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Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (NTSC All Region)
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Yosuke (Yakusho Koji), a recently unemployed
man, meets a homeless man named Taro (Kitamura Kazuo). He advises Yosuke to
have sex as much as he can as long as he can keep his instrument up and
explains of the beneficial (physically and mentally) qualities of sex and
its importance throughout the history of humanity. Sex is closely linked
with nature and being suggested as the main essence of life. The film also
points to the power of women, so the enormous amount of water produced by
Saeko (Shimizu Misa), when having sex with Yosuke, that falls in the river
seems to be so rich that attracts fish and seagulls. Saeko's body fluids can
also the solution for the purification of the contaminated river. An attempt
to cure the river was made by her mother, the village's shaman but was
ostracised by the villagers for her use of unscientific methods. Eventually
she drowned in the river when trying to perform a ritual. Saeko's
grandmother Mitsu (Mitsuko Baisho) seems to possess some sort of clairvoyant
power. The conflict between, and eventual loss of, ancestral beliefs
(pre-Shinto and pre-Buddhist culture) and modern Japan is also another
important characteristic of Imamura's work. In early Japan women, as some
were actually shamans, took an active role in religious, social and
political matters. Things changed with the advent of Buddhism (religion) and
Confucianism (politics and social ethics). Yosuke is warned by some
villagers that he will dry up and lose his vital essence if he keeps on
having his sexual encounters with Saeko. He is an outsider from modern
Japan, Tokyo, who gets involved with women that represent primitive Japan, a
Japan of sexual freedom, finally accepting their customs and beliefs. As
Taro tells Yosuke 'Drown yourself in a woman's arms, be faithful to your
desires without worrying about daily cares.' In this sense he is like
Kariya, an engineer from Tokyo, who goes to Kurage, a Southern island of
Japan, in 'The Profound 'Desire' of the Gods'. He is believed to be a 'god
from overseas' by the island's community. After showing little concern for
local customs and traditions he marries Toriko, a retarded young woman who
epitomised primitive Japan, all sexual freedom, and sister of the island's
shaman. So WWURB is charming, funny, sometimes kinky and certainly one of
Imamura's finest recent works.
- Import DVD
- NTSC / All Region
- English Subtitles
- Letterboxed
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| Price: $14.99 |
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| Quantity Available: 1 |
