Empire of Passion
1978 · Movie · R · 105 min · ★ 6.9 · 75% critics
In a small Japanese village in the late 19th century, a rickshaw driver’s wife begins an affair with a much younger man. As their desire deepens, the pair make a reckless plan that pulls them into guilt, fear, and consequences that ripple through the community.
Also known as In the Realm of Passion · Ghost of Love
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Details
- Original title
- 愛の亡霊
- Years
- 1978
- Release date
- 1978-09-06
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Critic score
- 75/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (134 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a tense, adult period drama where passion turns dangerous and the mood grows increasingly unsettling; Not for you if you dislike bleak stories, infidelity themes, or explicit sexuality like in Strange Circus.
Pros: intense doomed romance; haunting ghostly mood; strong performances | Cons: dark subject matter; slow-burn pacing; sexual content
Themes
- regret
- husband wife relationship
- based on novel or book
- sexual obsession
- suspicion of murder
- love
- revenge
- unfaithfulness
- strangulation
- hanging
- vengeful ghost
- older woman younger man relationship
- +18 more
Awards & recognition
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1979 · nominated
Cast & crew
Takahiro Tamura
as Gisaburo
Kazuko Yoshiyuki
as Seki
Tatsuya Fuji
as Toyoji
Takuzō Kawatani
as Inspector Hotta
Akiko Koyama
as Young Master's Mother
Taiji Tonoyama
as Toichiro
Kenzō Kawarasaki
as Young Master
Sumie Sasaki
as Odame
Eizō Kitamura
- TS
Takaaki Sugiura
Directed by Nagisa Ōshima