Manji

Incredibly daring and ahead of its time, the first of Masumura's three adaptations of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s stories is an explicit lesbian-themed drama that had no parallel either in Hollywood or in much of the wider world at the time. Kyōko Kishida is the childless, unhappy wife Sonoko, who falls under the spell of the beguiling art pupil Mitsuko (Masumura’s muse Ayako Wakao), much to the chagrin of the former’s husband and the latter’s fiancé and secret lover. Part chic erotica, part study of the conflict of blinding desire and domesticity, Masumura conjures up this sensationalistic tale in warm colors, lending the story a deceptive sheen reflective of a time and place governed by appearances. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)