Women... Oh, Women!
Encyclopedia
is a 1963
Japa
nese documentary
Pink film. The first of these softcore
pornographic film directed by Tetsuji Takechi
, it was released in the United States
in 1964
.
, eroticism had been gradually making its way into Japanese cinema. The first kiss to be seen in Japanese film—discreetly half-hidden by an umbrella—caused a national sensation in 1946
. In the mid-1950s, the controversial taiyozoku films on the teen-age "Sun Tribe", such as Ko Nakahira's Crazed Fruit
(1956
), introduced unprecedented sexual frankness into Japanese films. At the same time, films such as Shintoho
's female pearl-diver films starring buxom Michiko Maeda
, began showing more flesh than would have previously been imaginable in the Japanese cinema. Nevertheless, until the early 1960s, graphic depictions of nudity and sex in Japanese film could only be seen in single-reel "stag films," made illegally by underground film producers such as those depicted in Imamura
's film The Pornographers
(1966).
Nudity and sex would officially enter the Japanese cinema with the independent, low-budget pink film genre. Known as eroductions at the time, the Pink films genre would come to dominate domestically-produced films in the 1960s and 1970s. The first true pink film, and the first Japanese movie with nude scenes, was Satoru Kobayashi
's controversial and popular independent production Flesh Market (Nikutai no Ichiba, 1962
).
was a theatrical director, especially known for his innovative contributions to kabuki
. Always attracted to controversy, when his interests turned to the cinema in 1963
, he focused on the Pink film. Women... Oh, Women! was his first film.
s, and geisha
. Nuns and sea divers are also shown, along with scenes of transvestism
and drug addiction.
studios, one of Japan's major film companies, picked up the film for distribution. Shochiku would also distribute Takechi's next film, Daydream
(1964
) and gave it a major publicity campaign.
Women... Oh, Women! was released in the United States
, where it opened in Los Angeles
on September 18, 1964. The success of Women... Oh, Women! would lead to Takechi's major work, Daydream, which would ensure his position as a controversial leading figure in censorship battles in Japan, and in the Pink film genre for two decades. In October 2006 Women... Oh, Women! was shown as part of a Takechi retrospective, and it was released on DVD in Japan on January 25, 2008.
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
Japa
Japa
Japa is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of a divine power. The mantra or name may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken purely within the recitor's mind...
nese documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Pink film. The first of these softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
pornographic film directed by Tetsuji Takechi
Tetsuji Takechi
was a Japanese theatrical and film director, critic and author. First coming to prominence for his theatrical criticism, in the 1940s and 1950s he produced influential and popular experimental kabuki plays. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he continued his innovative theatrical work in noh, kyōgen and...
, it was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1964
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
.
Origins of the Pink film
In the years since the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, eroticism had been gradually making its way into Japanese cinema. The first kiss to be seen in Japanese film—discreetly half-hidden by an umbrella—caused a national sensation in 1946
1946 in film
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
. In the mid-1950s, the controversial taiyozoku films on the teen-age "Sun Tribe", such as Ko Nakahira's Crazed Fruit
Crazed Fruit
, also known as Juvenile Jungle, is a 1956 Japanese Sun Tribe film directed by Kō Nakahira. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Shintaro Ishihara, the older brother of Yujiro Ishihara.- Cast :* Masahiko Tsugawa - Haruji...
(1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
), introduced unprecedented sexual frankness into Japanese films. At the same time, films such as Shintoho
Shintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
's female pearl-diver films starring buxom Michiko Maeda
Michiko Maeda
is a Japanese film and television actress. After becoming known as the first Japanese actress to appear in a nude scene in a mainstream film, Maeda was banned from the Japanese cinema after an incident in which she refused to obey a director, and did not return to the Japanese screen until 42 years...
, began showing more flesh than would have previously been imaginable in the Japanese cinema. Nevertheless, until the early 1960s, graphic depictions of nudity and sex in Japanese film could only be seen in single-reel "stag films," made illegally by underground film producers such as those depicted in Imamura
Shohei Imamura
was a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
's film The Pornographers
The Pornographers
The Pornographers is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura and based on a novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Its original Japanese title is Erogotoshitachi yori Jinruigaku nyumon , which means 'An introduction to anthropology through the pornographers'. It tells the story of porn...
(1966).
Nudity and sex would officially enter the Japanese cinema with the independent, low-budget pink film genre. Known as eroductions at the time, the Pink films genre would come to dominate domestically-produced films in the 1960s and 1970s. The first true pink film, and the first Japanese movie with nude scenes, was Satoru Kobayashi
Satoru Kobayashi (director)
was a Japanese film director most famous for directing the first pink film, the type of softcore pornographic films that became the most prolific film genre in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s...
's controversial and popular independent production Flesh Market (Nikutai no Ichiba, 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
).
Tetsuji Takechi
Before entering film, Tetsuji TakechiTetsuji Takechi
was a Japanese theatrical and film director, critic and author. First coming to prominence for his theatrical criticism, in the 1940s and 1950s he produced influential and popular experimental kabuki plays. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he continued his innovative theatrical work in noh, kyōgen and...
was a theatrical director, especially known for his innovative contributions to kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
. Always attracted to controversy, when his interests turned to the cinema in 1963
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
, he focused on the Pink film. Women... Oh, Women! was his first film.
Synopsis
Women... Oh, Women! is a sex-documentary focusing on the women of Japan, with particular emphasis on participants in the country's night-life. The film is a series of scenes visiting a variety of women such as female wrestlers, stripperStripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
s, and geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
. Nuns and sea divers are also shown, along with scenes of transvestism
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
and drug addiction.
Legacy
Women... Oh, Women! was produced independently by a company called Sano Art Productions. ShochikuShochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
studios, one of Japan's major film companies, picked up the film for distribution. Shochiku would also distribute Takechi's next film, Daydream
Daydream (1964 film)
is a 1964 Japanese Pink film. The first of these softcore pornographic films to have a big budget and a mainstream release in Japan, it was shown at the Venice Film Festival and given two releases in the United States. Director Tetsuji Takechi remade the film in hardcore versions in 1981 and 1987...
(1964
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
) and gave it a major publicity campaign.
Women... Oh, Women! was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it opened in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on September 18, 1964. The success of Women... Oh, Women! would lead to Takechi's major work, Daydream, which would ensure his position as a controversial leading figure in censorship battles in Japan, and in the Pink film genre for two decades. In October 2006 Women... Oh, Women! was shown as part of a Takechi retrospective, and it was released on DVD in Japan on January 25, 2008.