Ichijo's Wet Lust
Encyclopedia
aka Ichijo's Wet Desire, Drenched Passion, Sayuri Ichijo: Moist Desire, Following Desire and Sayuri Ichijō: Wet Lust is a 1972
Japan
ese film in Nikkatsu
's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro
and starring the famous stripper Sayuri Ichijō as herself, and co-starring Kazuko Shirakawa
and Hiroko Isayama. Considered one of the best films in the series, in 1999 Japanese critics voted it one of the 100 best Japanese films of the 20th century.
awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the year. Kinema Jumpo also gave Hiroko Isayama, who played Ichijō's young stripper rival, the award for Best Actress. Critics continue to hold the film in high esteem, and in 1999 the mainstream cinema journal Kinema Jumpo voted Ichijo's Wet Lust one of the 100 best Japanese films of the 20th century.
Lead actress Sayuri Ichijō has been singled out for praise for her performance in this film. A contemporary Variety
review wrote that Ichijō, "has grit, good-natured rebelliousness and a comic verve that raise the pic into a comedic drama that transcends its type and milieu for some regular as well as grind chances abroad..." Allmovie writes of lead actress Ichijō, "Her brilliant and humorous performance, and her dedication to stripping... lift this picture out of the mainstream." In their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the Weissers give the film three and a half out of four points, and write that Ichijō "delivers another delightful performance here, especially in the highly erotic striptease numbers which include generous portions of candle-wax S&M, bondage and perverse sexuality ...but no pubic hair."
's second Roman Porno film. In depicting the life of a sex industry worker, the film fits into one of Kumashiro's recurring subjects, foreshadowed in his early, unsuccessful film Front Row Life
(1968). Kumashiro's Wet Lust: Twenty One Strippers (1974) was an unofficial sequel to Ichijo's Wet Lust, and was even more successful than its predecessor. A later Kumashiro film with a real stripper playing herself in the title role is Madoka Mika: The Woman Who Wets Her Finger (1984).
Sayuri Ichijō had become notorious in 1970 for creating the tokudashi or "open stage" form of striptease. Ichijō involved the audience in her act by passing out a magnifying glass, with which selected members of the audience were allowed to perform a "genital inspection" on the dancer. Much of Ichijō's act is portrayed in the film, such as an elaborate strip routine in which she sheds a kimono with the use of a samurai sword. Other routines simulate lesbian masturbation, and show the stripper dripping hot wax on herself, and, afterward, soothing her skin with lemon. Because of the censorship of Japanese pornography, Ichijō's most famous routine—the "genital inspection"— could not be shown in the film. According to Film Quarterly
, Kumashiro instead "conjures up the physicality of the vagina" in a scene in which Harumi, the stripping competitor, raises one leg and sprays milk onto the face of a mesmerized member of the audience.
Kumashiro's long battles against censorship are also part of the framework of the film. The women in the film are the objects of police attention, while the men who make a living off them and are entertained by them are left alone. Film Quarterly writes that Kumashiro portrays this situation, "without any hypocritical moralizing." Ichijō's troubles with the law are shown both in her arrests within the narrative of the film, and in a caption which informs the audience that Ichijō was under prosecution for obscenity during the filming. Film Quarterly notes that Ichijō's and Harumi's tokudashi performances, as presented in the film, can be seen by U.S. audiences as demeaning to women. It is pointed out that the actual Ichijō fought for the right to do these performances as a form of freedom of expression. In the context of the film, Harumi's final tokudashi performance, in which she ejaculates on the face of the audience member, is seen as a form of triumph.
It was re-released on DVD on December 22, 2006, as part of Geneon's sixth wave of Nikkatsu Roman porno series. On March 23, 2010, Kino International released three Tatsumi Kumashiro
films on DVD in the U.S. Along with Twisted Path of Love
(1972) and Yakuza Goddess: Lust and Honor (1973), they released Ichijo's Wet Lust under the title Sayuri Ichijo: Following Desire.
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film in Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro
Tatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
and starring the famous stripper Sayuri Ichijō as herself, and co-starring Kazuko Shirakawa
Kazuko Shirakawa
is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films during the 1970s. She appeared in Nikkatsu's first film in the Roman Porno series, Apartment Wife , and is considered the first of the three "Nikkatsu Queens" of the 1970s...
and Hiroko Isayama. Considered one of the best films in the series, in 1999 Japanese critics voted it one of the 100 best Japanese films of the 20th century.
Synopsis
Famous real-life stripper Sayuri Ichijō appears as herself in this fictional account of her daily life. The story involves Ichijō's relationships with two men: Her boyfriend, and the strip-club owner. Ichijō considers her work in striptease to be an art-form and pushes the boundaries of legality. Harumi, a younger stripper determined to outdo Ichijō, contributes to the ever-increasing extremity of the strip acts, which result in continuous problems with the police, and numerous arrests.Cast
- Sayuri Ichijō: Herself
- Hiroko Isayama: Harumi
- Kazuko ShirakawaKazuko Shirakawais a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films during the 1970s. She appeared in Nikkatsu's first film in the Roman Porno series, Apartment Wife , and is considered the first of the three "Nikkatsu Queens" of the 1970s...
