Two interwoven stories. The first is a biography of anarchist Sakae Osugi which follows his relationship with three women in the 1920s. The second centers around two 1960s students researchi... Read allTwo interwoven stories. The first is a biography of anarchist Sakae Osugi which follows his relationship with three women in the 1920s. The second centers around two 1960s students researching Osugi's theories.Two interwoven stories. The first is a biography of anarchist Sakae Osugi which follows his relationship with three women in the 1920s. The second centers around two 1960s students researching Osugi's theories.
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIchiko Kamichika, one of the characters from the film, was an active politician in the '60s who threatened to sue director 'Yoshishige Yoshida' for violation of privacy should this film be released uncut (to avoid legal issues in the first place, her name in the film was changed to Itsuko Masaoka). Thus, Yoshida was forced to cut a number of scenes centered around her. For a long time, the shorter cut of the film was the only one available.
- Quotes
Opening Text: Drunk upon the happiness of decadence, this film is a dialogue with you and I, the ambiguous participants in the erotica and revolutions of Sakae Osugi and Noe Ito, whose lives were dedicated to the beauty of chaos.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Yoshida... or: The Explosion of the Story (2008)
It tells two stories - one fictional, one biographical - the latter concerns the Japanese anarchist Sakae Osugi and is set in the 1920s. It's centered about his theories, ideas and relationships with three women - his wife, his first lover (who tries to kill him), and his second lover Noe Ito (played by Yoshida's wife Mariko Okada). The second story is intercut with the first, is fictional, and is set in the '60s, following a young female student named Eiko who researches Osugi's life. We follow her relationship with three men (similar to Osugi's three lovers), a pyroman called Wada who joins her in her research, a suicidal film director and a policeman who investigates her in suspicion that she's connected to a ring of prostitution.
The way the stories are connected is very, very loose and feels like a dream. Similar actions are repeated in both time periods, characters from the two periods interact with each other in oniric sequences, etc. From what I gathered from it, the major point of the film is showing that history may be nothing like people imagine or romanticize it. Truth is illusive, complicated and ambiguous. The scenes set in the '20s usually show the characters through various mirrors, or obstructed by objects such as furniture, walls or doors. One scene in particular, showing Ito meeting the staff journalist of the Seito compound, shows the two women in the inverted reflection of themselves in the lake. The other theme of the film may be Eiko and Wada's struggles to keep their idealistic image of Osugi true, because his revolutionary ideas and principles mean nothing in their time, when his thoughts aren't considered radical anymore. The two students spend a lot of time playing with fire. This radical "game" is what took the lives of Osugi and many others in the first place.
Eros Plus Massacre relies heavily on contrasts to tell its story. The differences between the two times are put further into life by contrasting '60s rock with '20s traditional music with orchestral elements, the '60s contemporary flats and urban life with the '20s simple houses and gardens. The majority of time spent on Osugi's story shows characters endlessly talking, while the '60s story puts an emphasis on (weird) things actually happening. Eiko and Wada spend some of their time reenacting the lives of martyrs, anarchists and revolutionaries - the most famous of these scenes climaxes with them faux-crucifying themselves.
The cinematography is out of this world. It's one of the most beautiful black and white films ever made, period. The way characters are put into frame, the lighting, the shadow play - holy sh*t. Almost every frame is a work of art, and some are literally unforgettable. Even though the story is quite grim, the angelic, white glow predominates almost every shot and makes the film that more unique. Characters are separated by walls, pillars, window frames, etc., to accentuate their isolation (esp. Ito and her husband) in typical Yoshida fashion. It seals the deal on Yoshida being one of the finest aesthetes of Asian cinema.
The opening scene is one of the best film intros I've ever seen - in this 5-minute scene, Eiko interviews Ito's daughter (also played by Okada) in the most stylish, theatrical and impactive manner. It's a highly immersive cold opening, typical for many Yoshida's films, and just plain rocks overall.
Some may not like that it's a bit self-indulgent but I guess that's just what you have to expect from a film like this. Because of its lengthy runtime (200 min.), it may often lose you, or you may find it too cryptic and complex. Despite this, it's a VERY unique movie that'll stick with you for a long time.
The title probably describes the two stories - Osugi's somber tale of political turmoil (Massacre) and Eiko's erotic vignettes (Eros). While Osugi is violently assassinated, Eiko enters the story by having sex with a man and later masturbating in the shower. Meanwhile, Osugi does some time in prison, has a football match played over his ashes and gets his near-fatal encounter with his lover Rashomonically played out in several different potential situations. Osugi is shown as a hypocrite because he stands for financial independence,nd yet he's financially suppported by his wife. Meanwhile, Eiko is all for free love, but charges it to other men, seeing as she's a prostitute in her free time.
This is the first Yoshida picture to be released outside Japan and had to be cut from 202 to 166 minutes (pity they didn't cut out more :D) for international release. Although it's considered to be Yoshida's best movie, I disagree. I think that the man has some better ones (he is a genius, after all). It can also be really confusing if you decide to watch it without knowing what's it about beforehand. Unfortunately, like all of Yoshida's films, it doesn't have a Criterion release... Yet.
Give this movie any adjective and it fits. Lyrical, haunting, boring, erotic, entertaining, unnerving, hypnotic, pointless, poignant, whatever.
@Carvalho, the actress who played Eiko is called Toshiko Ii. Not sure why she's unlisted here, but anyway, I added her now.
- mevmijaumau
- Sep 28, 2014
- How long is Eros + Massacre?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Eros Plus Massacre
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $8,017
- Runtime3 hours 36 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1