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Pinku EIGA

The Pinku Eiga (or Pink Film ) is a film genre typically Japanese, born in the early '60s, which had its most successful period in the '70s and in much of the next decade.

Although, because of its content, has often been approached (in a rather summary) to a certain kind of erotic films, such as Softcore or Sexploitation the Pink Film not have a precise consideration in the film Western.

The difference (apparently small) between the western and erotic film Pink Film , can be explained by analyzing the particular nature of Japanese censorship laws. Because of these rules, in fact, domestic or foreign films distributed in Japan, was strictly prohibited any depiction of genitals and pubic hair (not to mention explicit sex scenes, of course). These restrictions (enforced by a government commission established for that purpose called Eirin) forced the Japanese filmmakers to develop special techniques to escape censure: a series of ingenious devices that came to be the trademark and one of the features of this general. To circumvent the censorship committee, for example, the enterprising Japanese director got into the habit of placing a number on the set of objects (lamps, bottles, candles, etc.) to "cover" strategic parts of the body "forbidden" which could not be represented. To avoid turning the shooting location in a forest of bottles and candles were often used other techniques (applied directly on the film) which provides for the offending party with the classic black stripes, or using a special process called fogging .

We can define the Pinku Eiga , therefore, as a genre whose distinctive features, originated and developed in reaction to a particular form censorship (which, remember, unlike other countries, acting on the film without deleting scenes on trial, so no real cuts, but through the inclusion of special optical effects).

It was the complaint of Japan, therefore, to provide, albeit unwittingly, to Pink Film one particular style that made the genre so popular and easily recognizable. The Pinku Eiga also obliged to "no show" explicitly, he was forced to find alternative forms of expression to engage the viewer, far from mere gynecological close-ups, and a new language through which encode an entire genre.

Some critics have gone so far to define the fundamental elements of Pink Film , in a true formula:

1. The film must include a minimum share of sex scenes.

2. must have a fixed duration of 60 minutes.

3. The timing of completion must be extremely low (no more than a week) and the film must be shot in 16 mm or 35 mm.

4. Costs production should be very limited.

The first wave of Pink Film strikes in Japan in the early 60s, while the advent of Sexploitation Made in USA, also a kind characterized by a mix of sex, nudity and violence. During this period, most of the first Pink Film is produced mainly by independent studios, then unrelated to large production houses. An example of this is the controversial film "Flesh Market" (1962) Satoru Kobayashi, considered the first Pink Film history. The film by Kobayashi (cost only 8 million yen) fruit is a collection of 100 million yen, Olympus launched the star of Pinku Eiga , actress Tamaki Katori, considered the first true "pink princess. " In 1964, director Tetsuji Takechi " Fury of the senses" ("Daydream"), the first Pink Film shot with a big budget and the next year, "Black Snow" which causes the arrest and the obscenity trial of the director. Many Japanese intellectuals take sides Takechi's side (his film was a daring and unusual mix of sex and politics) and, after his acquittal, publicity derived from the vicissitudes of litigation is so high as to generate a real boom around gender. It will be following this story that will see the light Eirin, namely the government commission which will aim to specifically address the depiction of genitals and pubic hair, in national and international film distribution in Japan.

During the 60s, despite the occasional foray from major studios such as Nikkatsu and Shochiku, the Pink Film are essentially low-budget and independent productions. Products as film studios Nihon Cinema, World Eiga Eiga el'Aoi of GIIC Nishihara, the Pinku Eiga are shown in special cinema circuit (often owned by the same production company) exclusively devoted to this kind of movies, shows two or three times (hence the need for short).

In this period the figure of Koji Wakamatsu, whose independent production, characterized by a massive dose of sex, violence and political messages, earned him critical acclaim.

Queens of the Japanese erotic cinema, during this first phase, Noriko Katsumata, Setsuko Ogawa, Mari Iwai, Keiko Kayama and Miki Hayashi.

In the 70s the world of Pink Film change drastically, when the major Japanese studios decided to conquer this new market, particularly profitable.

In 1971, drawing on the work of the late '60s by Teruo Ishii, Toei produced a few films, divided into series ( Sensational Line , Abnormal Line , Shameless Line), which go under the name of total Pinky Violence . The films in which the eroticism blends with the action and violence, but the real innovation lies in the differing ways in which these issues are addressed. Most of these films, in fact, has as its main theme the "revenge", usually achieved by the protagonists as a reaction to wrongs and injustices suffered in the past. The series "Delinquent Girl Boss", consisting of four films starring Reiko Oshida, is commonly considered the first example of Pinky Violence . Other examples of this particular subgenre of Pinku Eiga , are represented by the film series "Boss Girl" (made seven films) and the series "Terrifying Girls' High School" (which definitely sets the style of vein, inputting, also elements of overt criticism of the school Japanese), both directed by Norifumi Suzuki and performed by Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto. Even the film series "Sasori", starring as a true icon Meiko Kaji and begun in 1972 with " Female Prisoner # 701 "by Shunya Ito, be regarded as typical examples of Pinky Violence of Toei.

