A Picture of Madame Yuki (1975)

Overview

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the tragic downfall of an old aristocratic family, it depicts the conflicts among three men revolving around the beautiful and eerily alluring Lady Yuki. This is a film adaptation of the novel of the same title by Seiichi Funahashi. The screenplay and direction were handled by Masashige Narusawa, while cinematography was done by Tōichirō Narushima. Although the film was shot and completed in 1968, Toei, then fully committed to yakuza films and ero-guro fare, found it difficult to distribute, and it languished unreleased with no premiere date in sight. It was eventually loaned out for theatrical release as a supporting feature to Nikkatsu’s song-driven mainstream film Erimo Misaki (1975), produced after the studio’s shift to Roman Porno. Commercially, however, it was a complete failure.