Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > ImageDom > Celluloid Kink |
|
Tokyo Decadence Topazu - Tokyo Decadence (1992) – Ryu Murakami The pre-opening credit scene of this film is one of the more powerful “mainstream” filmic representations of B&D and S&M. As it unfolds the main character, Ai, experiences the tension and anxiety of the unknown at the hands of a Dom. So too does the viewer. When the title of the film comes on the screen the audience is left primed for what appears to be a harrowing experience. Murakami, a filmmaker with limited “commercial” success and better known as an award-honoured author, has captured the essence of the true sense of English title of the film … decadence. Ai works as a high-end for an agency that specializes in fetish services for the wealthy of Tokyo, from the legitimate executives, to the nouveau riche, to Yakuza types. At the age of 22, her skills are refined, but clearly each of her experiences are new and her hesitation, and sometimes refusal, demonstrates this through a subtle quiet reverence highly lacking in her sexualized ritualistic clientele. Although Ai has little dialogue, much is emoted through her face and stillness. The dialogue in general is sparse and it is easy to forget that one is reading subtitles over the Japanese voices. One of the underlying messages of the film addresses the loss of tradition and ceremony in modern Japanese culture. This is signaled by the prevalent use of cocaine by the Ai engages. The actions of Ai through all this modern debauchery demonstrates a desire to maintain some adherence to custom, however it can be salvaged from the monetized sexual encounters she endures. Ai eventually meets a dominatrix, Mistress Saki, who represents one of Ai’s possible futures. Although not much older than Ai, she is a professional who has built a clientele that affords a lifestyle of opulence on par with Ai’s . After a session with Saki’s they retire to her condo high-rise. There they are served dinner, enjoy conversation, an impromptu comedic sex-musical performance by Saki, and then a night of continuous cocaine usage in several forms. Saki inspires Ai to pursue her dream of reuniting with a lost love, and hence launches her journey, albeit one infused with a pill of “super-powers” given to her. At this point the film seems to become unglued. The storyline is disjointed and the visual style of the previous hour is abandoned. As the viewer tries to follow Ai in her quest, the message is lost to the sudden change in the film’s direction. The answer to why took some research. Unfortunately for anyone seeking this film the most commonly available version, and the one used for this review, is 84 minutes, which is a far cry from the uncut 135 minute version. As the tragic heroine begins her self-inflicted transformative journey, it seems at odds with both the visual aesthetic of the earlier scenes in the film and at odds with any sense of the plot development that was painfully advanced in tiny steps to that point. The resolution that was offered at the end of the film was less than 15 seconds and in no way answered anything. It truly had the impression that a huge piece was missing between Ai’s lavishly constructed life as fetish sex-worker, her journey of self-empowerment and her final destination. This impression turns out to be accurate since the North American release is missing nearly 40% of the original material. That explains a great deal. Although completely bastardized, the first hour of the available release is worth every frame. Almost every fetish is portrayed and done with a rich style in terms of lighting, costume and framing. Adherence to the nature of each fetish is also honoured and the subtleties and nuances are permitted to blossom. If one does have the chance to find the original version, or even the Hong Kong release of 107 minutes, this would be a preferred viewing. With that, if you are looking for a solid hour of beautiful fetish representation, the North American version delivers.  |
 |
 |
 |
| Become a member to comment on this blog | ||
 |
×
×