Horrors of Malformed Men
Encyclopedia
is a 1969
Japanese film in the Ero guro (erotic-grotesque) sub-genre of Toei
's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii
, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.
's history, but in all of Japan's. Combining a spectrum of influences that stretches from Rampo to butoh
, it taps into the country's post-nuclear trauma so audaciously that people fled theaters in disgust upon its release and that it has been consistently barred from appearing on video or DVD since. Yet, it is beautiful, haunting and oneiric; it is the closest one can come to a dreamlike experience without closing one's eyes."
DVD
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1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
Japanese film in the Ero guro (erotic-grotesque) sub-genre of Toei
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
's style of Pink film. Directed by Teruo Ishii
Teruo Ishii
was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero guro subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys of Torture . He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison, which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan...
, the film is considered a precursor to Toei's ventures into the "Pinky violent" style in the early 1970s.
Critical appraisal
Tom Mes of midnighteye.com calls Horrors of Malformed Men "one of the most singular cinematic experiences not just in IshiiTeruo Ishii
was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero guro subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys of Torture . He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison, which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan...
's history, but in all of Japan's. Combining a spectrum of influences that stretches from Rampo to butoh
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
, it taps into the country's post-nuclear trauma so audaciously that people fled theaters in disgust upon its release and that it has been consistently barred from appearing on video or DVD since. Yet, it is beautiful, haunting and oneiric; it is the closest one can come to a dreamlike experience without closing one's eyes."
Availability
In effect banned in Japan, Horrors of Malformed Men was rarely seen in the decades after its release. On August 28, 2007, Synapse Films and Panik House gave Horrors of Malformed Men a mass-market release on region-1DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
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