Heat-Haze Theatre (1981) Movie Script
1
KAGERO-ZA
Executive Producer
Genjiro Arato
Produced by Kenji Ito
Screenplay by Yozo Tanaka
Original Story
Kyoka lzumi
Cinematography
Kazue Nagatsuka
Cast
Yusaku Matsuda
Michiyo Okusu
Emiko Azuma
Eriko Kusuda
Asao Sano
lsao Tamagawa
Mariko Kaga
Ryutaro Otomo
Yoshio Harada
Katsuo Nakamura
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Would you mind terribly?
If you're going to the hospital,
would you please escort me?
Ah, sorry.
That's not where I'm going.
Is that so?
Is there any reason
you can't go alone?
I'm scared.
Scared of that old woman
who sells bladder cherries.
A vendor, you say?
I don't see any old woman.
She was there
in the rising vapour.
There's no one there now.
I bought one from her.
It cost 50 sen.
50 sen?
That's rather expensive.
She told me...
...she was selling
'women's souls'.
She asked if I wanted
to hear their cries.
I'm sorry, but do I know you?
Have we met before?
No.
Womens' souls, you say?
I paid the 50 sen
and the old woman said to me,
"Don't visit your friend.
She can't be saved."
That made me very afraid.
So I fled.
That's why you talked to me?
Yes. I suddenly felt so alone.
What will you do now?
About your friend.
The woman is gone.
You can go on alone now.
Good point.
- But I'm not going to.
- You're not?
The visit. I don't wish to.
I've suddenly changed my mind.
What a waste!
They're so beautiful.
They represent my compassion.
My friend will dream of them.
A woman once swallowed
a bladder cherry and died.
First she became ill.
Then she vomited blood.
But she was relieved to vomit.
Half the bladder cherry
came back up.
Then she vomited again.
The bladder cherry was melting away.
She was so pleased!
Is that true?
Did she die?
This is annoying.
It was definitely somewhere here.
I dropped a letter
I received from a lady.
Some good-for-nothing
may have picked it up.
What's that letter?
I picked it up near here.
Give it back.
So you're Shunko Matsuzaki.
A love letter
from a married woman!
You're a sinful fellow,
Mr Matsuzaki.
Give it back.
You told me a scary story.
Accept this as punishment.
Am I to consider this your soul?
I found those flowers
at the cemetery.
I took one from each of the bouquets
offered on the graves,
to place by the pillow
of my sick friend.
If you wish to own the soul of someone
who would do such a thing, be my guest.
What was her name?
I don't really know.
It might be a month ago,
three months, or even a year.
It feels somehow lost in time.
Flowers from a cemetery?
That's like asking
her friend to die!
If you're ever hospitalized
I'll give you the same.
- Flowers reeking of incense!
- That's an unpleasant thing to say.
I'm more intrigued
by this person in the hospital.
Who was she taking the flowers to?
A man? Her husband?
A lover she was about to out loose?
None of those. It was a woman.
Grave flowers for a lady.
Did you ever see her again?
I didn't fall on purpose.
You shouldn't treat
the elderly so roughly.
You have no luck with old women.
It feels like
I'm going to be beheaded.
Please.
Her hand touched my hair.
I can't stand thinking about it.
That's cold.
It chills my bones.
Like being cut.
Mr Matsuzaki.
This feels wonderful.
How will you explain this
to your waiting husband?
You've let your hair down.
Not to mention that
it's soaking wet.
He may think you've betrayed him.
I'll tell him the truth.
It doesn't matter.
If he doesn't believe me...
What will you do?
Well, what shall we do?
Mr Matsuzaki.
Women aren't as weak
as you may think.
That was the last time?
No. We met once more.
It sounds like fate.
I was drinking with friends at Omori.
I don't recall clearly what happened.
All I remember is
that I was standing down there.
I've been expecting you.
Come in, darling.
It's you.
Why are you here?
Your servant brought me.
Oh my.
What do you want me to do?
Go home?
You're expecting someone else.
Don't let me be a nuisance.
- I'll go home.
- Don't.
Sorry if I offended you.
The night is lonely.
Keep me company.
But I've crossed the river.
My clothes are wet and dirty.
I'll dirty your mats.
You don't mind?
You really don't mind?
Who were you waiting for?
Is your husband away again?
Beautiful, isn't it?
The one you were awaiting
may be coming here even now.
I don't care.
You came in his place.
"In his place?"
Does that bother you,
being second choice?
Let's have a drink.
Three times in a row
is more than coincidence.
It's downright creepy.
- Are you scared?
- Yes.
Like you were scared
of the bladder cherry vendor.
You're starting to scare me.
I'm not that old woman.
But you're both hiding
your true selves.
My true self?
Then get to know it.
How?
The closer I try to get,
the more you retreat.
If I try to hold you...
What will happen to us?
I won't know until it happens.
You're a strange woman.
You think so?
You, you mm
Flowers from a cemetery.
Meeting your husband
while soaking wet.
I suppose I am.
I'm strange.
You're a liar.
You're telling lies.
You aren't married.
There was no sick friend.
Am I right?
Madam...
It's time to show yourself to me.
Did you see her true self, then?
No.
It was as brief as fireworks.
Who lit them?
I did. And that's all it was.
Are you sure?
Absolutely positive.
I can't even remember
where her house was.
