Kagi (Junichiro Tanizaki evening: reading and film)

Kagi – outo ahdistus / Lidelsernas hus / Odd Obsession. JP 1959. PC: Daiei (Kyoto). EX: Hiroako Fujii. P: Masaichi Nagata. D: Kon Ichikawa. SC: Keiji Hasebe, Kon Ichikawa, Natto Wada – based on the novel by Junichiro Tanizaki (1956, Finnish translation Avain 1961 Tuomas Anhava / Tammi, based on the English translation by Howard Hibbett, The Key). DP: Kazuo Miyagawa – Daieicolor – Daieiscope 2,35:1. M: Yasushi Akutagawa. S: Kenichi Nishii. ED: Hiroaki Fujii, Kon Ichikawa, Tatsuji Nakashizu. CAST: Ganjiro Nakamura (Kenji Kenmochi), Machiko Kyo (Ikuko Kenmochi), Tatsuya Nakadai (Dr. Kimura), Junko Kano (Toshiko Kenmochi), Tanie Kitabayashi (Hana, maid), Ichiro Sugai (Ichizuka, masseur), Jun Hamamura (Dr. Soma), Mantaro Ushio (Dr. Kodama), Kyu Sazanka (antique dealer), Mayumi Kurata (Ms. Koike, nurse), Saburi Date (1. policeman), Hikaru Hoshi (2. policeman), Shizuo Nakajo (3. policeman). 107 min. A Japan Foundation print with English subtitles. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 12 Sep 2009. - Preceded by a Junichiro Tanizaki reading by the actors, Mr. Jussi Lehtonen, and Ms. Hanna Ojala. - A print with pleasantly authentic-looking colour. - I saw this film for the first time and was impressed by the black humour of it. I had read Tanizaki's novel as a teenager and did not like it then or maybe missed the point.Watching the film I realized that the sexual material is not the focus. It is about virility, but in a much wider sense. - Ichikawa has a fine touch in this story, and Kazuo Miyagawa's brilliant cinematography and Yasushi Akutagawa's music contribute to it in en exciting way.