Imamura. Imamura is relatively new for me- a “wow” random viewing of The Pornographers and then a full-blown study in 2019. His strengths are the four films in the top 500 of all-time and the absolute alliance with film art mise-en-scene. He’s up there with von Sternberg and Ozu– remarkable.
Best film: The Pornographers, The dedication to the gorgeous mise-en-scene aesthetic is evident quickly. I see some of Hitchcock, Lynch (way before Lynch of course) and Powell’s Peeping Tom with the voyeurism and angles. Freeze frame in several key sequences. Countless shots are through windows with natural obstructions in the frame—even curtains to make a frame within a frame- spectacular mise-en-scene– truly an artistic achievement. Very busy mise-en-scene—lots of shots off glass and through fish tanks—it’s visual bravado and audacious – a clear aesthetic dedication to mise-en-scene like Von Sternberg and Ozu—there’s 30-50 gorgeous set designs and arrangements. A stunner of a shot (long shot) of a long take of a girl walking down a corridor towards the camera—then the next shot is a gorgeous row of legs—both stunners. There’s a lineage to Renoir here with the shots outside of windows using the frame within the frame. meticulous frame staging– gorgeous– an absolute triumph– 50+ times, shots through fish tanks, glass doors– formally sound too because he bounces these off longer shots as if looking on from a terrace across the way like a voyeur– like Rear Window – it’s an ambitious structure and arrangement of shots on top of the individual shot composition achievements. Impediments– pillars, columns, window brackets, shots through a cracked door (shrinking the frame) or a curtain left open by a hair. Even the final shot is so well framed- we have a candle, a robot and his face in different depths.
total archiveable films: 12
top 100 films: 1
top 500 films: 4 (The Pornographers, Intentions of Murder, Vengeance is Mine, Pigs and Battleships)
top 100 films of the decade: 3 (I did this before my study but finished the Imamura study before my top 500 which is why we have the disconnect here— The Pornographers, Vengeance is Mine, The Ballad of Narayama)
most overrated: not a thing- no films in top 500 and only 2 in top 1000 (Vengeance and The Ballad of Narayama– neither are overrated by TSPDT unless you count within the context of ranking Imamura’s oeuvre—I have them 3 and 5 and the consensus has them 1-2).
most underrated: Intentions of Murder is my choice here since I had the room to discuss The Pornographers above. Both films (Imamura’s two best) are masterpieces (Pornographers is #64 all-time so technically the most underrated and Intentions #146) and sorely missing from the TSPDT top 1000. Formal and stylistic bliss. Imamura isn’t undone by the running time which is pretty special—150 minutes—it’s almost unfathomable how he did this the year after The Insect Woman in 1963—this is long, detailed, and so carefully and beautifully crafted in nearly every frame. A strong opening- train freeze frame still photograph montage. Wow. Then he goes into a freeze frame photo montage of the interior of our protagonist’s (Masumi Harukawa) home—well-staged (even in stills) Ozu interiors with shoji doors. Another Ozu-like mise-en scene shot- mouse wheel in foreground. The lamp in the foreground during the robbery and rape—(there is where style and content break with Imamura being in the Ozu style)—this is seedy, brutal, ugly—typical Imamura. Imamura actually uses Welles’ low-angles with some foreground background work as well.. Kô Nishimura in the foreground, Harukawa in the background tied up—we have the shoji door creating a frame and giving depth—and then a hanging light swinging back and forth in an otherwise dimly lit room giving occasional light to her. An oddly illuminated train scene just after this pivotal and traumatic scene—this is all 15 minutes in. Gorgeous shot of Nishimura and Harukawa and their faces laying down after the crime. Like The Insect Woman we have a rape here—brutal—especially for a 60’s film. A dazzling overhead 360 camera movement shot of Harukawa in the aftermath of the crime. Sparsely used experimental score. Uses slow-mo once around the train (don’t love the usage of it once formally. The mouse (looks like a hamster) in a wheel metaphor used here visually—on the nose a bit—The train is a formal trigger—so many scenes and pivotal moments on and around trains. Imamura- nudity and sexuality again and again. For Imamura it’s a remarkable achievement in mise-en-scene, a formal achievement with the train— depth of feel and photographic skill. I do feel like Imamura is a bit inconsistent with the inner monologues—unlike the train, freeze frame, and mise-en-scene brilliance this isn’t set up from the get-go. Gorgeous framing at the library scenes. An unreal tracking shot as he pursues her through the cars of the train. Like Insect Woman this is depressing— a cursed woman. The tunnel at the end is a fabulous set piece, the frame is blocked by snow. A bizarre romantic saga rape/woman survival film….Thoughtful shots and gorgeous photography throughout. There are some minor flaws but enough auteur-driven stylistic bravado to make it one of the best films of 1964.