Chicken?
Duck. I shot it on the Tone River.
Don't you like it?
I'll k & \[ n ...
I wrung its neck,
but it wouldn't die.
It stared up at me
with its white eyes.
I just suddenly remembered that.
Buckshot.
Sorry, I'll fire the chef.
That isn't necessary.
It's rather good.
Excuse me.
Where's the bathroom?
Tamawaki
Birds for Sale
Good morning.
What time is it?
It's 10:00.
You had a lot to drink last night.
I'm sorry.
My bird got in here somehow.
You're so funny when you're asleep.
Like this.
By the way,
a messenger came from Mr Tamawaki.
Thanks.
You can have your breakfast anytime.
Is it the same room?
It can't be.
Beans!
Delicious beans for sale!
- Going out?
- Yes, I'm going for a walk.
What's Mrs Tamawaki like?
Don't ask me.
Don't you know?
I was his maid
before he went to study in Germany.
He got married after he returned.
I wasn't working for him then.
He didn't let you see her either?
I hear she's beautiful.
Did you want something?
Sorry. I was mistaken.
Are you looking for someone?
You look like her from behind.
Only from behind?
What about my face? My hair?
Who is the more beautiful?
Me or her?
Please don't put me on the spot.
I wish you would say.
I watched you
from the hospital window...
...when you were talking with her.
Who do you mean?
That lady.
I
Do you know her?
Who? Who do you mean?
Who are you talking about?
Wait, Miss. Wait.
Call me lne.
I'm Tamawaki's wife.
It's me.
That was close!
I mistook you for a bird.
- Why are you coming in the back way?
- It's a personal visit.
Still chasing that dream?
I thought you were
going to kill me.
M m?
Birds are stupid.
I shoot them,
but more still come.
In front of the hospital...
I meta lady
named lne Tamawaki.
I thought perhaps
she was related to you.
- You spoke to her?
- Yes.
Strange.
I'm told she's seriously ill.
How was she?
Her hair was clone formally.
She had a parcel and a parasol.
As if she was going out?
Or visiting the hospital.
Are you sure?
She called herself Mrs Tamawaki?
I was led to believe she's dying.
I'll go and see her.
A dying woman out with a parcel,
how interesting.
Let's go.
- Are you here to see Mrs Tamawaki?
- Yes.
I'm afraid she passed away
three hours ago.
Sorry I couldn't get in touch
with you sooner.
I called earlier,
but no one took my call.
When I called back,
you'd already left.
Perhaps your wife's spirit
directed you here.
She passed away
at 11:07 this morning.
Where's her body?
As you instructed,
it was sent to Honganji Temple.
She didn't suffer?
She was combing her hair
just prior to her passing.
I saw her shortly after noon.
The sun was shining
and vapour was rising.
But by then, she was dead.
Then who was it that I met?
Who, indeed.
Many strange things
happen in the world.
The human mind, perhaps,
is the strangest of all.
Do you agree, Mr Playwright?
She was standing there.
She looked exactly like that lady.
The bladder cherry lady?
Have you seen her again?
No.
Come to think of it,
it was all quite odd.
Keep me company tonight.
After all, it seems
you knew my late wife.
Mr Tamawaki,
please accept my condolences.
She finally passed on.
She can sleep in peace at last.
I wonder. It seems
she's already appeared as a ghost.
What do you mean?
Matsuzaki saw her after she died.
She can't rest.
She's nursing a grudge.
A grudge?
She was in love with me.
To a woman,
a grudge is akin to love.
Such a theatrical expression.
Matsuzaki, use it in your play.
Taro.
Hanako.
Jiro.
I was her first man.
She was my chambermaid.
She loved me, so I fired her.
Making love to you
is her vengeance. Right?
You're wrong.
You told me to take care of him.
I'm at his service,
as if he were my lord.
We're clean, pure
and innocent, aren't we?
- Mio.
- Yes?
Are you in love with Mr Tamawaki?
Not any longer.
But he's supporting you financially.
He gives me money.
Why should I refuse it?
Damn it.
Everybody around me
is linked to him.
I'm dancing to everyone else's tunes.
He respects your talent.
My talent?
Talent for what?
I don't need flattery.
A funeral.
I wonder which wife died.
He loves to make fun
of the people around him.
We won't know the truth
until we peer into the coffin.
You say you saw lne
after she died, too.
So which of his wives died?
"Wives?"
, ...
You know everything.
But you didn't answer me
when I asked.
Well, it's a secret.
But I'll tell you.
Let's dance.
Let's dance!
He got married
while he was studying in Germany.
- With a German girl?
- Yes.
Then he ordered her
to become a Japanese woman.
V -
Hairstyle, kimono, the works.
It's a well-known story in Germany.
He returned home
with his German wife.
AN L- I- f AN '
n. A
Some say his new wife
is a mere courtesan.
There she is.
Darling.
I'll take one woman's soul.
I beg your pardon?
This is a plaything
for women and children.
I'll call it a soul or whatever
I need in order to make a sale.
Thieves!
They got me too.
Wm .
Your masculine soul
has been taken.
- My soul?
- It's a children's game.
They give the soul to a girl.
That makes them...
...lovers?
It's only a game.
The birds are restless.
Doesn't it bother you?
No. I think they're quieter than usual.
One is dead.
