In The Realm Of The Senses (1976) / Sansenes Rike - The Criterion Collection
Still censored in it's own country, in the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida), by Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, remains one of the most controversial films of all time. A graphic portrayal of insatiable sexual desire, Oshima's film, set in 1936 and based on a true incident, depicts a man and a woman (Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda) consumed by a transcendent, destructive love while living in an era of ever escalating imperialism and governmental control. Less a work of pornography than of politics, in the Realm of the Senses is a brave, taboo-breaking milestone.
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