Pigs and Battleships
Pigs and Battleships • 1h 48m
Directed by Shohei Imamura • 1962 • Japan
Starring Jitsuko Yoshimura, Yoko Minamida, Hiroyuki Nagato
A dazzling, unruly portrait of postwar Japan, PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS details, with escalating absurdity, the desperate power struggles between small-time gangsters in the port town of Yokosuka. Shot in gorgeously composed, bustling CinemaScope, the film follows a young couple as they try to navigate Yokosuka’s corrupt businessmen, chimpira, and their own unsure future together. With its breakneck pacing and constantly inventive cinematography, this film marked Shohei Imamura as a major voice in Japanese cinema.
Up Next in Pigs and Battleships
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Imamura: The Freethinker
This sixty-minute documentary about the career of Shohei Imamura, directed by Paolo Rocha, was originally broadcast on the french television program “Cinéma de notre temps” in 1995. It was produced by Audiovisuel Multimédia International Productions and INA, Institut National de l'Audiovisuel.
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Tony Rayns on PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS
This interview with film critic Tony Rayns was conducted in December 2008.
