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Castle of the White Heron Nearly 1,000 years ago, in the ornate capital of Heian-kyo, there was a young, fair-skinned man of noble birth by the name of Abe no Yasunari, who was also a diviner. His foe was Tamamo no Mae. She was a bewitching magical fox who deceived the hearts of men. Time passed. Places changed. Now, the decisive day approaches at the splendid, renowned fortress known as the Castle of the White Heron. At times with grace, at times mysteriously, this revue of a Japanese tale depicts the fate of the diviner and the magical fox, in conflict and drawn to each other over the course of reincarnations spanning a millennium. Outsiders in the Renaissance While Leonardo da Vinci is celebrated as an all-around genius, there is still much about his life that remains unknown. One theory is that the inspiration for his creations was his love for a woman. This production depicts the affection and hatred between da Vinci and the figures in his life.
Director
Director
Status
Released
Original Language
JA
The Pope / The Duke of Milan
Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.
