Schweine, Geishas und Matrosen (1961)

Schweine, Geishas und Matrosen: Directed by Shohei Imamura. With Hiroyuki Nagato, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Masao Mishima, Tetsurô Tanba. A young hoodlum decides to work for a criminal organization that is tearing itself apart.

“Itu0026#39;s really interesting to see one of the early works of Imamura. This film includes epitomes of the overall style of the great director: depiction of the lower, outlaw parts of Japanese society; criticizing both the authority and the society for their conformism with prevailing conditions; use of animals(namely pigs for this film) as an allegory for individuals (here it should be underlined that this object of allegory beats up its master!); and characterizing women as determined individuals who have power within the society, and who are more conscious than men. In order to trace the sources of the stylized director who made brilliant films like Kuroi Ame, Narayama bushiko, and Unagi, this film is a must see.”