Woman in the Dunes has an 8.5 rating on IMDB, that's insane! If it had more votes then it would be in the IMDB Top 250 and that's quite the accomplishment.
It tells the story of an entomologist who is trapped in a crater of sand by the locals and forced to live his life as a slave moving sand alongside a woman who came before him.
In true early Toho fashion the movie is bleak, dark and gritty but not entirely in a good way. For a start considering it's a Toho movie it looks terrible, dated and oddly dark (In the literal sense).
The performances are passable but absolutely not on par with what we're used to from Toho studios.
What saves it is the fantastic concept, I personally loved it but am saddened they didn't properly utilize it.
Woman in the Dunes is also famed for its eroticism, back in 1960's eastern cinema this was near unheard of so it was quite groundbreaking. The scenes are very tame, tasteful and include absolutely no nudity however.
I don't see the appeal, I can't get my head around how the rating is so insanely high and certainly don't deem it top 250 material (But then again I do very few movies that are actually in there).
Great ideas, poor execution.
The Good:
Great concept
The Bad:
Looks terrible for a Toho film
Needlessly dark
Doesn't exactly grip you
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Don't look up when going down a sand bank on a rope
Damp deserts aren't a thing
Pregnancy can be smelt
It tells the story of an entomologist who is trapped in a crater of sand by the locals and forced to live his life as a slave moving sand alongside a woman who came before him.
In true early Toho fashion the movie is bleak, dark and gritty but not entirely in a good way. For a start considering it's a Toho movie it looks terrible, dated and oddly dark (In the literal sense).
The performances are passable but absolutely not on par with what we're used to from Toho studios.
What saves it is the fantastic concept, I personally loved it but am saddened they didn't properly utilize it.
Woman in the Dunes is also famed for its eroticism, back in 1960's eastern cinema this was near unheard of so it was quite groundbreaking. The scenes are very tame, tasteful and include absolutely no nudity however.
I don't see the appeal, I can't get my head around how the rating is so insanely high and certainly don't deem it top 250 material (But then again I do very few movies that are actually in there).
Great ideas, poor execution.
The Good:
Great concept
The Bad:
Looks terrible for a Toho film
Needlessly dark
Doesn't exactly grip you
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Don't look up when going down a sand bank on a rope
Damp deserts aren't a thing
Pregnancy can be smelt