PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS or HOGS AND WARSHIPS

On yet another occasion when I chose not to go to the latest theatrical offering, I went in the snow to a sparsely attended screening of Imamura's l96l classic (or not so classic) PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS, one of the films that the late Susan Sontag chose for her series done for the Japan Society. A chaotic film about a chaotic society, it is set in a coastal community which both exploits and is exploited by the American sailors who occasionally come to port. Peopled with petty thieves, prostitutes and yahoo-like Americans, the film goes from almost slapstick comedy to the grim brutality of a gang rape. It is both funny and brutal, albeit a bit long. Imamura was a great talent. I'm glad I got to see this one.