is a 1978 French-Japanese film produced, written and directed by

Nagisa Ōshima was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. One of the foremost directors within the Japanese New Wave, his films include ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976), a sexually explicit film set in 1930s Japan, and ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' ...

, based on a novel by Itoko Nakamura. The film was a co-production between Oshima Prods. and Argos Films.Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. p. 381.

Plot

In 1895 a

rickshaw A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...

runner arrives home in a village in Japan. His wife Seki is sexually assaulted by a young neighbour, Toyoji. They became lovers. He's very jealous of Seki's husband and decides that they should kill him. One night, after the husband has had plenty of shōchū to drink and is in bed, they strangle him and dump his body down a well. To avert any suspicions, Seki pretends her husband has gone off to Tokyo to work. For three years Seki and Toyoji secretly see each other. Their relationship has moments of intense passion, but the young man starts to distance himself from Seki. Finally, suspicions in the village become very strong and people begin to gossip. To make matters worse, her husband's ghost begins to haunt her and the law arrives to investigate her husband's disappearance.

Cast

Tatsuya Fuji is a Japanese actor. He was born in Beijing and raised in Yokohama. In 1962, Fuji joined Nikkatsu Company and began his acting career with small roles in Nikkatsu film. In 1968, Fuji married actress Izumi Ashikawa. He gained popularity throu ...

- Toyoji *

Kazuko Yoshiyuki (born 9 August 1935) is a Japanese film actress and voice actress essayist. Biography Early life Kazuko was born in Tokyo as a first daughter of Eisuke Yoshiyuki, a writer, and Aguri. She has an older brother, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, a novelist, ...

- Seki *

Takahiro Tamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1954 and 2005. He and his younger brothers Masakazu and Ryō were known as the three Tamura brothers. They were sons of actor Tsumasaburo Bando. Biography Tamura graduated from Dosh ...

- Gisaburo *

Takuzo Kawatani was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1967 and 1995. He was most famous for playing villains. Selected filmography Film * ''Zoku ô-oku maruhi monogatari'' (1967) * '' Eleven Samurai'' (1967) * ''Bakuchi-uchi: Nagurikomi' ...

- Inspector Hotta * Akyoshi Fujiwara * Masami Hasegawa - Oshin *

Kenzo Kawarazaki is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kenzō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢三, "wise, three" *健三, "healthy, three" *謙三, "humble, three" *健想, "healthy, concept" *建造, "bu ...

Tatsuya Kimura is a Japanese film producer and a critic, and also as known as , a music producer. :ja:木村立哉, 17:41, 2 November 2008 Biography Tatsuya Kimura was born in 1964 in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Debuted as a critic in his high school da ...

Eizo Kitamura is a Japanese visual technology company, founded in March 1968, which manufactures display products and other solutions for markets such as business, healthcare, graphics, air traffic control, and maritime. The company is headquartered in Ha ...

Akiko Koyama is a Japanese actress. She made her screen debut in 1955 and appeared in nearly 90 films. In 1960 Akiko Koyama married film director Nagisa Oshima, and appeared in some of his films. Selected filmography * ''Night and Fog in Japan'' (1960) * ' ...

- Mother of Landowner * Osugi - Dancer *

Sumie Sasaki Sumie or Sumi-e or Sumi e or ''variation'', may also refer to: People Sumie is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese long jumper *Sumie Baba (born 1967), a Japanese voice actor * Sumie Ishitaka, women' ...

- Odame * Takaki Sugiura *

Rinichi Yamamoto was a Japanese actor from Hokkaido. In 1953, he signed to the Toei Company and made his film debut in ''Gakusei Goninotoko''. He is most famous for playing villains and appeared more than 200 films. He also had many guest appearances as a villai ...

Taiji Tonoyama was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Ki ...

- Toichiro

Release

The film was Japan's submission to the

51st Academy Awards The 51st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1978 and took place on April 9, 1979, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee. The film was entered into the

1978 Cannes Film Festival The 31st Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 30 May 1978. The Palme d'Or went to the L'albero degli zoccoli by Ermanno Olmi. This festival saw the introduction of a new non-competitive section, 'Un Certain Regard', which replaces 'Les Yeux ...

, where Ōshima won the award for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

. The film was released on DVD by Fox Lorber Films in 2000 under the title ''In the Realm of Passion''.

References

External links

* * *
''Empire of Passion: Love’s Phantom''
an essay by

Tony Rayns Antony Rayns (born 1948) is a British writer, commentator, film festival programmer and screenwriter. He wrote for the underground publication ''Cinema Rising'' (its name inspired by Kenneth Anger's '' Scorpio Rising'') before contributing to ...

at 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 ...

* {{Mainichi Film Award for Excellence Film 1978 films 1978 drama films French drama films Japanese drama films Films directed by Nagisa Ōshima 1970s Japanese-language films Adultery in films Films produced by Anatole Dauman Films scored by Toru Takemitsu 1970s Japanese films 1970s French films

Plot

Cast

Release

See also

References

External links