gem I want to spotlight: Pigs and Battleships. His fifth feature and it is revelatory—a very strong film and cinematic voice. Starts with a bang- a great backwards tracking shot during the opening credits of sailors stumbling around a crowded and lit-up Vegas-like Yokosuka strip. Like all of Imamura’s work it’s about the seedy underbelly of society, lower class or outcasts—there’s swearing, hitting, spitting and prostitution in the first 5 minutes- haha. I couldn’t find anything official but Imamura worked under Ozu— and most cinephiles like to note how different they are in their content—and that’s true. However, Imamura clearly is heavily influenced by Ozu stylistically—very apparent—he’s a gifted stylist. Loaded mise-en-scenes… bottles like Ozu in the foreground. Later a fan. Drapes covering top 1/4 of a frame- inventive framing work. Uses the entire screen- he’s a depth of field master, von Sternberg. The protagonist throws father out of doorway and we have a great “The Searchers” doorway shot. 10+ individual wall-art shots like the saxophone player shot. Another one of a girl dancing in front of bottles. It’s political—there’s a child reading from a textbook about how great Japan is while there are adults fighting in his living room—anti-American sentiment for sure from WW2 fallout. Raw talk about pimping and whoring in 1961 opened my eyes a little. During the rape scene Imamura brilliantly cuts to an overhead angle of the room—then he spins the frame very rapidly 360 degrees as a transition to the aftermath. Stylistic ingenuity—great depth of field in a car chase- the entire end is awesome—it’s like Ozu directing action scenes with such care and attention given to the beauty of the individual shot and the framing—we have the glittery billboard in the backdrop.
stylistic innovations/traits: Imamura, like Ozu, is a master of mise-en-scene– one of cinema’s all-time greatest. Uses the entire screen- he’s a depth of field master, von Sternberg. Visual bravado and audacious. Japanese doors as framing (Ozu) and windows as framing (Renoir). Almost every Imamura film makes the man is an animal comparison—we get Pigs, Insects, Fish (often in the film titles themselves) and here with the eels towards the end. Imamura uses his trademark cut to the overhead shot at the climactic moment. Imamura, as one of the great masters of framing and mise-en-scene. Again for Imamura- the lower depths of society, a promiscuous women, bastard children (from text- not my wc)—sexually and taboos are incredibly important to Imamura— anyone who says Imamura is the opposite of Ozu is talking about content over style. He’s stylistically similar and clearly influenced by Ozu. The narrative bounds around a bit at times recklessly throughout his body of work—often a black comedy of hardships or same as Kurosawa’s before him- dog eat dog nihilism.
top 10
- The Pornographers
- Intentions of Murder
- Vengeance Is Mine
- Pigs and Battleships
- The Ballad of Narayama
- The Insect Woman
- Profound Desires of the Gods
- Warm Water Under a Red Bridge
- Endless Desire
- Eijanaika
By year and grades
| 1958- Endless Desire | R/HR |
| 1961- Pigs and Battleships | MS |
| 1963- The Insect Woman | HR |
| 1964- Intentions of Murder | MP |
| 1966- The Pornographers | MP |
| 1968- Profound Desires of the Gods | HR |
| 1979- Vengeance is Mine | MS |
| 1981 – Eijanaika | R/HR |
| 1983- The Ballad of Narayama | MS |
| 1989- Black Rain | R |
| 1997- The Eel | |
| 2001- Warm Water Under a Red Bridge | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Great find, just watched Pigs and Battleships and Vengeance is Mine, very impressed by both. Going to check out the 2 you have as MPs next.
