In 1936 Japan, Kichi-zo (Tatsuya Fuji), a married man, and his maid Sada (Eiko Matsuda) enter into an
obsessive sexual relationship, one that isolates them from society and can lead only to
self-destruction. Made in 1976, Oshima's film is a landmark in the cinematic depiction of sexuality
and the use of hardcore sexual material in an artistically valid context. The on-screen copulation is
unfaked and shown in explicit detail; needless to say, anyone likely to be offended should avoid this
film. But over the running time, Oshima's strategy pays off: by showing the sexual act in such detail
and so many times, it ceases to be titillating. We move beyond the act and into what it represents in
the life of the characters. Over time, Sada dominates the relationship to the point where, in search
of the ultimate orgasm she strangles Kichi-zo and cuts off his penis. Days later, she was found
wandering in a delirium, still carrying Kichi-zo's penis - a true story, from which the rest of the
film sprang.
By any standard, the direction and (believe it) the acting, is far superior to mere
pornography. In The Realm Of The Senses (aka: Ai No Corrida) was shown under club-membership
conditions until 1991, when the BBFC granted it a cinema certificate with one small alteration
replicated on this video release. During a scene where Sada plays with two naked children, she
reaches out and pulls at the little boy's penis. This scene is vital in that it is the first
indication that Sada has become deranged, but it's problematic in that it falls foul of the Child
Protection Act (which does not allow context as a defence). With Oshima's permission, the then BBFC
Secretary James Ferman optically zoomed in on the image, so that the hand/genital contact was out of
shot. But the rest of the film is intact, as it should be. Oshima's film is one of a kind.
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