La bête aveugle

The career of Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura is littered with provocative and disturbing gems which plunge the viewer into the shadow of civilisation to explore the darkest, most twisted, aspects of the human condition. 'Manji' (1964) tells the story of a lesbian love-triangle, dark wartime romance 'Red Angel' ('Akai Tenshi', 1966) is epically bleak, and 'Irezumi' (1966) is a story of bitter vengeance wrecking a woman's soul. However, even among such subversive company 'Moju' ('Blind Beast', 1969) is not only the most bizarre and freakish in his oeuvre, but one of the most psychologically disconcerting films in cinema.

An adaptation of the story of the same name by famed Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo, whose stories were known for what became known as "eroguronansensu", ("eroticism, grotesque, nonsense"), 'Blind Beast' begins with a young model called Aki (Mako Midori) who is soon abducted by Michio (Eiji Funakoshi), a blind sculptor with an obsessive fetish with exploring the female form through the sense of touch. He takes her to his warehouse, which has been grotesquely adorned with various sculptures of over-sized female body parts (lips, eyes, breasts) and a centre-piece of a giant nude, where a bizarre sado-masochistic exploration of their respective psyches is undertaken.

It is surprising and refreshing that, in a cultural landscape that has made torture porn a mainstream genre, a film like 'Moju' still manages to unnerve, and indeed does so in a deeper, more penetrating way, than any gore-laden splatter flick. What makes the film so unsettling for me is that the psychology of the characters is so rich with different layers of perversity that the boundaries that define each of them shift throughout the film before finally merging in an infernal, transcendent symbiosis which collapses the distinction between Michio and Aki, captive and captor, as well as pleasure and pain.

However, while the grotesque eroticism of the film's bizarre premise is by itself discomforting, the cinematography and music are equally haunting and evoke a surreal, nightmare ambiance which captures the claustrophobic internal landscape of the characters perfectly. All told, the film is a compelling hallucinogenic journey through a realm of taboo and, while it may not appeal to all tastes, is certainly recommended for those with a fascination with the darker aspects of the human heart as well as those that enjoy films with genuine artistic aspirations rather than films that merely wish to entertain.

The successful Japanese model Aki (Mako Midori) is abducted by the obsessed and lonely blind sculptor Michio (Eiji Funakoshi) and his mother (Noriko Sengoku). Aki unsuccessfully tries to escape from Michio's studio, and seduces and manipulates Michio against his mother. Aki develops a weird, sick and tragic relationship with Michio, after her long imprisonment and the close contact with him.

The first thing that came up to my mind while watching "Môjuu" was the clear inspiration of its storyline in William Wyler's "The Collector" (1965); by the other hand, the screenplay of the recent "Tiresia" (2003) is certainly based in these two movies. These three films have the same storyline - an obsessed fan kidnaps a woman and imprisons her, but have very different conclusions. "Môjuu" follows a bizarre and weird way, using destructive sadomasochism between the two lead characters, and the most impressive, in a 1969 movie, i.e., thirty seven years ago. Mako Midori is extremely beautiful; the sets are awesome; the cinematography is wonderful; but this unforgettable sick SM love story is recommended for very specific audiences only, since it is impossible not to feel a disturbance after watching this movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Cega Obsessão" ("Obsession Blind")

There are few films as psychosexually unnerving as MOJU, a visually arresting Japanese art-house classic which illustrates a blind sculptor's darkly sexual "idee fixe", and a young woman's metamorphosis of mind and body. This is erotica of a tenebrous nature rarely explored in films, and will surely rouse reproach in today's politically sensitive milieu for its limning of male-induced female disempowent. Initially a resistant captive, she yields gradually to her oppressor, eventuating with the willful(and eager) ultimate surrender of every aspect of her being.

A disquieting sadomasochistic fever-dream, MOJU is also underscored with violative elements of a strangely touching, almost fragile intimacy which develops between the two key characters...a dynamic of tenderness and firebrand which works well. Iconographically, it's a unique and forceful film, transpiring chiefly within the darkness of an expansive subterrane with black walls which exhibit floor-to-ceiling reliefs in depiction of various body parts. A massive, abstractly sculpted female nude is the central fixture, which serves as a bedstead of sorts. The high contrast of these ghostly-white effigies against the black walls creates a surreal illusion of free-floating entities in the crepuscule of space...it's an appropriately asomatous stage for the bizarre 'mise en scene' at hand, and contributes to the the film's abstruse semblance.

Individuals of offroad aesthetic tastes should enjoy this unexampled and very memorable conception...explore it, and you *will* be affected in a spectrum of ways.

8/10...Recommended.

The only 'pinku' film I'd seen before this one was Masaru Konuma's Wife to be Sacrificed, but that didn't prepare me for the oddity of this Japanese 'classic'! Quite what the writers and directors were on is anyone's guess, but whatever it was; it lead to them creating an interesting and unique film that is memorable thanks to it's strange storyline and the way that the ideas are presented without a lot of fuss, which only increases the potency of what the film has to say. The basis of the story is sadomasochism, but director Yasuzo Masumura seems to want to go further as the pleasure-pain idea that S&M is based on is completely overruled by the idea of absolute pleasure through the sense of touch. The film focuses on a blind sculptor who, along with his mother kidnaps a young model after he heard some young kids talking about how exquisite she is. He takes her to his warehouse, which is filled with huge statues and naturally she wants to escape as soon as possible. After a couple of failed attempts, however, she begins to buy into the sculptor's ideas, and soon develops his fixation.

This film definitely is shocking, but not because of any large amount of gore or particularly brutal sex scenes. Director Yasuzo Masumura has done an amazing thing in that he's made a film that is shocking thanks to the ideas that it promotes. Naturally, there's a fair amount of nudity; but it's very soft and clearly wasn't what the director valued most when it came to making this film. There is a rather visceral sequence towards the end which is sure to get the audience cringing, but it's not the most shocking thing about the film - which again is amazing since this would have been the standout in most other movies like this. The atmosphere is surreal throughout, and this is good as it allows the director to throw in just about anything and it comes off as being believable in spite of the fact that a lot of the ideas in the film are really quite ridiculous. I always find it difficult to judge things like acting when a film is subtitled; but the lead duo are at least believable, while Yasuzo Masumura's cinematography and attention to detail is the finishing touch that makes the film what it is. Overall, Blind Beast is a bizarre oddity that verges on brilliance. Well worth seeing!

Based on a novel by Edogawa Rampo who's name sake is Edgar Alan Poe, it's a mystery intrigue that's his specialty. But this one must be one of the most far left story he's ever written.

A blind masseuse kidnaps a model to enjoy her in his private atelier. She finds herself in his wonderland that is dedicated to women's body. If that sound's weird, you're right. This is one of the weirdest movie I've seen.

Mako Midori who plays the lead was known for her good figures. She was also known as actress that's bit out there, so she was the perfect choice for this role. Despite her sexuality, she's confessed that she was rather a late bloomer in regards to sexual matters. Her first boyfriend didn't help in this regards either. But as an actress, she was some what of a sex symbol, as you can see in this movie.

The movie is bit like the "Collector" in that she was collected by this masseuse, and became his sex slave, but I think this is a better made movie. It really is an artistic movie. The fact that it's written by Edogawa Rampo almost guarantees it, and recruiting Mako Midori was an inspired choice.

Not a mainstream movie by any means, but one of the most interesting that's out there.