Description:

Dotonbori-gawa - tells the poignant love story between a 29-year-old woman, who has once been a prostitute but is now the mistress of a wealthy jewelry merchant, and a 19-year-old college student.

Coming from Fukasaku Kinji (Battle Royale and The Yakuza Papers), “the maestro of violence” in the Japanese cinema, this film, adapted from the last installment of The River Trilogy by popular contemporary novelist Miyamoto Teru who also wrote the acclaimed Muddy River, surprised many as a sensitive portrayal of a woman’s affections and sensibilities and was both a critical and commercial hit when it came out.

A tragic love story between a lonely mature woman and a lonely young man, surrounded by various life struggles of the people at the bottom of the society in the Dotonbori section of Osaka. Hiro’s role is rather low-key among strong colorful characters, such as billiard hustlers and gay hostesses, and yet his personality and delicate acting leaves a strong impression.

Watch out for the sensational and sensuous performance of Matsuzaka Keiko, once labeled the sexiest Goddess in Japan. The love scene of this young action idol and the big name actress was a hot topic at the time of showing.

Director: FUKASAKU KINJI

Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada , Yamazaki Tsutomu , Matsuzaka Keiko

1982 – JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES – COLOR – 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 123 MINUTES