The 360 degree shot from above in Pigs and Battleships was fascinating, have you seen any other directors use that shot?
@James Trapp– I can’t think of one on the specific 360-degree shot mentioned from Pigs and Battleships— but happy to hear you were impressed by both films. It is fun championing all the worthy directors- but it does feel extra special discussing underrated and somewhat unknown auteurs like Imamura
What would you say is a good starting point for me to get into Imamura’s work?
@Ross Rivero- Thank you for visiting the site and the comment. Tough question- perhaps Vengeance Is Mine? Imamura is a bit of tough one to tackle– but Vengeance of Mine may make for the best entry point.
@Ross – The Ballad of Narayama is one of the most beautiful films of the 80s and doesn’t have content that’s too harsh so I feel that could be a good jumping on point too.
@Drake I watched Vengeance is Mine almost two weeks ago and was very impressed with it, thank you for the recommendation, what films would you say I should watch next?
@Ross Rivero- Great. So I have two recommendations here typically. One, if you are going to try to see as many as you can- go for them in chronological order. If you aren’t sure- and just want to do one or two more to start- I’d start at the top of the top ten and work your way down.
I honestly go by which films interest me the most when it comes to directors and do my research on a bunch of different sites before going into a certain directors’ work, but honestly it depends on what I feel like watching. But I think when it comes to Imamura the film that’s most interesting to me right now would be Intentions of Murder
I am delighted to see Imamura in here, really. He’s such an underrated director, but to be honest, Japanese cinema tends to be severely overlooked in the West even to this day, which is baffling to me. One would think that there haven’t been any Japanese filmmakers worthy of praise beyond Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa and now Miyazaki, which is not true at all. Japan has plenty of other names that deserve at least some recognition, Imamura being the best and most obvious choice and but definitely not the only one.
@David O. – Agreed on Imamura’s underrated greatness, Bong Joon-ho is an admirer of his work
Are you familiar with the work of Masahiro Shinoda? I’ve only seen one of his films, Pale Flower (1964) and I think its a MP. Criterion Channel is you have it, has many of his films. I definitely want to watch some of the others at some point
Pale flower is one my favourite film noirs of all time. Top 10 easily, maybe even top 5. Great screenplay, very solid performances and out-of-this-world black and white cinematography, and the editing of the poker scenes is also pretty tight. I’ve only seen two other Shinoda films (Double suicide and Assassination) and they’re both worth watching, but not nearly as good as Pale flower. Unfortunately, I live in Europe and I can’t get access to Criterion Channel, which is a bummer.
@David O. – that’s great to hear, it really is a hidden gem. I put a lot of emphasis on atmosphere, probably more than most, when it comes to evaluating/grading films. I love the films fever-dream vibe that is maintained throughout. I agree with you on the cinematography being one of its best features. There are probably many interpretations but I took the film to be largely about nihilism in post WW2 Japan.
That’s too bad about Criterion, it has so many European Films, I wonder why it isn’t available.
Yeah, I think you’re on the right track there, which isn’t at all surprising. Lots of films from the Japanese New Wave tend to explore detachment, identity, alienation and the consequences of modern warfare in the aftermath of WW2, and it makes perfect sense for them. Imamura himself does it beautifully in some of his films. Others like Teshigahara, Terayama or Shinoda tackled similar themes as well. It really is a fascinating period in Japanese cinema once you start diving into it.
As for Criterion, it’s only available in the USA and Canada as far as I know. I hate it because the catalogue looks amazing. It’s probably for the best though, because if I had access to it I would probably never leave my living room and my friends and family would start wondering if I’m still alive.
@David O. “It’s probably for the best though, because if I had access to it I would probably never leave my living room and my friends and family would start wondering if I’m still alive.” – this is amazing- haha
My ranking of Imamura`s films that I`ve seen:
1. The Pornographers MP
2. Intentions of Murder MP
3. Vengeance is Mine MS
4. Pigs and Battleships MS
5. The Ballad of Narayama HR/MS
6. Profound Desires of the Gods HR
@RujK- Yes!