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6.9/10
1.6K
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A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.
- Awards
- 17 wins & 7 nominations
Michiyo Yasuda
- Shuko
- (as Michiyo Ohkusu)
- …
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe mysterious, ghost-like voice that can be faintly heard on the soundtrack during the playing of Pablo de Sarasate's 1904 recording of his own 1878 composition, Zigeunerweisen (which gives this film its title), and which the film's characters comment upon at great length, is not a fabrication of the filmmakers. On the original recording, at about 3 minutes and 25 seconds, a voice can be heard speaking rapidly for about two seconds. The two main characters in the film have no idea what the voice is saying and it intrigues them. However, according to a biography of the violinist-composer Efrem Zimbalist Sr. (father of the famous film and television actor), Sarasate was actually "instructing his accompanist to cut the slow section" of the composition, presumably to accommodate the limited recording time of the disk.
Featured review
The film follows the relationship between two men in early middle age. One is a prim university professor and the other is some sort of "wild man" masculine archetype.
Like in Rouroni Kenshin, the time period for this film is one where the modern Japan and the traditional Japan were clashing, at least in fashion choices. The professor dresses in formal European attire, while the wild man is invariable seen in an ominous black kimono.
Yet the archetypes they represent are universal, not specifically Japanese. The professor, unemotional and flabberghasted into silence at the sight of anything out of the ordinary, is reserved and inhibited, representing civilization. The wild man goes about the world following his whims, getting involved sexually with a bevy of women and doing anything he can to satiate his curiosity. In conversation he is open, apparently always expressing whatever emotion-tinged crazy ideas come into his mind and running with them. Yet are they really so crazy? We see much of the unspoken thoughts that reside in all of our minds in his dialogues. He simply does not have the filter to keep them back.
It's too surreal to effectively convey its message, if indeed it has any message at all, but it's effective at creating a certain ambiance. Although the professor doesn't show himself to be very moved, we are enthralled by the wild man's antics that leave a trail of broken hearts and destruction in their wake. Whether he's manhandling women, speaking glibly about death, or simply sitting there in his striking black cape and eyepatch, we are always interested in discovering what outrageous thing he will do next.
Honourable Mentions: The Great Santini (1979). Robert Duvall tried to embody the quintessential male in his ageing marine in this film, but it came up short. Santini is rough and wild in his own way, but he lacks the mystique and outlandish outrageousness of Nagasako, still very much trapped in convention and thus not as interesting.
Like in Rouroni Kenshin, the time period for this film is one where the modern Japan and the traditional Japan were clashing, at least in fashion choices. The professor dresses in formal European attire, while the wild man is invariable seen in an ominous black kimono.
Yet the archetypes they represent are universal, not specifically Japanese. The professor, unemotional and flabberghasted into silence at the sight of anything out of the ordinary, is reserved and inhibited, representing civilization. The wild man goes about the world following his whims, getting involved sexually with a bevy of women and doing anything he can to satiate his curiosity. In conversation he is open, apparently always expressing whatever emotion-tinged crazy ideas come into his mind and running with them. Yet are they really so crazy? We see much of the unspoken thoughts that reside in all of our minds in his dialogues. He simply does not have the filter to keep them back.
It's too surreal to effectively convey its message, if indeed it has any message at all, but it's effective at creating a certain ambiance. Although the professor doesn't show himself to be very moved, we are enthralled by the wild man's antics that leave a trail of broken hearts and destruction in their wake. Whether he's manhandling women, speaking glibly about death, or simply sitting there in his striking black cape and eyepatch, we are always interested in discovering what outrageous thing he will do next.
Honourable Mentions: The Great Santini (1979). Robert Duvall tried to embody the quintessential male in his ageing marine in this film, but it came up short. Santini is rough and wild in his own way, but he lacks the mystique and outlandish outrageousness of Nagasako, still very much trapped in convention and thus not as interesting.
- fatcat-73450
- Sep 3, 2023
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- Цыганские мотивы
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