''Thirst for Love'' ( ''Ai no kawaki'') is a 1967 Japanese drama film directed by

Koreyoshi Kurahara (31 May 1927 – 28 December 2002) was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Antarctica'' (1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. He also co- ...

, starring

Nobuo Nakamura was a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles in the West were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's ''Ikiru'' (1952), and the h ...

and

Ruriko Asaoka , born 2 July 1940 in Xinjing, Manchukuo (now Changchun, Jilin, China), is a Japanese actress. She won the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2002) and Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2011). She married actor Koji Ishizaka in 1 ...

. It is also known as ''Longing for Love'' and ''The Thirst for Love''. It tells the story of a young widow who becomes the mistress of her wealthy father-in-law. The film is based on the novel '' Thirst for Love'' by

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

Cast

as Yakichi Sugimoto *

as Etsuko * Akira Yamanouchi as Kensuke *

Yuko Kusunoki is a Japanese actress. She appeared in more than twenty films since 1959. Selected filmography External links * 1933 births Living people Japanese film actresses {{Japan-film-actor-stub ...

as Chieko * Yoko Ozono as Asako * Junko Shinami as Nobuko * Takayuki Iwama as Natsuo * Tetsuo Ishidate as Saburô * Chitose Kurenai as Miyo

Reception

Fernando F. Croce wrote for ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' in 2011, when the film was released on DVD by

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

: "Kurahara makes use of an ample arsenal of cinematic effects—abrupt disjunctions of sound and image, intertitles alternating with inner monologues, strategic flashes of lurid color following sudden bloodbaths—to visualize the voluptuous turmoil of Mishima’s avant-garde writing, all while exploring his own motifs of fears and desires churning under tidy surfaces."

References

External links

''Thirst for Love''
at

's website 1967 drama films 1967 films Films based on Japanese novels Films based on works by Yukio Mishima Films directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara Japanese drama films 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub