Courtesans & Criminals: The Underworld Of Hideo Gosha

Synopsis

This incredible two-disc set features 2 of master Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha's most acclaimed titles, ONIMASA and TOKYO BORDELLO, restored to HD, and, for the first time ever, available on Blu Ray in North America.

ONIMASA:
Acclaimed genre auteur Hideo Gosha (Samurai Wolf, Violent Streets, Tokyo Bordello) broke new ground with this sophisticated tale of an uber-fierce yakuza boss as seen through the eyes of his resilient adopted daughter. Adapting a hit novel Gosha juxtaposed the fiery machismo of his roughneck antihero, played with savage intensity by the brilliant Tatsuya Nakadai, against the strong and often wily women in his life. Everyday gangster tribulations and their attendant intrigue, from dog fights to union busting, kidnapping, prostitution and revenge are the meticulously detailed and gritty backdrop of this sweeping character study that lays bare the volatile mores of early twentieth century Japan. Considered a major watershed of Gosha’s late period, “Onimasa is a great gangster epic, possessing tragic dimension as well as scope and passion” (Los Angeles Times). Japan's Official Submission to the 1982 Academy Awards.

TOKYO BORDELLO:
Set around the turn of the twentieth century in Tokyo’s red light district Yoshiwara, master director Hideo Gosha continued his 1980’s focus on tenacious women with this mesmerizing chronicle of steadfast sex workers. Sold into a brothel by her destitute businessman father, demure ingenue Hisano soon learns the ways of her new world from the popular establishment’s top three courtesans. Her coming of age is trial by fire as she eventually rises up the ranks, juggling lovers and her own personal drama with the turbulent escapades of her tight-knit female comrades. Bolstered by gorgeous production design and an incredible ensemble cast, Gosha brings his brash and bold style to this “fabulously lush film.... almost every scene is visually striking...a sympathetic rather than salacious look at the lives of the young women so continually and often casually sacrificed to the 'entertainment' system” (Japan on Film).