The Shogunate's Harem (1986) Dolls of the Shogun's Harem
The Shogunate's Harem (1986)
DVDRip | AVI | 720x376 | XviD @ 2013 Kbps | 116 min | 1,96 Gb
Audio: Japanese (日本語) AC3 2.0 @ 384 Kbps | Subs: English (srt)
Genre: Adventure, Drama
DVDRip | AVI | 720x376 | XviD @ 2013 Kbps | 116 min | 1,96 Gb
Audio: Japanese (日本語) AC3 2.0 @ 384 Kbps | Subs: English (srt)
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Stars: Kyoko Tsujisawa, Mami Nomura, Yumi Iori
A new shogun is appointed to the throne when his brother dies. He find out that the former Shogun one of the women from his brothers harem became pregnant, but she escaped. The new Shogun would loose the throne if the child is a boy. Genshiro is doctor who, among other things, performs abortions, and is sheltering his love, another women who escaped from the harem. The new Shogun threatens to arrest the girl unless Genshiro hunts down the woman and aborts her child. Genshiro learns that the woman releases a "musky scent from her special area" when in ecstasy. Both Genshiro and his friend set out to find all the women of the former harem and have sex with them, by force if necessary.
It's a great shame that Dolls of the Shogun's Harem is not more widely known. It's brilliant. It may be categorized as a "pink" (Japanese: eiga) movie, but it is actually impeccably tasteful. All the core love scenes are tender and beautiful (except for the opening scene), and serves to underscore the movie's most important feature: Realism. Hard-hitting, uncompromising and highly believable realism. All the more interesting because it lucidly chronicles a part of history that we are seldom informed about in any clear way.
What we have is an immensely well-produced, nearly two hours long movie about what the life inside a shogun's harem is like. There are many complex characters (incl. the shogun), and several plot-lines which are all resolved beautifully by the end. We are made privy to every aspect of a concubine's life. Discovery, training, internal intrigues, what happens to them when the shogun dies, etc. It is a rare glimpse into Edo period history (~1680 A.D.), incl. a detailed portrayal of an abortion doctor. It is an incredibly worthwhile and satisfying movie in every way; a well-rounded period classic to rival any literary costume drama produced in the West.
The only thing about the story I would call contrived and perhaps gratuitous is when the doctor has to "work his way" through ALL the ex-concubines in order to determine which one smells a certain way when reaching ecstasy. It's funny, but probably not realistic. Everything else really is, though.
Overall this movie features great characterization, great acting, great writing and great production values. Certainly one of the very best and most complex Japanese movies I have ever seen. Any fan of Asian cinema and Japanese history will be thrilled to see this movie. On that you can depend.
(click to enlarge)
The Shogunate's Harem (1986) Dolls of the Shogun's Harem
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