Rating: 
Summary: The Bullring of Love
Review: By now everyone knows this film is about a sexually-obsessed woman who strangles and then cuts off her lover's willie (the extent to which her lover shared in the extremety of her obsession is somewhat debatable...). That notwithstanding, the film is well-acted, visually stylish, and manages to convey a genuine feeling for the passion which drove the characters. It's also succinct (at 96 minutes) and has some fabulous sex scenes.The real-life case of 'Abe Sada' (Abe is the family name) was very well known in Japan, occurring almost 40 years before Oshima made this film. There are at least two other cinematic versions of the events. If anything, reality was even a bit stranger than fiction: in the real-life case Abe was arrested whilst carrying around the severed member in her kimono sash. I saw a photograph of her once, taken just after her arrest: you have never seen a more haunted-looking woman. The original Japanese title of the film is 'Ai no Corrida,' 'Ai' means 'love', but, interestingly, 'Corrida' is not a Japanese word at all: it's a Spanish word meaning 'dash' 'sprint' or 'spurt', and is most often used in the expression 'Corrida de Toros' -- i.e. bullfight -- strongly alluding to the brutal (and inevitable) death of the bull at the end. This puts quite a different complexion on the theme of the film than does the Western distributor's title of 'In the Realm of the Senses' which seems to imply sensual pleasure which has perhaps unintentionally got out of hand. Oshima's stock-in-trade has always been the 'shocking' film, usually made with the aim of confronting 'bourgeous' sensibilities or an accepted view of society or history. In the 1960's they were more of the socio-political variety (e.g. 'The Sun's Burial,' 'Cruel Story of Youth'); but the success of this film firmly added the sexual element to his repertoire; you can see this continues even up to the recent film 'Gohatto.' In my mind, however, 'Ai no Corrida' is the only one of his films that really works. A quibble with the DVD version (I don't have the American Fox-Lorber one that so many have bitterly complained about, but the European one by Nouveau Entertainment) is that it appears to be a transfer from VHS: the English subtitles are part of the film image and not selectable (i.e. you can't turn them off). That is frankly very poor in a DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor DVD edition of a great movie
Review: The complaints about the Fox Lorber edition of this movie are unfortunately justified. 7-8 out of the original 104 minutes have been cut, reducing the movie to about 96-97 minutes. The movie is reproduced poorly in pan-scan. The scene access is haphazard and often into the middle of a scene and not the beginning (in short useless). The quality of the video transfer is not great, although I would have accepted that if it were not for the butchered editing and cuts. 7 minutes does not seem that serious until you realize the film is robbed of parts or entire scenes which made it shocking and unique (as well as almost banned) at the time. The jacket does not mention the cuts, and lists the original length of 104 minutes. I do not have any other Fox Lorber editions in my library, and this will not make me want to purchase others. The movie is still shocking and fascinating in its portrayal of the main characters as well as the background against which it is set, but the cuts shorten and obscure the key scenes. Hard to say if I would consider the movie pornographic, or even erotic, but it certainly does not lose its impact even though 25 years have passed since I originally saw it when it made its original art-house appearance in the US. I give it three stars only because of the original material, and not this DVD edition. This is a unique piece of moviemaking considering the original 1976-77 release date, and to my knowledge there is currently no better alternative in the US. I would suggest to anyone who decides to purchase this DVD to look up and read one of the detailed reviews and synopsis of the movie online, to get a better idea of the missing material.
Rating: 
Summary: A Waste of Time
Review: If you want to watch something erotic, save your money and get something else. I find the self-righteousness and pretentiousness of Japanese cinema in general to be a bit of a joke, and this is no exception. There is nothing redeeming about this movie. The acting is.. well, what acting? The endless sex is non-sequential and torturous to watch. When the movie finally ends, it leaves you nauseated and engrossed, wondering to what you have just subjected yourself. Even a glance of the DVD cover may become unbearable. Instead of turning you on, this movie might turn you way off.
Rating:
Summary: Pornography? It doesn't matter!
