Taboo Movie Review 1999

In 1865 in Kyoto, the Shogunate is crumbling and Japanese politics are turbulent. Two new recruits join a strict samurai academy--the rugged Tashiro (Asano) and a delicate teenager named Kano (Matsuda). Kano soon proves his worth to the militia commander, Kondo (Sai), and Captain Hijikata (Kitano) but his androgynous beauty begins to cause dissension--leading Kondo to forbid any relations between his men. Japanese with subtitles.

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 100 minutes.
Originally from Japanese.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Gays, Samurai, Period Piece: 19th Century, Japan, Jealousy

Screenplay

Nagisa Oshima

Cast

Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, Ryuhei Matsuda, Shinji Takeda, Tadanobu Asano

Cinematography

Toyomichi Kurita

Director

Nagisa Oshima

Music

Ryuichi Sakamoto