Under the blossoming cherry trees ©Toho Co., ltd
NFAJ

Under the blossoming cherry trees

(Sakura no mori no mankai no shita)

Masahiro Shinoda

  • 1975
  • Japan
  • Fantasy / Horror
  • 1h35mn
  • Original version with French subtitles
  • Color
A mountain bandit slaughters nobles to rob them. The woman he spares and kidnaps to make her his mate, turns out to be worse than him. She subjects him to her murderous whims, forcing him to kill men and bring her their heads...
We thought we knew everything about Shinoda’s eclectic inspiration, but we weren’t ready for this hallucinating almost Sadian noir film, a first foray into the eroguro genre done in a frantic and macabre way. Shima Ishawita, the diabolical heroine siderates as she plays with chopped heads between sex games and role playing, while Tomisaburô Wakayama, the valiant hero of Baby Cart, unrecognizable as a woodrunner, plays the tricked trickster. Shinoda defies taboos, and takes the opportunity to underline that sexual domination will always be less powerful than social class.

Screenings

07/09 • 16h45 • Screen 300
Screening in partnership with the National Film Archive of Japan

Booking

13/09 • 15h30 • Screen 300
Screening in partnership with the National Film Archive of Japan

Booking

Credits

  • With : Tomisaburô Wakayama, Shima Iwashita, Hiroko Isayama, Kô Nishimura, Hideo Kanze
  • Screenplay : Masahiro Shinoda, Taeko Tomioka
  • Photography : Tatsuo Suzuki
  • Editing : Sachiko Yamaji
  • Music by : Shinichirô Ikebe, Tôru Takemitsu
  • Production : Kiichi Ichikawa, Ichirô Satô