Review: I don't want to try and write any kind of review about whether or not this movie is pornography. Frankly, it doesn't matter whether or not is pornographic in nature. I don't even care that there was as much sex in it as there was. What bothers me is simply this: there isn't a story. I watched this movie after hearing many different things from many different people--I was told that it was a beautiful story about love, a disturbing story about obsession, a freaky naughty movie, and a brilliant artistic movie. People told me all these things and I watched it hoping to see strong characters and a powerful plot. The graphic sex isn't my complaint. Or even the fact that Oshima filmed real sexual acts instead of simulated ones (although that is, to me, a very troubling fact). My complaint is that the movie is an hour and forty minutes, but only about five minutes of that time is spent trying to get us to have any compassion for the characters. The rest of it is spent on sex scenes that never seem to work together to create any semblance of a story. What are their motivations? Who knows--it seems like they just want to have sex. Their dreams? Who cares--they're having lots of sex. Are they in love? Who could tell--all they do is have sex and obsess with each other. What are their personalities like, I wonder? You'll never figure it out--the movie spends all of two scenes trying to describe what kinds of people our hero/heroine are. The best I can understand is this: the woman likes to have lots of sex (I'm not being repetitive here--that's actually the line of dialogue that comes out of her mouth), and the man... well, they didn't really talk much about him. But my guess is that his personality involves sex. If you want a movie that is disturbing, then by all means watch this one. Oshima does a great job of creating something bizarre and disjarring, but he hardly creates something important (or even entertaining). By the end of the movie, you don't feel as if you have just gained anything from viewing it. Instead, it feels like you've just watched two people have lots of sex... and that's about it. People have made much of the beauty of this film, but it is neither erotic or meaningful. With flat characters and non-stop sex sequences (not to mention the aimless, gratuitous rape scenes), it seems less like a movie and more like a documentary on the Nature channel. Swap the Japanese setting with the Serengeti and you'll quickly find yourself wondering why we're calling this movie such a wonderful achievement in cinema. ...
Rating: 
Summary: ASTOUNDING EROTICA.....
Review: This is an amazing film to watch. Not only is it beautifully filmed but the atmosphere is quite vivid in its' depiction of a Japanese servant girl who becomes mistress of the master of the house and sexually obsessed with their relationship. She leads him deeper into the sexual realm until it becomes the focus of both their lives. Their relationship becomes so intense that it can only lead to destruction. Film is extremely sexually graphic and to be honest, I wasn't even aware that I was watching "pornography" because the acting and story were so mesmerizing. By then, I didn't care because it wasn't offensive---just honest. The two leads are wonderful actors and they made me forget I was watching a supposedly one-time controversial film. The film is supposedly based on a true incident. The ending is shocking and depressing but that's allegedly what happened. I consider this film a classic and a must see for foreign film buffs. It's one of the most beautiful erotic love stories ever made and one of the most disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...not what I expected, but more than I expected
Review: To be honest, I didn't know this film contained scenes of explicit sex before I bought it (didn't read reviews first -- bad on me!). Not that that would've necessarily kept me from watching it, but I think it let me have an initial viewing free of preconceived notions and pre-judgment. The story is based on true events in pre-war Japan; a less explicit remake, but containing more pre-tryst character development, is the later film "A Woman Called Sada Abe." I don't know if it's fair to compare the two, because they want to accomplish very different things. "Woman" gives more background on Sada, giving the viewer a more compassionate feeling toward the woman and her ultimate sexual psychopathy. "Realm" lacks the background, but I think it presents a much more powerful and dark look into the mind of Sada, as well as the period that helped make her what she was. One thing that surprised me is that the explicit sexuality, while surprising (I was going to write "shocking," but I don't mean it in a judgmental way), really didn't overpower the story. After the surprise wore off, it was, for me, simply the vehicle for demonstrating the downward spiral Sada (and Kichizo) found herself in -- sex was no longer about love, or even physical pleasure, but about possession and control over herself, in a society where she otherwise had very little control. The scenes are erotic, but not stimulating (it's hard to express in writing what that means, but suffice it to say this is not simply a "porno eye-candy" delivery). As for the quality of the DVD, the transfer is OK, but why, oh why, do we *still* have to suffer the insult of pan-and-scan? Directors and cinematographers compose scenes carefully, but this is lost when 20% of the frame simply isn't there anymore. Please, Fox Lorber (and others), stop ruining films this way! We are sophisticated enough to disregard the black bars in order to enjoy the film the way it was meant to be viewed. The soundtrack is adeqate, though the music becomes rather repetitive after a while. The English subtitles often fail to match the dialogue, with one character's subtitle displaying as the other character is already responding. I don't believe, as some others claim, that this is "pornography." Clearly, the director uses explicit sexuality to create a specific atmosphere, and give the viewer character insights that would be less powerful without it. But, it's probably not for everyone. [And I'll never eat another hard-boiled egg without thinking of one particular scene...] I recommend this film, but those who know they would be offended by explicit sexuality may find "A Woman Called Sada Abe" more tolerable.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad acting at all, Maddona was right for once...
