Despite the intriguing English title given this film, Edo Porn is in fact a historical biography of Edo-era artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Hokusai is one of the most well-known Ukiyo-e artists, whose works combine woodblock printing, colored inks, and a very stylized depiction of landscapes and characters. The Japanese title of this film is Hokusai Manga, which is the name of the 13 volume sketchbook he published around 1814. This work, and his very well-received collection of woodblock prints entitled Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku Sanjuurokkei) gained him widespread fame while he was alive and even greater renown by subsequent generations.

This is a rather straight-forward biography, chocked full of nudity and erotic charicature. It is clearly within the jidai-geki (historical piece) genre and quite thoroughly depicts the more low-brow aspects of life in Edo. Bathhouses, prostitutes, drunkeness and seedy pleasures are brought to the foreground, while depictions of samurai, nobillity and politics are nowhere to be found.

The Japanese public and history in general remember Hokusai in a highly favorable light, and here, despite his hedonistic fixations (which dominate this film's storyline) he emerges as a very noble and disciplined individual exemplifying the highly preferred qualities of tenacity and utter dedication to one's work.

This is worth seeing as a historical piece and as a study in the life of Katsushika Hokusai. Despite some infused humor, this film comes across as a rather serious treatment of the subject matter.

 

 

 

No conocía a Shindô...

De todas formas esta no se acerca ni de lejos a las que has mencionado. Onibaba es una peli excelente y "naked Island" es de lo mejor que he visto en mucho mucho tiempo. Esta tiene su puntillo, pero no llega a la altura de las mencionadas.

ME EDITO porque me da la impresión de que no le he hecho justicia en mi anterior comentario a Onibaba.
A ver... ¡Onibaba es la hostia!
ahora sí.