Violência ao meio Dia

I really don't know why Oshima's early films have taken so long to become available in the U.S. They are spectacular! I suppose because their thematic content is so specific to the Japan of the post-war "reconstruction" at the hands of the Americans. As radical, contemporary, and at times experimental as Oshima's films from this era were, his landscapes, to my eye, more closely resemble the tradition of Japanese landscape-painting than those of Kurosawa or Mizoguchi. In this film, the past is captured in just such painterly, deep-focus majesty, with dizzying zooms thrown in just to leave you disoriented. The present is soft, blurry, almost indiscernible at times. I'm interpreting the political content of this violent, lude, nasty story to deal with Japan's inability to live up to its WWII atrocities, or from a different perspective, the ease with which it forgave itself. I admit that I don't see how the last scenes fit into that interpretation, but that doesn't make those scenes any less haunting.

Possibly the most confusing movie I've ever sat through, it took me a long time to get anything out of it. I just couldn't grab onto even the slightest shred of a plot, and, without the ability to find a hook, it felt at first like watching a blank wall. But eventually, I started making inroads and, as the film progresses, its chopped-up plot begins to emerge. It is the story of a rapist and murderer and two women with whom he is intricately involved. Shino is one of his rape victims, and also, we find out, a woman he rescued from suicide in the past. Jinbo is the killer's wife, who knows his guilt (or at least suspects it) but loves him and wants to protect him. Nagisa Oshima actually went to film school in France, and, though part of the Japanese New Wave, no one will miss the French New Wave influences, especially Alain Resnais, whose films have similarly infuriated me in the past with their difficult narratives. Even if I never understood what the hell happened here, the film has several great aspects. The acting is quite good, that's clear. But, in particular, the music, by Hikaru Hayashi, and the cinematography, by Akira Takada, are extremely beautiful. I think I might like this one better if I give it yet another try.

ETA: zetes here in the distant year 2010, having just watched the film for the second time. It seems that younger zetes was being a tad dumb, though it could have been the fact that he watched it on a VHS with probably washed-out subtitles (remember those? Yeah, I don't miss them!). The film is actually kind of convoluted, perhaps purposely so. But after the first third of the film, it's fairly clear what's going on. It is quite good, and the visuals and direction are spectacular. This is now available on DVD in an Eclipse box set (it's generally considered to be the best film in that set, too, though I've only watched a couple of films from it so far).

Haku Chu No Torima (1966) Directed by Nagisaa Oshima

Is there another serial killer film done from the point of view if the family of the killer?

Synopsis: Shino (Saeda Kawaguchi) and Matsuko (Akiko Koyama); the victim and wife of a suspected serial rapist and murderer (Kei Sato) join together to figure out how to stop him. Their only help out is Genji a wealthy politician (Rokko Toura) and an inspector (Fumio Watanabe).

More complicate then that, but couldn't say more and give away the important details of this peculiar change of pace from home invasion slasher films. It's told from the point of view of family and those benefiting from the individual perpetrating the crimes.

Shino's family livelihood is connected to rice farming. Without Eisuke her family is penniless. Matsuko is his wife and without her criminal husband she is homeless.

Matsuko tries to stop her husband by giving into Eisuke's fetishes, but it's not the same for him with a willing participant. Genji the politician is in love with Shino and will help her family, but she fears rightly his connection to her will lead to his downfall. In addition, Shino sadly is wrapped in a sadistic master and servant relationship with Eisuke who rapes her frequently and out of fear and necessity she says nothing.

All the while Eisuke is the noon day killer, being chased by Inspector Haraguchi.

None of the serial killings are shown, yet referred to, it is again the story of those who know a killer and suffer in silence.

I can't recommend this film enough. It's premise is horror, and I feel for a female audience it may be a terrifying dilemma, however, all genders should walk away with the same dilemma. What would I do if someone I benefit from is a killer? What if a horror premise was permitted realism and a dramatic turn?

I tell people... beware of golden anchors.

This film is all about that. Relationships where we accept too much from one benefactor. It makes us powerless.

The negatives I read on here are all based on artist choice. And the comment love has no rewards is given by a character who we should never take advise.

As I should have expected from director Nagisa Ôshima, "Hakuchû no tôrima" ("Violence at Noon") is a thoroughly unpleasant film. It's central themes are rape, murder and suicide....so you might want to think twice before you watch it.

Eisuke is a horrible person...pretty much human garbage. Despite having no discernable good qualities, two women love him. Why this is the case becomes SOMEWHAT apparent through the course of the film, but they refuse to go to the police after there's a string of rapes and murders...even though they both know that Eisuke is responsible. With one woman, instead of telling the police, she sends letters to Eisuke's wife...trying to get her to turn in this despicable man.

There's more to the story than this, but suffice to say I disliked everyone in the film....which is NOT unusual for this director. He tended to often make films about amoral people and they are certainly NOT everyone's taste. I frankly have never loved any of his dark and unpleasant films...and this one, though well made, is just unpleasant.

Oshima's Violence at Noon is a meditation on the destructive capacity of love. It traces the course of a grotesque love triangle between a rapist and two women who both love him, leading to an ultimately tragic conclusion.

This is a deliberately deep, art house film, with much ponderous dialogue. The dialogue serves as much to express Oshima's ideas on love as to advance the plot, with lines such as "Love has no rewards." The film also features some great cinematography, with excellent use of black and white. A sequence in which a violent attack is represented by a series of photographs is a particular highlight.

However, the film suffers from a tendency to let ideas take precedence over characterization. We often have little idea why the characters do certain actions, a particular problem given that some of their activities are extreme. Ultimately, this is a thought-provoking film that at times descends into the head scratching.