Pleasures of the Flesh (1965)

Please don't spend money on this.

Boring

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Viewed on DVD. Restoration = ten (10) stars; cinematography/lighting = two (2) stars. Director Nagisa Oshima's test bed for experimenting/playing with film techniques at the expense of a credible story line, a plot with potholes, and unbridled free-ranging actresses/actors. This is a tale filled with many twists and turns most of which are telegraphed ahead (and far from surprising) or simply unbelievably dumb. On the surface, the plot appears almost Hitchcockian, but immediately disintegrates with even the most rudimentary analysis. The Director tries valiantly to use a wide- screen cinematic format for close-ups, but only ends up with chopped-off faces/heads. He also often fails to take full advantage of the format by not fully filling the screen from side to side. Lab-processed effects are interesting when first used, but quickly become seen-that-before boring as they ramble on and on. Cinematography (wide screen, color) comes across as little better than a home movie, and scene lighting is simply terrible (the major plot point of a killing on a train is impossible for the viewer to see--as are all dark/night scenes in the film--although one character claims to have witnessed it (using night-vision goggles, perhaps?)). Acting appears to be mostly ad lib, the score is fine and adds impact to scenes, and the subtitle are okay. Overall a fascinating experience if you park your brain on the coffee table and just enjoy the ride. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Nagisa Oshima's Pleasures of the Flesh is the first film produced by his first studio, Sozosha, after he parted ways with Shochiku in order to make provocative films, even though there's nothing in this movie that's more radical than his earlier works, which were equally as aggressive. Similarly, this film is often classified as a pinku movie, but it really isn't (for starters, there is no nudity), so I think that classification comes strictly based on its title. Also, for some reason it's listed as a comedy on several sites, despite being anything but.The movie presents a line-up of low-lives, immoral characters and all- around unpleasant people typical for Oshima's social realist dramas. It's a dark tale of lost love, obsession, cruel ironic twists, aimless lives and a shallow, materialistic society whose members are doomed from the start. The main character is a major douche-bag, but it's not like the people around him are any better. There's a jazzy undertone reminiscent of the films of Seijun Suzuki and Kiju Yoshida, and Mariko Kaga, one of the best '60s Japanese actresses, appears as the female lead. All in all, pretty good, but the story's potential is greater than its realization. Also, the colors are really washed up, which particularly ruins the night scenes.

A school teacher is blackmailed by a corrupt politician after he is seen committing a murder. The corrupt politician demands that the teacher watch his suitcase stuffed with 30 million yen while he spends a year in prison. Probably not a good idea on the politician's part. You see, the teacher committed the murder to protect a former student with whom he was deeply smitten. But afterward, she got married and vanished from his life. Now he has nothing to live for and decides that he'll spend every penny of that suitcase money on sex and debauchery, and then kill himself afterward. While the DVD box and insert claim this to be a pinku film, it's not at all. It's not in the least bit erotic. It may be sleazy, but not in any fun way. It's a depressing art-house drama, really. I thought the set-up of the plot was kind of ridiculous (the teacher and politician are complete strangers; the teacher could have easily used the money to run away and start a new life. And even if the politician could convince the cops that the teacher committed the murder, it'd be pretty much impossible to prove one year later, wouldn't it? It's just not a good set up for blackmail), but the main plot is definitely interesting. The film is well made and looks gorgeous. The colors on the Eclipse DVD are really beautiful.

Despite the misleading title, unless it is meant to be ironic, this is still an excellent and most eventful movie. Our hero rescues his love object from the almost unbelievable audacity of a rapist returning to blackmail her parents as she prepares to marry another, and longs for her ever more. We get a mysterious bag of money, an appearance by the yakuza, a deaf girl who prefers life on the street to life with him and much nocturnal activities. Unfortunately the 60s colour seems to have faded over the years and, particularly in the night scenes, makes for strained viewing. Even so well worth a view because this is a very well told tale that could only be set in Japan.