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A very good film which I think deeply influced by new wave style.
This was another Japanese film I had never heard of prior to its appearance during the Italian TV "After Hours" programme. Considering the clearly exploitative title (apparently this was just one of a series of such films!), I was expecting a sort of Asian semi-documentary of the "Mondo" variety but instead it turned out to be a reasonably compelling character drama with a good leading performance from Meika Seri as a young but strong-willed prostitute surviving in modern-day Japan.
While it's basically a series of often perverse sexual encounters between Seri and a variety of clients (and it's certainly the most explicit out of all the Asian flicks I've watched recently), the film also follows her relationship with her dysfunctional 'family': the mother is an ageing prostitute whose clients are beginning to shun her for her daughter, especially after she has been newly impregnated; her retarded brother is allowed to spy on the love-making and the girl (without any real thought of abuse or even incest) occasionally indulges him as well because, as she tells him: "After all, you're a man too!"; her pimp is a selfish bully but she manages to stand up to him, after which he is forced to take on a couple of needy and inexperienced lovers instead (an episode which has a literally explosive conclusion).
However, the most surprising factor about the film is how well it's actually made with the inventive camera-work being of special interest; near the end (the scene of the retarded boy going mad and committing suicide, and which features footage involving a chicken that wouldn't go down well with Animal Rights activists!) it switches briefly to color, albeit with a heavy bluish tone. The eclectic music score – alternating between synthesizer/heavy-rock passages and traditional Japanese songs – is another major asset.
Interestingly, while the lead actress later appeared (in a supporting role) in Nagisa Oshima's notorious sex-fest AI NO CORRIDA aka IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (1976), director Noburo Tanaka had actually filmed that same story himself under the name A WOMAN CALLED SADA ABE (1975)!
Directed by one of Nikkatsu’s most interesting directors, Noboru Tanaka, Shikijo mesu ichiba is an Osaka set story of a young prostitute. While the film comes with the usual overload of sex scenes and would benefit from some editing, the director’s skill with images and audio is undeniabe. Shot beautifully in black and white, some of Tanaka’s audiovisual compositions are nothing short of breath taking. The lead star Meika Seri’s persona is perfect for the lead role, and even occational wooden acting feels spot on. The supporting cast (including former classical ballerina Genshu Hanayagi, cult poet Sakumi Hagiwara and genre queen Junko Miyashita) features some weak but enjoyably campy performances that add their spice to the weird mix.
Por cierto, que shitbusters ha ripeado también las 4 partes de "Aces go places" versión remasterizada. No he visto ninguna de ellas todavía (me ha bajado sólo la 4 de momento), pero se supone que son clásicos de la comedia en Hong Kong. Que lo sepas, torpedorr...
edit: El rip de auess empieza con el trailer, así que le dí 3:01 mins extras a los subs de shitbusters y acoplan perfectamente. Ahora los subiré a kloofy con el nombre "maruhi shikijo mesu ichiba.noburo tanaka.1974.auess".
Por cierto, que shitbusters ha ripeado también las 4 partes de "Aces go places" versión remasterizada. No he visto ninguna de ellas todavía (me ha bajado sólo la 4 de momento), pero se supone que son clásicos de la comedia en Hong Kong. Que lo sepas, torpedorr...
Lo sé, lo sé ;) También sé que un crack de por aquí está con los subs :punk:
soulrocket - ole, ole, ole... :punk:edit: El rip de auess empieza con el trailer, así que le dí 3:01 mins extras a los subs de shitbusters y acoplan perfectamente. Ahora los subiré a kloofy con el nombre "maruhi shikijo mesu ichiba.noburo tanaka.1974.auess".
Genial, pues ahora tenemos dos versiones con subs OK