Shohei Imamura's 'Stolen Desire': A Raucous Tribute to Japan's Outcast Theater
The Wandering Yamamura Theater Troupe
In 1958, Shohei Imamura, then an assistant to Yasujiro Ozu, broke away to make his feature debut, 'Stolen Desire' — an earthy, picaresque comedy about a ragtag theater troupe. The film follows stage manager Kunida, a stand-in for Imamura, as he navigates squabbling actors, a love triangle with the director's daughters, and the troupe's fortunes in rural Japan. A hit that won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best New Director, it foreshadows Imamura's lifelong fascination with society's underbelly. Now, a new Radiance Films box set, 'Radical Japan: Survival and Desire,' brings the film and five other Imamura works to UHD.
For me, the vitality of this theatre recalls early Kabuki, back when Kabuki drew its subjects from daily life.