: Mari - Go Awazu: Daikichi
- Akira Takahashi: Isamu
- Tamaki Komayama: Jirō
- Tetsusen Nakahira: Drunk
- Shōichi Ozawa: Ramen shop owner
- Moeko Ezawa: Police woman
- Kafusu Nakada: BarkerBarker (occupation)A barker is a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events, such as a circus or funfair, by exhorting passing public, describing attractions of show and emphasizing variety, novelty, beauty, or some other feature believed to incite listeners to attend entertainment...
- Botan Nakada: Barker
Critical reception
Ichijo's Wet Lust was a huge box-office hit on its first release. It was also popular with critics. The mainstream Kinema Jumpo gave Tatsumi KumashiroTatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the year. Kinema Jumpo also gave Hiroko Isayama, who played Ichijō's young stripper rival, the award for Best Actress. Critics continue to hold the film in high esteem, and in 1999 the mainstream cinema journal Kinema Jumpo voted Ichijo's Wet Lust one of the 100 best Japanese films of the 20th century.
Lead actress Sayuri Ichijō has been singled out for praise for her performance in this film. A contemporary Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
review wrote that Ichijō, "has grit, good-natured rebelliousness and a comic verve that raise the pic into a comedic drama that transcends its type and milieu for some regular as well as grind chances abroad..." Allmovie writes of lead actress Ichijō, "Her brilliant and humorous performance, and her dedication to stripping... lift this picture out of the mainstream." In their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films, the Weissers give the film three and a half out of four points, and write that Ichijō "delivers another delightful performance here, especially in the highly erotic striptease numbers which include generous portions of candle-wax S&M, bondage and perverse sexuality ...but no pubic hair."
Style and themes
Ichijo's Wet Lust was director Tatsumi KumashiroTatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
's second Roman Porno film. In depicting the life of a sex industry worker, the film fits into one of Kumashiro's recurring subjects, foreshadowed in his early, unsuccessful film Front Row Life
Front Row Life
aka Fan Life, Front Row, A Thirsty Life and Life of a Striptease Love is a 1968 Japanese film directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro...
(1968). Kumashiro's Wet Lust: Twenty One Strippers (1974) was an unofficial sequel to Ichijo's Wet Lust, and was even more successful than its predecessor. A later Kumashiro film with a real stripper playing herself in the title role is Madoka Mika: The Woman Who Wets Her Finger (1984).
Sayuri Ichijō had become notorious in 1970 for creating the tokudashi or "open stage" form of striptease. Ichijō involved the audience in her act by passing out a magnifying glass, with which selected members of the audience were allowed to perform a "genital inspection" on the dancer. Much of Ichijō's act is portrayed in the film, such as an elaborate strip routine in which she sheds a kimono with the use of a samurai sword. Other routines simulate lesbian masturbation, and show the stripper dripping hot wax on herself, and, afterward, soothing her skin with lemon. Because of the censorship of Japanese pornography, Ichijō's most famous routine—the "genital inspection"— could not be shown in the film. According to Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
, Kumashiro instead "conjures up the physicality of the vagina" in a scene in which Harumi, the stripping competitor, raises one leg and sprays milk onto the face of a mesmerized member of the audience.
Kumashiro's long battles against censorship are also part of the framework of the film. The women in the film are the objects of police attention, while the men who make a living off them and are entertained by them are left alone. Film Quarterly writes that Kumashiro portrays this situation, "without any hypocritical moralizing." Ichijō's troubles with the law are shown both in her arrests within the narrative of the film, and in a caption which informs the audience that Ichijō was under prosecution for obscenity during the filming. Film Quarterly notes that Ichijō's and Harumi's tokudashi performances, as presented in the film, can be seen by U.S. audiences as demeaning to women. It is pointed out that the actual Ichijō fought for the right to do these performances as a form of freedom of expression. In the context of the film, Harumi's final tokudashi performance, in which she ejaculates on the face of the audience member, is seen as a form of triumph.
Availability
Ichijo's Wet Lust was released on home video in VHS format on December 12, 1988, and on DVD on July 27, 2001.It was re-released on DVD on December 22, 2006, as part of Geneon's sixth wave of Nikkatsu Roman porno series. On March 23, 2010, Kino International released three Tatsumi Kumashiro
Tatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
films on DVD in the U.S. Along with Twisted Path of Love
Lovers Are Wet
is a 1973 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro and starring Rie Nakagawa. Alternate titles for the film include Twisted Path of Youth, Twisted Path of Love, and Lovers and Wet Sands...
(1972) and Yakuza Goddess: Lust and Honor (1973), they released Ichijo's Wet Lust under the title Sayuri Ichijo: Following Desire.