They tormented each other
and one of them died.
I'm sick of running an aviary.
Even if they're sold, they die.
That's why we can never thrive.
Maybe I dote on them too much.
Birds become weak
if they're pampered too much.
Is that so?
- Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes?
A letter came for you, from a lady.
- What time is it?
- 5:30.
I'm going out.
I might be gone for a few days.
Where?
Ah, Kanazawa.
You're really in love with her.
She isn't Tamawaki's woman, is she?
If she is, you'll end up dead.
If his dog bites him,
he'll kill it.
I may be his dog, but...
...I haven't been told for sure
that she's his wife.
I'll be true to my feelings.
"I shall be at the Yuzaki in Kanazawa.
"Our third meeting.
Next time, we die as lovers.
"Still, I wish to see you..."
You'll end up dead.
B; '"
He wants to shoot people!
You'll be killed.
Just you wait and see.
Excuse me.
Are you Mr Matsuzaki?
Yes.
Your companion is waiting for you
in first class.
- My companion?
- Yes.
I think you're mistaken.
All I know is that he wants you
to go to the first class compartment.
Here you go.
Let's start.
"Chicken..."
"Grow up fast and lay eggs."
Here.
- Nice.
- "Plums..."
"Pick and pickle plump plums."
It's sour.
"Mushroom..."
A mushroom, a mushroom...
Looks delicious!
Eat it!
"The mushroom grows out
of the bush." Excuse me.
I saw you getting aboard.
Where are you going?
Kanazawa.
Kanazawa?
What a coincidence.
What do you mean?
I'm going there, too.
To watch lovers die.
A woman disappeared.
She was married.
She left a message and vanished.
She had a secret lover.
A young man.
She was afraid the affair
would be exposed.
How do you know they'll die?
Did she write that too?
Yes, her driver took her to Lake Yasha.
So she'll die there?
And her lover is heading there too?
I don't know.
The lover is yet to be identified.
But the woman loves him
and wants to die with him.
Too perfect a story.
It sounds more like a play.
A good story, isn't it?
Much better than what you write.
A woman's determination
ruins her man.
I want to see how they die.
You'd go to Kanazawa for that?
I'm bored.
Why are you going to Kanazawa?
A woman.
I received a letter.
From a woman.
A woman.
That woman?
Yes. Your woman.
Bladder cherry, you mean?!
Mr Tamawaki.
She's risking her life.
She's so deeply in love.
Men and women in love.
That's how it goes.
Butler.
The toilet?
Yuzukiro
My name is Shunko Matsuzaki.
My companion awaits me here.
Your companion's name?
It's a lady.
A young lady.
Tell her Matsuzaki has arrived.
Clerk.
You have a date, sir?
- Yes, a lady.
- Her name?
Bladder cherry...
Sorry. I'm sure she's waiting here.
This is the Yuzuki.
That's our hotel.
Perhaps she's late.
Let me stay.
Who?
Ones who talk about
bombs and revolution.
Anarchists?
That's right.
Did one of them do something?
Kidnapped a prostitute.
- Have a drink.
- Thank you.
Our clerk thought
you might belong to that group too.
You don't look like
a regular businessman.
That face, too...
I didn't mean any offence!
What happened next?
He wanted money in exchange for the prostitute.
Her master refused.
Then what?
Such a fuss!
A policeman came to arrest him.
Then you arrived.
I see.
A call for Mr Matsuzaki.
Matsuzaki speaking.
It's me.
Hello.
- Did you see her yet?
- Well...
She hasn't come?
I'm lonely.
Why don't you come over?
This way, please.
Mr Tamawaki?
He's just stepped out.
We've been instructed
to entertain you until he returns.
Master.
Please have a drink.
I wanted to surprise you.
This is all my idea.
Attention, everybody.
This is Mr Matsuzaki,
the famous playwright.
I saw a boat tonight...
...floating down the river.
Two ladies were aboard.
Just the two of them.
Drifting along...
One of them was...
...a blonde.
I was surprised.
Then, after arriving here...
...I encountered a blonde geisha,
who resembled that lady.
How strange!
You might say
it's a mere coincidence.
It's not coincidental.
I planned it all.
That blonde geisha on the boat
is often seen around here.
The other one with the dark hair?
Your encounter with them
was totally taken into account.
What did she do?
She was kidnapped.
She made her way back a while ago.
The police want to question her.
Did you know her?
No.
Don't get involved.
The anarchists are behind this.
The festive drums amuse me.
- They do?
- They're not rhythmical.
The tempo is all wrong.
It's shorter than usual.
Listen.
The wrong tempo.
It messes with my head.
It's dangerous
walking here during the day.
I saw your woman being arrested.
Your lips look delicious.
I like festivals.
Fireworks thrill me.
I want to turn everything
into fireworks.
But this festival's
no good for that.
Too bad.
It's this way.
- No, it's this way.
- Is it?
You want to bet?
Yes.
Please.
Long, long, longer long ago
Longer ago than really long ago
The lord Yoshitsune
Lay with his lady
then fell asleep
Off you go now, off you go
"Since I saw my lover in a dream,
"I have become dependent on him."
It's me.
Shunko Matsuzaki.
I've come all the way from Tokyo,
guided by the drums.
"Next time we die as lovers."
Was that a lie?
I didn't send any letter.
