Search - The Pornographers [Criterion Collection] on DVD

Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1966 DVD Release: 08/05/2003 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: Japanese Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 7 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 14 Genres: Comedy Drama, Satire, Black Comedy, Psychological Drama, Erotic Drama

A small-time purveyor of blue movies has to defend his livelihood against thieves, authorities, and his widowed girlfriend and her family in Shohei Imamura's dark satire. The Pornographers concerns the exploits of the hapless Subu (Shoichi Ozawa), an impotent (in every sense of the word) middle-aged entrepreneur employing a small crew in the back room of a barbershop. When not staging stag films in garages and secluded fields, Subu lives with the unhinged Haru (Sumiko Sakamoto), her Oedipal, high-minded son Koichi (Masaomi Kondo), and her impudent teenage daughter Keiko (Keiko Sagawa). Though he lusts after Keiko, the girl -- all too aware of her sexual power over men -- rebuffs his advances in an increasingly cruel manner, leaving Subu to channel his frustrations into the plots of his movies. As Subu's life grows even more lurid than his profession, local yakuza, the opportunistic Koichi, and the police all struggle to get in on the action. All the while, the family's machinations take place under the watchful eye of a giant carp, whom Haru believes to be the reincarnation of her late husband. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Shoichi Ozawa - Ogata
Sumiko Sakamoto - Haru
Masaomi Kondo - Koichi
Keiko Sagowa - Keiko

Shohei Imamura's perverse classic comes to DVD in this crisp if spartan presentation from the unparalleled Criterion Collection. The video image and soundtrack for The Pornographers is taken from an impeccably cleaned-up print of the film: Barely a scratch is transferred over to the disc, and the mono soundtrack is superbly modified to accommodate stereo (if not surround-sound) systems. This is a film of extremes, and every high-contrast shot and sudden burst of volume is preserved as the director might have wished. What's more, the disc has been given new and improved subtitling that does away with some of the anachronisms and errors found in previous prints' translations. As for supplemental material, the disc is bare save for the odd, sensationalistic original Japanese trailer and a witty essay by critic J. Hoberman, included in the liner notes. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide