Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland
Encyclopedia
is a 1973
Japan
ese film in Nikkatsu
's Roman porno series, directed by Yukihiro Sawada and starring Yuri Yamashina and Takeo Chii.
(1972), was reluctant to release a film about police brutality and corruption. The high-profile staff was able to convince the executives to green-light the production, but made one compromise with the title. The addition of the word "Wet" made the film sound more like a typical Roman Porno sex film than one that dealt with serious social issues. The media controversy over the film, as well as a condemnation from a Minister of Internal Affairs only served as free publicity for the film, and it became an immediate box-office hit. The film's influence went beyond the pink film genre. Many Japanese critics claim the film noir-style anti-hero in Japanese cinema-- represented in films ranging from Kinji Fukasaku
's Graveyard of Honor
(1975) to the films of Takeshi Kitano
-- had its origins in Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland.
Director Yukihiro Sawada was known for his efforts in attempting to elevate Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films above their pink film origins, such as in his previous Sex Hunter: Wet Target (1972) and later Assault! (1976). He was particularly known for bringing social issues to the pink film, such as violence, racial prejudice and police corruption. Later in his career he brought the thriller genre into his Roman Pornos. Screenwriter Kazuhiko Hasegawa
went on to direct the acclaimed The Man who Stole the Sun
(1979).
Lead actress Yuri Yamashina had been an actress in the pink film genre before the inception of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series in 1971. Acting under the name Saeko Tsugawa, she was associated with director Kan Mukai
's studio, appearing for the director in such films as Cruel Story of a Sex Film Actress (1968). Yamashina had been featured in a few previous Roman Porno films, but her first starring film for Nikkatsu was Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
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 Yukihiro Sawada and starring Yuri Yamashina and Takeo Chii.
Synopsis
A group of five policemen engages in all sorts of corrupt activity including the rape of a girl resulting in her death. They rob a church of funds intended to go to Vietnamese refugees. During the investigation of the robbery, they use their position to frame a local teenage gang.Cast
- Takeo Chii: Gorō Harada
- Yuri Yamashina: Mariko Shimizu
- Maki Kawamura: Kyōko Nakamura
- Hirokazu Inoue: Kenichi Nakamura
- Akira Takahashi: Keiji Katō
- Kōsuke Hisamatsu: Minister
- Sayori Shima: High school girl
- Masako Minami: High school girl
- Setsuko Ōyama: Prostitute
Background
Nikkatsu, still in the early stages of the difficulties associated with the trial over Love HunterLove Hunter
is a 1972 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Seiichirō Yamaguchi and starring Hidemi Hara, Mari Tanaka, and Sumiko Minami. The film was banned for obscenity, and director Yamaguchi arrested...
(1972), was reluctant to release a film about police brutality and corruption. The high-profile staff was able to convince the executives to green-light the production, but made one compromise with the title. The addition of the word "Wet" made the film sound more like a typical Roman Porno sex film than one that dealt with serious social issues. The media controversy over the film, as well as a condemnation from a Minister of Internal Affairs only served as free publicity for the film, and it became an immediate box-office hit. The film's influence went beyond the pink film genre. Many Japanese critics claim the film noir-style anti-hero in Japanese cinema-- represented in films ranging from Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
's Graveyard of Honor
Graveyard of Honor (1975 film)
Graveyard of Honor is a yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku.-Cast:*Tetsuya Watari as Rikio Ishikawa*Tatsuo Umemiya as Kozaburo Imai*Yumi Takigawa as Chieko Ishikawa*Eiji Go as Makoto Sugiura...
(1975) to the films of Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
-- had its origins in Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland.
Director Yukihiro Sawada was known for his efforts in attempting to elevate Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films above their pink film origins, such as in his previous Sex Hunter: Wet Target (1972) and later Assault! (1976). He was particularly known for bringing social issues to the pink film, such as violence, racial prejudice and police corruption. Later in his career he brought the thriller genre into his Roman Pornos. Screenwriter Kazuhiko Hasegawa
Kazuhiko Hasegawa
is a Japanese film director. He won the award for Best Director at the 1st Yokohama Film Festival for The Man Who Stole the Sun.-Life and career:...
went on to direct the acclaimed The Man who Stole the Sun
Taiyo o Nusunda Otoko
Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko , also known as The Man Who Stole the Sun, is a 1979 satirical film from Japan, directed by Hasegawa Kazuhiko and written by Leonard Schrader.-Plot:...
(1979).
Lead actress Yuri Yamashina had been an actress in the pink film genre before the inception of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno series in 1971. Acting under the name Saeko Tsugawa, she was associated with director Kan Mukai
Kan Mukai
aka Hiroshi Mukai and was a Japanese film director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter, known for his pioneering work in the pink film genre...
's studio, appearing for the director in such films as Cruel Story of a Sex Film Actress (1968). Yamashina had been featured in a few previous Roman Porno films, but her first starring film for Nikkatsu was Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland.