Sunday, June 07, 2020

Suna no onna (1964)

English titles: Woman in the Dunes; Woman of the Dunes.

An amateur entomologist spends the night at a small village and finds himself trapped there, living in a sand pit with a young widow.

This is one of those films which have no transcendental meaning whatsoever, and precisely because of that are viewed by critics and intellectual viewers as a 'parable', or anyway ellicit multiple philosophical interpretations. After all, there is nothing like a blank slate for writing whatever one wants on. One thing there is agreement upon, however, is that it is visually attractive, and well filmed. As for the narrative, I guess that by imposing a relatively logical development upon a very far-fetched premise, the film somehow manages to engage the viewer's attention. The user reviews on IMDB are very amusing, and I advise you to read them all. My favorite excerpt (by Platypuschow, on this link) is:

*begin quote*
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Don't look up when going down a sand bank on a rope
Damp deserts aren't a thing
Pregnancy can be smelt
*end quote*


Rating: 53

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