I didn't.
It wasn't me.
Then who was it?
"Next time we die as lovers."
Who would write that?
It's the same handwriting.
I'm telling the truth.
Mrs Tamawaki.
Enough games.
Enough making fun of me.
This is too complicated a game
to enjoy.
Maybe it amuses the two of you.
But it doesn't amused me at all.
Good bye.
Mrs Tamawaki!
Mrs Tamawaki!
I think I saw you last night.
You were on a boat
drifting down the river.
A blonde lady
was sitting beside you.
That was lne.
This again.
Mr Tamawaki told me
the very same story last night.
He's in Kanazawa?
Didn't you know?
He came to watch some lovers die.
A suicide pact?
Who?
Ine and I, perhaps?
You?
Does he wish
to watch us kill each other?
But lne is dead.
You were at the funeral.
How can you kill a dead person?
You're right, of course.
But she won't leave me alone.
I saw you on the bridge last night.
I wanted to call to you,
but she stopped me.
Ine stopped you?
Yes.
But she's dead.
I remember now.
I wrote a letter in my dream.
You said those exact words.
But it was a dream.
Someone must be peering
into my dreams.
That's who sent you the letter.
- Like who? It couldn't be...
- Yes.
It was lne.
- Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes?
Why do dreams have to end?
If we never had to wake up,
it wouldn't be a dream any more.
Mrs Tamawaki.
Can I believe it?
The letter from your dream?
Believe it.
Good bye.
Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes.
- What? You're still alive?
- Who is this?
- Don't you recognise my voice?
Mr Tamawaki said
he'd go and watch the lovers die.
I thought it was you!
What do you mean by that?
I'm still alive.
I thought you were going
to die for love.
I had a feeling
you'd die with Mrs Tamawaki.
Are you there?
Yes.
More likely you'd be forced to do it.
By Who?
Mr Tamawaki.
I thought you'd be dead by now.
I was quite worried.
Silly boy.
Matsuzaki.
Good timing.
Perhaps we can watch some lovers die
at Lake Yasha. Come with me.
I don't see any.
What?
- Suicidal lovers.
- Me neither.
No sign of them today.
It's fun to watch them.
Did you see Lady Bladder Cherry?
- No.
- I saw her.
My wife, Shinako, is from Kanazawa.
I I I I I A'!
I told her what I came for.
"To see me die?", she said.
Then she asked,
"Who do you want me to die with?"
Would she kill herself
if you told her to?
Yes. Out of stubbornness.
Not for love, no,
but to stubbornly prove a point!
Just to show me and Irene.
I'm sick of it all.
I'm sick of women.
Who's Irene?
Ine, of course.
Irene was her German name.
Women can be stubborn.
By the way,
I asked Shinako who she'd die with.
She nominated you.
Would you die with her?
Shinako...
Shinako?
Shinako looks like...
...a beautiful lady
I met a long time ago.
A mysterious woman?
Splendid. Then die with her.
I've got pills, rope and knives.
Use whatever you wish.
Satisfied?
Now you can finally leave me.
Dearest, did I lose to lne?
Yes, because you loved him.
You men are so stupid.
Why would I risk my life for love?
You don't know women at all.
I want to see your face
before I die.
Kill me with your gun.
I'm here to watch your suicide,
not to commit murder.
Farewell, darling.
Just as the letter said.
This time we die as lovers.
Are you serious?
Let me die beautifully.
Don't be silly.
You're dying for your pride.
Why must I die too?
This is ridiculous!
I'm sorry,
but we're not even that close.
Don't you remember?
I gave you my soul.
That bladder cherry?
That was my soul.
I can't accept that. I won't.
I refuse!
Since I saw my lover in my dream.
I have come to depend on him.
What happened
to the festival drums?
I'm drinking with the money
I won from you.
They disappeared.
They echoed and died away.
Yours too, huh? I see.
...'. A.
They were getting closer.
- Then they just died away.
- Died away?
They weren't real.
The work of a phantom.
A phantom?
Neither man, nor animal.
A phantom.
A phantom.
You saw it, right?
Didn't you?
The lover's suicide?
Suicide?
A woman wanted me to die
with her, as lovers.
- Other strange things happened.
- You upped and ran?
Cheers to the strange woman!
With her hair in the formal style.
But she was blonde.
She died, but she still walks around.
Strange, isn't it!
A blonde.
Beautiful?
With blue eyes.
Blue eyes? Really?
Cheers to the blonde!
Oh, I'd love to see her.
I'd love to bed her.
Bed her?
An anarchist blowing up a blonde!
That suits you.
If everyone digs just a small hole...
.bang!
You get a big hole.
One we can go through.
To the world beyond?
Looks like you're finished.
What's the time?
Keep me company.
"Love". You don't have
to stand on ceremony.
It's not necessary any more.
Yes, you're right.
Let me have a look.
"Ko-omote".
That's right.
I never get tired of looking at it,
like a dream.
Is this...?
It's my inner self.
Your son?
Very impressive.
- It was all a cheap sham.
- Quench your thirst.
Mr Matsuzaki,
take a look at these dolls.
The inner self.
Beautiful.
Takes your breath away.
But also a little embarrassing.
Sex organs with eyes.
How very convenient, but...
...as they look out at me,
I feel as if I'm falling into a hole.
This one is laughing.