Review: There is defintely a movie here and not just about sex. It's about passion and needing over coming ones mind, and I'm sure we've all felt that way at one time, of course maybe it wasn't in Feutal Japan, but at some point. There's such a deep story here, and whenever the couple were away from each other I thought they would kill whoever was near them, because they needed each other so much. The Lead Actress shows her skills of what it's like being a sexaholic, and the Lead Actor shows how easily it is to be overcome by a woman. Anyone who rates this as a bad movie didn't actually think about the movie at all, and just counted the sex scenes (which there a lot of) but that's even sicker than watching for the sex scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Serious Minded Erotica......
Review: Nagisa Oshima has achieved what few other directors have managed in dealing with the very touchy subject of sex, in this instance, with sexual obsession. If you plan to watch this movie for a cheap sexual thrill, you will be most disappointed. Oshima has drawn from a real incident reported in a 1936 Japanese newspaper. The film centers around the love between two people expressed physically, graphically, into realms of the senses where few dare to tread. And with good reason. This is a very intense film as it progresses from the attraction of two people through increasing experimentation in an effort not only to express their passion but to try to find the outer most limits of passion itself. Oshima must have had something metaphorical in mind but the journey as chronicled in the film also has retained the feel of the specifics. It's quirkey and eccentric. The backdrop of the story is as interesting as the story itself. It is an amazing spectacle to observe, giving the viewer a perspective on Japanese life not usually rendered but often alluded to in some historical accounts. One wonders what this experience must have been like for the actors. Oshima has managed what I have always believed should be done in order to treat the subject of sex fully and without shrinking from its' less savory aspects. This is serious minded erotica and quite unlike anything else on screen. The only other film I can recall that compares at all is "Taxi Zum Klo" which was autobiographical and starred a number of actual people playing themselves.Obviously a different catagory in that regard from what is going on here, but both films draw much of their power from explicitly sexual scenes without compromising the integrity of the story being told. This is a film experience that should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting movie...
Review: I have to say that this movie is most certainly not one for everyone. That's quite obvious from it's NC-17 rating, and the fact that it was banned for quite some time. But aside from that.... It's an interesting movie about obsession and sex. The characters don't really get too deep, and you don't necessarily feel much sympathy for them, but that's part of the point of the film. You're supposed to feel the obsession, and the fact that the two lovers really only ever have sex on their minds, that it's taken over their lives. It's graphic, violent even, with tons of sex... But if you know what you're getting into and can look beyond just the simple act of sex, you might find it a worthwhile movie.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the time or money
Review: After reading some of the other reviews I was expecting a film that would leave me thinking about something of significance in life, even if was an extreme reaction to sexual obsession. I also, often forlornly, hope for a cathartic experience whenever I watch drama. Unfortunately, this film provided neither. I was left thinking that there was something left on the cutting room floor that would explain the actions of the main characters. There was little in the film that would help me understand how the two 'lovers' could end up in their final situation. It was northing more than a voyeuristic following of a couples' series of sexual experiences that were neither erotic nor enlightening of motivations. Then there were those unexplained forays by the female lead that had nothing to do with the main theme of the movie. The only reason for them seemed to be "comic relief" to the sex. The problem is that they were not funny and did not inform the audience about the main character. Over all, the only reason to watch this film would be to see what really bad movies are like.
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