The Pornographers
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Synopsis
Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.
Picture 6/10
Criterion presents Shohei Imamura’s The Pornographers on DVD, delivering the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on a dual-layer disc. Sourced from a high-definition restoration (taken from a scan of a 35mm composite print), the standard-definition image has been enhanced for widescreen televisions.
Though clearly in need of an update (something Radiance’s new 4K more than accomplishes), Criterion’s presentation still looks decent for what it is. It’s a bit contrasty, with whites occasionally getting a little too hot, but grayscale is respectable and detail is strong at times, if not exceptional. Minor edge enhancement is noticeable in places, but nothing too distracting, while there are also moments, particularly between cuts, where the image takes on a jagged appearance. Looking closer, it seems some frames have been merged together and interlaced (though the image is primarily progressive).
The restoration has cleaned things up reasonably well. There are some smaller marks here and there, along with heavier scratches (usually around cuts), but I was always fairly impressed with how clean the presentation looked, at least by the standards of the time.
Overall, there’s nothing especially surprising here, but it’s a solid DVD presentation from the period.
The Pornographers - Screen Captures
Audio 5/10
The Japanese monaural soundtrack is presented in 1.0 Dolby Digital. It’s clean, with dialogue sounding clear, though there is a noticeable flatness to it, the audio almost certainly having been filtered. Some music also develops a bit of an edge during louder moments. Fine enough in the end but open to improvement as well.
Extras 1/10
This marked Shohei Imamura’s debut in the Collection, yet oddly Criterion decided to forgo supplemental material, only including the film’s original trailer. J. Hoberman does contribute an essay in the included insert, and while it provides a decent examination of the film along with some added context, I remember wishing for far more at the time.
Closing
The lack of features always irked me, but the presentation itself is fine... for the format. With Radiance’s new 4K edition now available in the UK, perhaps this is one Criterion will see fit to revisit in the not-so-distant future.
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