The mouth is wide open.
It has to be a woman.
- It's mine.
- I remember. It's your woman.
Yes, you're having sex with her.
- You see it?
- Oh yes.
But I know
an even scarier woman.
More mysterious, more real.
How can I put it?
Intercourse between
one soul and another.
Souls?
This is the last one.
Let's follow tradition.
The smell of blood intoxicates you,
making the doll inside seem to shine.
That is my son.
He fell in love
with a married woman.
He watched her from a distance,
his heart ablaze.
But he never touched her.
One night, as usual,
he went out to spy on her.
He came back at dawn.
Then he told me
that he was going to die.
He'd followed the woman that night.
She crossed a field
and then sat in front of a shrine.
As he watched her,
a young man appeared.
They sat together at the shrine,
back to back, in silence.
My son studied the young man.
Then he realised
that the young man was he, himself.
He saw himself?
The soul of my son
had left his body.
It sat, back to back,
with the woman.
Then he told me
that he was indeed dead.
Then, that night, he...
Her moist eyes
And sweet whispering words
Could easily cheat
My pure, innocent heart
I knew lovely roses had thorns
I knew lovely girls set traps
For such as /
I wish I hadn't known anything at all
I would have been happy
I'm not good at making dolls.
But I do like those Freemasons.
I always attend their meetings.
"Love" is my nickname
at the meetings.
It means artlessness.
Returning to dust.
The end of the ceremony.
My soul is...
...swaying.-
Deep inside me...
Swaying wildly...
The blonde!
Japanese flowers are for graves.
They are only ever placed
on a grave.
So the flowers
which are placed on graves
are the most beautiful of all.
Don't you agree?
I asked Tamawaki
to visit me in hospital,
bringing flowers
taken from a cemetery.
He said I was teasing him.
So Shinako collected them.
She understands exactly how I feel.
Because we're both women.
Ridiculous.
This is absurd!
I saw the funeral with my own eyes.
- Whose?
- Yours.
I was watching you too.
From the coffin.
The moon is full.
My dyed hair
cannot deceive the moonlight.
Tamawaki would only ever
make love to me in the moonlight.
He loved the way my hair changed.
No moonlight, no loving for me.
I'm like a phantom.
Tamawaki made a phantom of me.
So I can't live without him.
Yet he deserted me!
Now I think I can survive.
Mr Matsuzaki.
Help me live, will you?
Make me live.
You can. Please.
You're a doll with a hole.
Your inner self is in there.
That's your value.
You have a hole.
You can see many things in there.
Once you've seen your fill,
you must break it.
That's your destiny.
I can hear drums.
Is there a festival on?
There's something on in town.
Perhaps a decorated train.
"Soup lchimura...
Rice Kataoka...
m AN ...
"Actors and actresses
will entertain the audience!"
Are they traveling minstrels, or...?
Hello.
Old man, can you hear me?
Come on, open the curtain.
Start! Go ahead.
Someone is lost!
Someone is lost!
Ine is lost
Go find her.
Hey-
ls the lost person a child?
She isn't a child.
I think she is... 27 or 28 years old.
She's married too.
So she ran away.
Give me three bottles.
Yes, sir.
Ine... She was in the hospital.
Then she suddenly disappeared.
She knew she'd die.
The end of her life.
She's already dead.
You're joking.
Dead people can't get lost.
Not in this world.
She's lost in the darkness
between this world and beyond.
She is lost forever.
Search for her.
In the darkness...
From here to Hell.
Goodness!
It frightens me.
Noodle seller.
Will you come with us?
Let's go to Hell.
We'll take you with us.
Come with us!
- No!
- Good!
Eat and run!
Ine is lost
Go find her.
Who were they?
Phantoms who deceive men?
I thought you were dead.
Are we together in Hell?
You're an idiot.
She really loved you.
Why run away?
You should encourage her.
Tell her you'll live with her,
at least.
You slept with lne, didn't you?
She told me.
Said she robbed me of my lover.
I'm your lover? Really?
I want to live!
I really do.
I want to live with you.
Why this wish to die?
You're the outer self.
She's the inner self.
Of course.
Just like all men.
They prefer the inner self.
It makes me sad.
You escaped after all.
You can't take her.
You can't die twice.
Can your wife die twice?
Who will die with her next?
Be seated, sir.
It's better than standing.
Thank you.
Tell me.
What's the story of the play?
I don't know.
The children improvise.
I really don't know.
Please sit down, sir, madam.
Thank you.
Damn it!
Don't discriminate.
I've been standing from the start!
Attention.
Attention.
I've been waiting
for the midnight bell.
Snow woman.
Pour me a drink
when you finish your make-up.
You're trembling.
Are you cold?
Yes, I am feeling rather chilled.
Naturally, you...
You fell into hellfire.
You fell into hellfire.
And you became a snow woman.
You returned from Hell
as a geisha or prostitute.
When you were a woman named...
Named what?
What's my next line?
Ine.
Named lne. What did you do?
Tell me your story as I drink.
III cannot...
III cannot...
You make me feel sad.
Come out, phantoms.
Let us be merry.
With pleasure!
Never tell of this
to Taro of Tanba.
Never tell him.
Thank you, madam.
Thank you.
She looks so cold.
The actress, I mean.
What's your name, girl?
Sugar Arashi.