Often the Pinky Violence is associated with the term Sukeban , which in slang means a female person devoted to crime, or gang leader a gang of girls (the female equivalent of the term Bancho ). The term, originally used by the world of youth crime, it becomes popular among the 70s and 80s on the pages of some seinen manga and shojo manga. For this reason, some films of the line of Pinky Violence (those of the series "Terrifying Girls 'High School', for example) are also called Sukeban .

In 1971 also the Nikkatsu (the oldest Japanese production house founded in 1912) makes his grand entrance into the world of Pinku Eiga . Although the Court has already expressed interest in this market, producing sporadically in previous years, some films related to Sexploitation , is with the launch of the Roman Porno series the Nikkatsu officially becomes a major production houses Pink Film .

In 1971, in fact, comes out in theaters Japanese "Apartment Wife: Affair In The Afternoon." The film becomes a resounding success, able to inspire twenty sequel (in seven years!), While the protagonist of the film, Kazuko Shirakawa, soon became the first star of Nikkatsu. As for the style and issues, the series of Roman Porno not differ much from Pink Film earlier, except for, of course, all those improvements, resulting from having a budget more substantial.

The Nikkatsu also became famous for their habit to give directors more creative freedom, as long as the film is maintained at the minimum of four fixed nudity or sex. This greater autonomy leads to a series of films that get at the same time, the public acceptance interest of the critics. Due to the high quality of the productions of the Nikkatsu Pink Film out, permanently, from the ghetto of independent film.

Tatsumi Kumashiro, director of "Ichijo Sayuri: Wet Desire" (1972) and "Woman With Red Hair " (1979, with the second star of the Nikkatsu, Junko Miyashita) and Noboru Tanaka, a director in 1975 of " Abesada - meaning of the abyss" ("A Woman Called Sada Abe"), are commonly considered the two greatest exponents of Roman Porno of Nikkatsu.

The 80s were witnesses of the long decline of Nikkatsu (and Pinku Eiga in general), mainly due to the advent of the first video recorders and, consequently, of AV (adult videos), which have become increasingly popular, they will devour the lion's share market has always been the prerogative of the "pink film".

In 1988, Nikkatsu no choice but to declare defeat in the face of the AV industry, officially placing the end, after seventeen glorious years, the era of Roman Porno . While continuing (under the name Ropponica) to distribute adult movies (as well as pornographic films, through the Excess Film), production of Nikkatsu never coming back to the previous standards, when they were loved by the public and respected by critics. In the late 80's, AV's have now become the main form of cinematic entertainment for adults in Japan.

Paradoxically, in the darkest period of Pink Film , there are a number of key film for the genre, such as Genji Nakamura Banmei Takahashi and Mamoru Watanabe who manage to bring the films of this genre to levels, technical and narrative, never seen before. Nakamura in particular (director often accused of misogyny) provides, in those years, especially its visual style to a series of films produced by Nikkatsu, who became famous for being the first Pink Film focus on homosexual themes.

Another interesting filmmaker of this period was Kazuo "Gair" Komizu, known for his erotic films / splatter films of the heavily indebted Herschell Gordon Lewis.

Despite this long and inexorable decline in the decade the next Pink Film proves generally die hard, indeed, in the 90 turns in one of the last "refuges" for the young Japanese filmmakers, a sort of training ground for writers in search of freedom and experimentation .

Directors like Kazuhiro Sano, Toshiki Sato, Takahisa Zeze and Hisayasu Sato, working in a precarious situation as to themselves that each film may be the last, they decide to completely ignore those who are the normal expectations of the public, rather than focusing on personal issues and experimental. For the first time one of basic rules of Pinku Eiga , linked to the minimum number of sex scenes that must be present in the film, is broken on purpose, to make way for new solutions (visual and narrative), however, makes these films dark, complex and largely unpopular in the eyes of the mainstream audience.

Currently, the works of the most significant filmmakers of this genre (as Toshiya Ueno, Shinji Imaoka, Yoshitaka Kamata, Toshiro Enomoto, Yuji Tajiri, Mitsuru Meike and Rei Sakamoto) are characterized by an introspective style and personal, that perfectly reflects the insecurities of the new Japanese generations (the so-called "post-bubble generation").

Although it is a genre whose peculiarities are inextricably linked to a bygone era and a specific culture, the interest of international critics and the public seems to have been awakened in recent years, several initiatives aimed at recover what is probably one of the most insane and irreverent film genres in the history of cinema.

dates back to 2003, the delirious "The Glamorous Life Of Sachiko Hanai " real meteor directed by Mitsuru Meike which was presented at numerous international festivals, has had the merit to show how the skills of seduction, of a kind considered by more dead and buried, have remained intact and could be still a strong appeal.