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Endless Desire – 1958 Imamura
- Imamura’s sophomore effort and first archiveable film (after Stolen Desire- also from 1958 which is a
miss)
- This has a fully engaging narrative (largely from Lloyd Bacon’s Larceny, Inc with Edward G. Robinson
from 1942) and the first traces of Imamura’s mise-en-scene brilliance- shots
behind barrels, shots blocked by a ladder, shoji doors, etc.
- Wipe edits
- Shot of feet and moves up the body like Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train
- A great shot of the four characters discussion their plan at
different depths
- Reverse shot broken up by Shoji doors and windows
- It’s a fascinating premise (Woody Allen would use it again in Small Time Crooks in 2000)
- Overhead shot (used during violence scenes later in Imamura’s 60’s
work) of digging the tunnel
- Imamura’s camera goes over and under the floor in a shot of
people digging- great shot
- The frame is split in half by
a ladder at the time of the stairs several times— von Sternberg
- Like all of Imamura’s work these people are from the seedy
underbelly—self-described “pigs” and outcasts… the word “pervert” is used 5 times
- Like all of Imamura’s work sexuality plays an important role—
voyeur shower scene here and we get pretty graphic on some of the discussions
- Shots through windows
- The poisonous drink is lit like Hitchcock in Suspicion
- Nihilism- murderous ending- everyone screwing each other over
- R/HR
Drake2019-04-29T15:44:38+00:00
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