No, your role.
Isn't it Irene?
It's lne.
Ine?
- Tell me.
- What do you want to know?
Tell me the plot of this play.
If you carry on watching,
you'll soon see.
Of course.
But please tell me first.
Who wrote the story?
I really want to know.
If you keep watching...
I'm in a hurry.
Tell me now.
Be nice to me, OK?
You're very stubborn.
It's not that she's stubborn.
An actress only plays a role.
She knows nothing more.
Who are you?
I'm a playwright
who carries bladder cherries.
You want to know the plot?
Yes. Reveal it.
When Irene becomes Ine,
she goes crazy.
The mad Ine has dark hair.
She believes in her man
and does her hair
in the formal style.
But love is transitory and fragile.
The strings of love are cut.
Who cut it?
You will see soon enough.
The next act is the climax.
She becomes a corpse.
Her skin is pawed by the satyrs.
You simply must watch it.
I made her wig very carefully.
It's blonde at first,
then it shimmers into black.
It's the curse of Hell.
We'll show it to you.
I'm leaving.
I don't need to see this.
Did you write this?
Love and grudges -
your favourite themes.
I'm afraid not.
It's far too realistic for my pen.
Are you being modest?
Or over proud of yourself?
It's just some phantom show.
Who talks of realism here?
What happens to lne's hair?
Tell me.
Ine's story ends
with her having dark hair.
You can ask the other woman.
The other woman? Who?
The one who became his plaything
in place of Ine.
His second wife.
Playwright.
You seem to be well informed
about the truth.
Did you write
the second wife's story, too?
It is in the fogs of Hell.
I'll tell it to you.
Enough!
You speak to your inner self.
Come out, playwright!
A one-man play is too dull!
Irene, come out!
The new plaything,
the new flower,
taken by the man at first,
didn't know anything.
Then she was told about Ine.
The man wanted her
to become his second wife.
He was arrogant. Impudent.
He drove his wife mad
and replaced her with a new one.
He asked the young,
innocent woman. ..
...to be his second wife.
To be his second wife!
To humbly be his second wife.
How dare he say that to her!
The second wife agreed.
She pretended to be obedient
to her husband.
She obeyed him,
but then double crossed him.
She showed him
that women were not so weak.
She showed him!
She did? But how?
Adultery.
A flower picked
by the wrong hand has to wither.
I showed him how it withered.
Oh, it withered!
What of the second wife?
I shall die.
I shall die.
Death will settle the matter.
Do you understand, playwright?
This is the end of the story.
I know, / know.
The story is not over.
Not yet.
We have an audience.
Let's watch
the last act of the play.
Stop it!
Stop it!
I have no need of men's souls.
Drowned bodies.
Suicides for love!
Young lady.
You're very pretty.
Where are you headed?
Look. See the vapour
rising from the ground.
Yes, spring has come.
Dead?
Me?
A man came from Kanazawa
with a letter.
He said you wouldn't last long,
getting letters like that.
Mr Tamawaki died with his wife.
I shudder to think of it!
Then I found you standing like a ghost.
What a shock.
Come on, read the letter.
"Since I saw my lover in a dream,
"I have depended on dreams.
"To my love, Shinako."
You're right!
"To my love."
Does that mean you?
What a waste.
- She's dead.
- I wonder.
Will you please leave now?
I'm no longer obliged
to take care of you.
What are you doing?
I was Tamawaki's woman...
The dream changed my life.
This is a song of vengeance.
So you saw the heights
of desperate love in a woman.
I was involved in a romance too.
But she was the worst.
So wicked, and she has VD.
I'm taking her to her hometown.
It's my duty, because I love her.
Heads or tails?
Heads!
Give me one yen.
All of it? Thanks.
Where did you buy the bladder cherry?
On Ueno Hill.
In death I shall be known as
"square", "circle", "circle", "triangle".
The End
Directed by
Seijun Suzuki
KAGERO-ZA
Executive Producer
Genjiro Arato
Produced by Kenji Ito
Screenplay by Yozo Tanaka
Original Story
Kyoka lzumi
Cinematography
Kazue Nagatsuka
Cast
Yusaku Matsuda
Michiyo Okusu
Emiko Azuma
Eriko Kusuda
Asao Sano
lsao Tamagawa
Mariko Kaga
Ryutaro Otomo
Yoshio Harada
Katsuo Nakamura
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Would you mind terribly?
If you're going to the hospital,
would you please escort me?
Ah, sorry.
That's not where I'm going.
Is that so?
Is there any reason
you can't go alone?
I'm scared.
Scared of that old woman
who sells bladder cherries.
A vendor, you say?
I don't see any old woman.
She was there
in the rising vapour.
There's no one there now.
I bought one from her.
It cost 50 sen.
50 sen?
That's rather expensive.
She told me...
...she was selling
'women's souls'.
She asked if I wanted
to hear their cries.
I'm sorry, but do I know you?
Have we met before?
No.
Womens' souls, you say?
I paid the 50 sen
and the old woman said to me,
"Don't visit your friend.
She can't be saved."
That made me very afraid.
So I fled.
That's why you talked to me?
Yes. I suddenly felt so alone.
What will you do now?
About your friend.
The woman is gone.
You can go on alone now.
Good point.
- But I'm not going to.
- You're not?
The visit. I don't wish to.
