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Poster for The Pornographers

The Pornographers

1966 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With soft box office and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for romantics and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Atonement or Pride & Prejudice, start here.
The mood: Funny with heart, romantic.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 8 min.
What might put you off: It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Made in 1966: an older pace and style.

A former Buddhist monk turned erotic filmmaker, Subuyan lives with hairdresser Haru and her two teenage children. Shooting two skin flicks per day, he somehow manages to stay out of the clutches of the yakuza, but real trouble starts when Haru discovers him lusting after her daughter.

How it earned its rating

CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 20K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Shōhei Imamura

Shoichi OzawaSubuyan Ogata
Sumiko SakamotoHaru Matsuda
Ganjirō Nakamura IIShiratori
Chōchō MiyakoBrothel Madame
Haruo TanakaBanteki
Keiko SagawaKeiko Matsuda
Masaomi KondoKoichi Matsuda
Kō NishimuraDetective Sanada
Ichirō SugaiShun Ogata
Shinichi NakanoKabo