Sex & Fury (Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô). Norifumi Suzuki, 1973.
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Edition screened: Discotek Media Blu-ray, released 2004. Japanese language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 188 minutes.
Summary: No particular depictions of violence or harm to animals.
The Discotek release surprised me with three or four on-screen interpretive comments, nicely positioned at the top of the screen in a discreet font. They provided two-sentence explanations of cultural references such as the koi-koi card game or a notorious Japanese anarchist. Appreciated and enjoyed.
I also enjoy spinning my wheels about how much I hate comic relief in film. Who is this audience that I’m told needs relief from - cannot bear another moment of - the tension or beauty or intrigue that binds the film together? Maybe it’s about that other kind of relief, the bodily kind, and gomer-goober scenes in a film are permissive cues for that audience sitting in the frequency-and-urgency section to turn their heads toward a companion, phony horse-teeth silent laugh while placing their hands on their thighs, extend that posture adjustment to a standing position with “I’ll just be a minute,” a quick shrug and more horse teeth as though something’s funny.
Sex & Fury stars Reiko Ike and Christina Lindberg in a B-level Lady Snowblade-style film. The cultural comments are the opposite of comic relief. You can turn off your brain, enjoy the topless swordplay, and allow Discotek’s good annotations to provide a little much-needed intelligent relief.
