Nagisa Oshima's depiction of the obsessive lovemaking between a prostitute and the husband of a brothel keeper, which leads ultimately to the death of the man (with his own consent), is one of the most powerful erotic films ever made, but it certainly isn't for every taste. Based on a true story that originally made headlines in Japan in the 30s, which turned the woman into a tragic public heroine, the film concentrates on the sex so exclusively that a rare period shot--the man observing a troop of soliders marching past--registers like a brief awakenign from a long dream. This 1976 feature is unusually straightforward for Oshima, and those who are put off are likely to be disturbed more by the content than by the style. The film had a French producer, Anatole Dauman, and the French title, L'empire des sens, seems to point directly to Roland Barthes' book about Japan, Empire of Signs--indicating one of the reasons why this film has been fetishized by many theoretically minded French and British critics. But even without this specialized context, the film is unforgettable for its ritualistic (if fatalistic) fascination with sex as a total commitment. -- Jonathan Rosenbaum

Credits: Director/writer: Nagisa Oshima, Cast: Tatsuya Fuji (Kichizo), Eiko Matsuda (Sada Abe, Aoi Nakajima (Toku, the brothel keeper), Yasuko Matsui (Tagawa Inn Manager).

MPAA: Not rated, contains explicit nudity and sexual themes.