In director Shohei Imamura's THE PORNOGRAPHERS, Yoshimoto Ogata (Shoichi Ozawa), a man who believes it is his patriotic duty to provide smut to his fellow men, uses the profits from his 8mm films to support his lover and her two children. Although there are never any explicit sex scenes, the film contains plenty of shocking material--intimations of incest, the exploitation of a mentally retarded girl, and the creation of the perfect sex doll are just some of the disturbing plot points. Based on a scandalous novel JINRUIGAKU NYUMON (Introduction to Anthropology) by Akiyuki Nozaka, the film is even lensed in a voyeuristic style, with shots through windows and cracks in open doors. Predating BOOGIE NIGHTS by several decades, THE PORNOGRAPHERS boldly investigates the relationship between sexual desire and one bizarre family, which includes a father believed to be reincarnated as a carp. The film is the first Imamura made after establishing his independent production company, Imamura Productions, in 1966.

Director Shohei Imamaura's film focuses on three pornographers relying on 8mm blue films to support their wives and lovers, pay their children's tuition and run a family barbershop.

Shot on location in Osaka, Japan.

Excerpt: "Dutch wife for freedom!"--Yoshimoto Ogata (Shoichi Ozawa) to Kabo

"Delinquent at 10, a big boss a the age of 15...after 20, just a person."--Keiko (Keiko Sagawa) to customer

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Dual Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - Japanese

Shoichi Ozawa: Japanese Actor
Sumiko Sakamoto: Japanese Actress
Haruo Tanaka: 

Shohei Imamura: Japanese Director/Writer

Rating: B - Recommended
"...[Imamura shows] real and piquant eccentricity....A great many flashes of dark humor..."