Director: Oshima Nagisa
Script: Oshima Nagisa
Cinematographer: Toyomichi Kurita
Editing: Tomoyo Oshima
Costumes: Emi Wada
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Shinji Takeda, Tadanobu Asano, Koji Matoba, Ryuhei Matsuda, Tommy’s Masa, Masato Ibu, Uno Kanda
Production: Bac Films, Eisei Gekijo, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Company, Oshima Productions, RPC, Shochiku Filmsda
Distribution:
Bac Films
88 rue de la Folie Mericourt
75011 Paris
France
Tel: 0033 1.53.53.52.52
Fax: 0033 1.53.53.06.73
Mail: [email protected]
www.bacfilms.com
Year: 1999
35 mm, Colour, 100 min,
OV Japanese with French Subtitles
Cannes Film Festival 2000
In 1865, in the Nishi-Honganji temple in Kyoto, the Shinsengumi militia is recruiting in the presence of Commandant Isami Kondo and Captain Toshizo Hijikata. Candidates have to confront Soji Ojita, the best warrior of the militia. That day, two men stand out of the group and are enrolled in the militia: Hyozo Tashiro, a lower rank samurai from the Kurume clan, and Sozaburo Kano, a young man with bewitching good looks. Tashiro immediately falls in love with Kano. The young and fascinating samurai spreads confusion: the strictly ruled militia usually united to face adversity, is now split by rumours and jealousy.
In his aesthetically superb film, Nagisha Oshima probes into the taboo of male homosexuality. Great director Takeshi Kitano acts in the film, as he earlier did in Oshima's film Furyo.
