banned upon its première at the 1976 New York Film Festival
, but later screened uncut; a similar fate awaited the film when it was released in Germany. The film was not available on home video until 1990.
The British Board of Film Censors
, at the time of its first limited screenings in the UK, recommended it be shown under private 'cinema club' conditions to avoid the need for cuts to be made, but only after the Obscene Publications Act
had been extended to films (in 1977) to avoid potential legal problems. More recently the BBFC has granted the film an "18" certificate (suitable for adults only), leaving all of the adult sexual activity intact, but ordered that a shot showing a prepubescent boy having his penis pulled as punishment be optically reframed so that the act itself was not shown. The film has been made available, however, in completely uncut form in France
, the United States
(including the current The Criterion Collection
DVD
), the Netherlands
, and several other territories.
In Canada
, when originally submitted to the provincial film boards in the 1970s, the film was rejected in all jurisdictions except Quebec
. It was not until 1991 that individual provinces approved the film and gave it a certificate. However, in the Maritimes
the film was rejected again as the policies followed in the 1970s were still enforced.
in Japan ("Pink film" director Noboru Tanaka
's film A Woman Called Sada Abe
explores this theme more directly) as the power dynamics between Abe and Ishida. Many critics have written that the film is also an exploration of how eroticism
in Japanese culture is often morbid or death-obsessed. Oshima was also criticized for using explicit sex to draw attention to the film, but the director has stated that the explicitness is an integral part of the movie's design.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of an incident from 1930s Japan, that of Sada Abe
Sada Abe
is remembered in Japan for erotically asphyxiating her lover, , on May 18, 1936, and then cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her handbag...
. It generated great controversy
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
during its release; while intended for mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
wide release
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
, it contains scenes of unsimulated sexual activity
Unsimulated sex in film
Unsimulated sex in mainstream cinema was at one time restricted by law and self-imposed industry standards such as the Motion Picture Production Code. Films showing explicit sexual activity were confined to privately distributed underground films, such as stag films or "porn loops"...
between the actors (Tatsuya Fuji
Tatsuya Fuji
Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese film actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1964, and was the first Japanese actor to appear in full-frontal nudity with explicit sexual scenes in a non-pornographic Japanese film, In the Realm of the Senses, which was released worldwide in 1976, but has yet to be...
and Eiko Matsuda, among others).
Plot
In 1936 Tokyo, Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) is a former prostitute who now works as a maid in a hotel. The hotel's owner, Kichizo Ishida (Tatsuya FujiTatsuya Fuji
Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese film actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1964, and was the first Japanese actor to appear in full-frontal nudity with explicit sexual scenes in a non-pornographic Japanese film, In the Realm of the Senses, which was released worldwide in 1976, but has yet to be...
), molests her, and the two begin an intense affair that consists of sexual experiments, drinking, and various self-indulgences. Ishida leaves his wife and family to pursue his affair with Abe. Abe becomes increasingly possessive and jealous of Ishida, and Ishida more eager to please her. Their mutual obsession escalates to the point where Ishida finds he is most excited by being strangled during lovemaking, and he is killed in this fashion. Abe then severs his penis
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
and writes, "Sada Kichi the two of us forever," in blood on his chest.
Cast
- Eiko Matsuda as Sada AbeSada Abeis remembered in Japan for erotically asphyxiating her lover, , on May 18, 1936, and then cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her handbag...
- Tatsuya FujiTatsuya FujiTatsuya Fuji is a Japanese film actor. He has appeared in 50 films since 1964, and was the first Japanese actor to appear in full-frontal nudity with explicit sexual scenes in a non-pornographic Japanese film, In the Realm of the Senses, which was released worldwide in 1976, but has yet to be...
as Kichizo Ishida - Aoi Nakajima as Toku
- Yasuko Matsui as Tagawa Inn manager
- Meika Seri as Matsuko
- Kanae Kobayashi as Old geisha Kikuryû
- Taiji Tonoyama as Old beggar
- Kyôji Kokonoe as Teacher Ômiya
- Naomi Shiraishi as Geisha Yaeji
- Komikichi Hori as Mitsuwa Geisha
Title
The British title of the film is In the Realm of the Senses, while the U.S. version is Realm of the Senses. The French title L'Empire des sens (Empire of Senses) is derived from that of Roland BarthesRoland Barthes
Roland Gérard Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. Barthes' ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, anthropology and...
's book about Japan, L'Empire des signes (Empire of Signs, 1970).
Controversy
Strict censorship laws would not have allowed the film to be completed as per Oshima's vision in Japan. To get around this, the production was officially listed as a French enterprise, and the undeveloped footage was shipped to France for processing and editing. At its première in Japan, the sexual activity was optically censoredCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
.
In the US, the film was initially banned upon its première at the 1976 New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
, but later screened uncut; a similar fate awaited the film when it was released in Germany. The film was not available on home video until 1990.
The British Board of Film Censors
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
, at the time of its first limited screenings in the UK, recommended it be shown under private 'cinema club' conditions to avoid the need for cuts to be made, but only after the Obscene Publications Act
Obscene Publications Act 1959
The Obscene Publications Act 1959 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament that significantly reformed the law related to obscenity. Prior to the passage of the Act, the law on publishing obscene materials was governed by the common law case of R v Hicklin, which had no exceptions...
had been extended to films (in 1977) to avoid potential legal problems. More recently the BBFC has granted the film an "18" certificate (suitable for adults only), leaving all of the adult sexual activity intact, but ordered that a shot showing a prepubescent boy having his penis pulled as punishment be optically reframed so that the act itself was not shown. The film has been made available, however, in completely uncut form in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(including the current The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
DVD
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
), the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and several other territories.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, when originally submitted to the provincial film boards in the 1970s, the film was rejected in all jurisdictions except Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. It was not until 1991 that individual provinces approved the film and gave it a certificate. However, in the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
the film was rejected again as the policies followed in the 1970s were still enforced.
Themes
The film does not so much examine Abe's status as a folk heroFolk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
in Japan ("Pink film" director Noboru Tanaka
Noboru Tanaka
was a Japanese film director best known known for his Roman Porno films, including three critically respected films known as the Showa trilogy: A Woman Called Sada Abe , Watcher in the Attic , and Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture! , all three starring Nikkatsu Roman porno queen Junko Miyashita...
's film A Woman Called Sada Abe
A Woman Called Sada Abe
aka Sada Abe: A Docu-Drama is a Roman porno version of the Sada Abe story directed by Noboru Tanaka.It is based on the true story of a woman who strangled her lover during a love-making session, then severed his penis, which she carried with her until her arrest...
explores this theme more directly) as the power dynamics between Abe and Ishida. Many critics have written that the film is also an exploration of how eroticism
Eroticism
Eroticism is generally understood to refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love...
in Japanese culture is often morbid or death-obsessed. Oshima was also criticized for using explicit sex to draw attention to the film, but the director has stated that the explicitness is an integral part of the movie's design.
See also
- List of mainstream movies with unsimulated sexUnsimulated sex in filmUnsimulated sex in mainstream cinema was at one time restricted by law and self-imposed industry standards such as the Motion Picture Production Code. Films showing explicit sexual activity were confined to privately distributed underground films, such as stag films or "porn loops"...