Still censored in its own country, In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida), by the always provocative 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.
Extras
• New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition) • New audio commentary featuring film critic Tony Rayns • New interview with actor Tatsuya Fuji • A 1976 interview with director Nagisa Oshima and actors Fuji and Eiko Matsuda, and a 2003 program featuring interviews with consulting producer Hayao Shibata, line producer Koji Wakamatsu, assistant director Yoichi Sai, and film distributor Yoko Asakura • Deleted footage • U.S. trailer • New and improved English subtitle translation • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie and a reprinted interview with Oshima