I've suddenly changed my mind.
What a waste!
They're so beautiful.
They represent my compassion.
My friend will dream of them.
A woman once swallowed
a bladder cherry and died.
First she became ill.
Then she vomited blood.
But she was relieved to vomit.
Half the bladder cherry
came back up.
Then she vomited again.
The bladder cherry was melting away.
She was so pleased!
Is that true?
Did she die?
This is annoying.
It was definitely somewhere here.
I dropped a letter
I received from a lady.
Some good-for-nothing
may have picked it up.
What's that letter?
I picked it up near here.
Give it back.
So you're Shunko Matsuzaki.
A love letter
from a married woman!
You're a sinful fellow,
Mr Matsuzaki.
Give it back.
You told me a scary story.
Accept this as punishment.
Am I to consider this your soul?
I found those flowers
at the cemetery.
I took one from each of the bouquets
offered on the graves,
to place by the pillow
of my sick friend.
If you wish to own the soul of someone
who would do such a thing, be my guest.
What was her name?
I don't really know.
It might be a month ago,
three months, or even a year.
It feels somehow lost in time.
Flowers from a cemetery?
That's like asking
her friend to die!
If you're ever hospitalized
I'll give you the same.
- Flowers reeking of incense!
- That's an unpleasant thing to say.
I'm more intrigued
by this person in the hospital.
Who was she taking the flowers to?
A man? Her husband?
A lover she was about to out loose?
None of those. It was a woman.
Grave flowers for a lady.
Did you ever see her again?
I didn't fall on purpose.
You shouldn't treat
the elderly so roughly.
You have no luck with old women.
It feels like
I'm going to be beheaded.
Please.
Her hand touched my hair.
I can't stand thinking about it.
That's cold.
It chills my bones.
Like being cut.
Mr Matsuzaki.
This feels wonderful.
How will you explain this
to your waiting husband?
You've let your hair down.
Not to mention that
it's soaking wet.
He may think you've betrayed him.
I'll tell him the truth.
It doesn't matter.
If he doesn't believe me...
What will you do?
Well, what shall we do?
Mr Matsuzaki.
Women aren't as weak
as you may think.
That was the last time?
No. We met once more.
It sounds like fate.
I was drinking with friends at Omori.
I don't recall clearly what happened.
All I remember is
that I was standing down there.
I've been expecting you.
Come in, darling.
It's you.
Why are you here?
Your servant brought me.
Oh my.
What do you want me to do?
Go home?
You're expecting someone else.
Don't let me be a nuisance.
- I'll go home.
- Don't.
Sorry if I offended you.
The night is lonely.
Keep me company.
But I've crossed the river.
My clothes are wet and dirty.
I'll dirty your mats.
You don't mind?
You really don't mind?
Who were you waiting for?
Is your husband away again?
Beautiful, isn't it?
The one you were awaiting
may be coming here even now.
I don't care.
You came in his place.
"In his place?"
Does that bother you,
being second choice?
Let's have a drink.
Three times in a row
is more than coincidence.
It's downright creepy.
- Are you scared?
- Yes.
Like you were scared
of the bladder cherry vendor.
You're starting to scare me.
I'm not that old woman.
But you're both hiding
your true selves.
My true self?
Then get to know it.
How?
The closer I try to get,
the more you retreat.
If I try to hold you...
What will happen to us?
I won't know until it happens.
You're a strange woman.
You think so?
You, you mm
Flowers from a cemetery.
Meeting your husband
while soaking wet.
I suppose I am.
I'm strange.
You're a liar.
You're telling lies.
You aren't married.
There was no sick friend.
Am I right?
Madam...
It's time to show yourself to me.
Did you see her true self, then?
No.
It was as brief as fireworks.
Who lit them?
I did. And that's all it was.
Are you sure?
Absolutely positive.
I can't even remember
where her house was.
Chicken?
Duck. I shot it on the Tone River.
Don't you like it?
I'll k & \[ n ...
I wrung its neck,
but it wouldn't die.
It stared up at me
with its white eyes.
I just suddenly remembered that.
Buckshot.
Sorry, I'll fire the chef.
That isn't necessary.
It's rather good.
Excuse me.
Where's the bathroom?
Tamawaki
Birds for Sale
Good morning.
What time is it?
It's 10:00.
You had a lot to drink last night.
I'm sorry.
My bird got in here somehow.
You're so funny when you're asleep.
Like this.
By the way,
a messenger came from Mr Tamawaki.
Thanks.
You can have your breakfast anytime.
Is it the same room?
It can't be.
Beans!
Delicious beans for sale!
- Going out?
- Yes, I'm going for a walk.
What's Mrs Tamawaki like?
Don't ask me.
Don't you know?
I was his maid
before he went to study in Germany.
He got married after he returned.
I wasn't working for him then.
He didn't let you see her either?
I hear she's beautiful.
Did you want something?
Sorry. I was mistaken.
Are you looking for someone?
You look like her from behind.
Only from behind?
What about my face? My hair?
Who is the more beautiful?
Me or her?
Please don't put me on the spot.
I wish you would say.
I watched you
from the hospital window...
...when you were talking with her.
Who do you mean?
That lady.
I
Do you know her?
Who? Who do you mean?
Who are you talking about?
Wait, Miss. Wait.
Call me lne.
