The Insect Woman: Learning to Crawl
by May 20, 2009Iconoclasts are meant to kill their idols, and so it’s fitting that Shohei Imamura launched into his career as if on a patricidal rampage. Like Nagisa Oshima . . .
Synopsis
Born in a rural farming village in 1918, Tomé survives decades of Japanese social upheaval, as well as abuse and servitude at the hands of various men. Yet Shohei Imamura, ever the cinematic “entomologist,” refuses to make a victim of her, instead observing Tomé (played by the extraordinary Sachiko Hidari) as a fascinating, pragmatic creature of twentieth-century Japan. A portrait of opportunism and resilience in three generations of women, The Insect Woman is Imamura’s most expansive film, and Tomé his ultimate heroine.
Cast
| Rui Matsuki | Keiko Aizawa |
| Midori Tani | Masumi Harukawa |
| Tome Matsuki | Sachiko Hidari |
| Kane Sakashita | Emiko Azuma |
| Yoshiji Kanbayashi | Daizaburo Hirata |
| Karasawa | Seizaburo Kawazu |
| Rin Matsuki | Teruko Kishi |
| Suma Kanie | Tanie Kitabayashi |
| Chuji Matsuki | Kazuo Kitamura |
| Sawakichi Matsuki | Asao Koike |
| En’s lover (Onogawa) | Masakazu Kuwayama |
Credits
| Director | Shohei Imamura |
| Screenplay | Keiji Hasebe and Shohei Imamura |
| Cinematography | Shinsaku Himeda |
| Editing | Mutsuo Tanji |
| Art direction | Kimihiko Nakamura |
| Music | Toshiro Mayuzumi |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Conversation between Shohei Imamura and critic Tadao Sato about the film
- Interview with critic and historian Tony Rayns
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critics Dennis Lim
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