Street of Joy

Street of Joy

Pagan Films dig into the catalogues of obscure cinema once again, this time to bring us Tatsumi Kumashiro's grim faced erotic masterpiece 'Street of Joy' (aka Akasen Tamanoi: Nukeraremasu).

The film takes place in 1950's Tokyo in a whorehouse on the eve of a new law which will outlaw prostitution. It follows a day in the life of the various occupants and its visitors. Amongst the many characters on show is the lady who wants to break the record for the most clients in one day, the retired prostitute that just can't stay away from her old job, the client that's just dying to get to actually touch his favorite ladys nether regions and so on - you get the picture eh ?!

'Street of Joy' is a compelling and highly enjoyable film. If you're looking for trashy fun ala the Eurotka! line then you'll be disapointed, as this is a very grim and serious look at the lives of the ensemble involved. Often very erotic, and yes at times very humourous but also a very serious and satisfying work of film. This undoubtedly can be put down to not only the excellent work done by director Kumashiro but also by the top notch casting and performances by all involved.

A real mixed bag of emotions through this one folks, just when things start to get a bit hot round the collar you're faced with some real human tragedy (though even some of the tragic moments can also be amusing) Hey, there's also some handy tips for our femalr readers also (with regard to the heating of your privvys !

Another top release from the folk at Pagan (how do they do it!), yet another DVD premiere presented in pristine widescreen with the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. The extras as ever are a selection of stills and some cool informative bios of the production.

Maybe one more for the art house cinema fans, but a highly recommended and refreshingly enjoyable one at that too. Check it out !


 
Directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro
Released by Pagan
Region '0' PAL - Rated 18
Ratio - widescreen
Audio - Japanese (English subtitles)
Running time : approx 87 mins
Extras :
Stills Gallery
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