I'm Tamawaki's wife.
It's me.
That was close!
I mistook you for a bird.
- Why are you coming in the back way?
- It's a personal visit.
Still chasing that dream?
I thought you were
going to kill me.
M m?
Birds are stupid.
I shoot them,
but more still come.
In front of the hospital...
I meta lady
named lne Tamawaki.
I thought perhaps
she was related to you.
- You spoke to her?
- Yes.
Strange.
I'm told she's seriously ill.
How was she?
Her hair was clone formally.
She had a parcel and a parasol.
As if she was going out?
Or visiting the hospital.
Are you sure?
She called herself Mrs Tamawaki?
I was led to believe she's dying.
I'll go and see her.
A dying woman out with a parcel,
how interesting.
Let's go.
- Are you here to see Mrs Tamawaki?
- Yes.
I'm afraid she passed away
three hours ago.
Sorry I couldn't get in touch
with you sooner.
I called earlier,
but no one took my call.
When I called back,
you'd already left.
Perhaps your wife's spirit
directed you here.
She passed away
at 11:07 this morning.
Where's her body?
As you instructed,
it was sent to Honganji Temple.
She didn't suffer?
She was combing her hair
just prior to her passing.
I saw her shortly after noon.
The sun was shining
and vapour was rising.
But by then, she was dead.
Then who was it that I met?
Who, indeed.
Many strange things
happen in the world.
The human mind, perhaps,
is the strangest of all.
Do you agree, Mr Playwright?
She was standing there.
She looked exactly like that lady.
The bladder cherry lady?
Have you seen her again?
No.
Come to think of it,
it was all quite odd.
Keep me company tonight.
After all, it seems
you knew my late wife.
Mr Tamawaki,
please accept my condolences.
She finally passed on.
She can sleep in peace at last.
I wonder. It seems
she's already appeared as a ghost.
What do you mean?
Matsuzaki saw her after she died.
She can't rest.
She's nursing a grudge.
A grudge?
She was in love with me.
To a woman,
a grudge is akin to love.
Such a theatrical expression.
Matsuzaki, use it in your play.
Taro.
Hanako.
Jiro.
I was her first man.
She was my chambermaid.
She loved me, so I fired her.
Making love to you
is her vengeance. Right?
You're wrong.
You told me to take care of him.
I'm at his service,
as if he were my lord.
We're clean, pure
and innocent, aren't we?
- Mio.
- Yes?
Are you in love with Mr Tamawaki?
Not any longer.
But he's supporting you financially.
He gives me money.
Why should I refuse it?
Damn it.
Everybody around me
is linked to him.
I'm dancing to everyone else's tunes.
He respects your talent.
My talent?
Talent for what?
I don't need flattery.
A funeral.
I wonder which wife died.
He loves to make fun
of the people around him.
We won't know the truth
until we peer into the coffin.
You say you saw lne
after she died, too.
So which of his wives died?
"Wives?"
, ...
You know everything.
But you didn't answer me
when I asked.
Well, it's a secret.
But I'll tell you.
Let's dance.
Let's dance!
He got married
while he was studying in Germany.
- With a German girl?
- Yes.
Then he ordered her
to become a Japanese woman.
V -
Hairstyle, kimono, the works.
It's a well-known story in Germany.
He returned home
with his German wife.
AN L- I- f AN '
n. A
Some say his new wife
is a mere courtesan.
There she is.
Darling.
I'll take one woman's soul.
I beg your pardon?
This is a plaything
for women and children.
I'll call it a soul or whatever
I need in order to make a sale.
Thieves!
They got me too.
Wm .
Your masculine soul
has been taken.
- My soul?
- It's a children's game.
They give the soul to a girl.
That makes them...
...lovers?
It's only a game.
The birds are restless.
Doesn't it bother you?
No. I think they're quieter than usual.
One is dead.
They tormented each other
and one of them died.
I'm sick of running an aviary.
Even if they're sold, they die.
That's why we can never thrive.
Maybe I dote on them too much.
Birds become weak
if they're pampered too much.
Is that so?
- Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes?
A letter came for you, from a lady.
- What time is it?
- 5:30.
I'm going out.
I might be gone for a few days.
Where?
Ah, Kanazawa.
You're really in love with her.
She isn't Tamawaki's woman, is she?
If she is, you'll end up dead.
If his dog bites him,
he'll kill it.
I may be his dog, but...
...I haven't been told for sure
that she's his wife.
I'll be true to my feelings.
"I shall be at the Yuzaki in Kanazawa.
"Our third meeting.
Next time, we die as lovers.
"Still, I wish to see you..."
You'll end up dead.
B; '"
He wants to shoot people!
You'll be killed.
Just you wait and see.
Excuse me.
Are you Mr Matsuzaki?
Yes.
Your companion is waiting for you
in first class.
- My companion?
- Yes.
I think you're mistaken.
All I know is that he wants you
to go to the first class compartment.
Here you go.
Let's start.
"Chicken..."
"Grow up fast and lay eggs."
Here.
- Nice.
- "Plums..."
"Pick and pickle plump plums."
It's sour.
"Mushroom..."
A mushroom, a mushroom...
Looks delicious!
Eat it!
"The mushroom grows out
of the bush." Excuse me.
I saw you getting aboard.
Where are you going?
Kanazawa.
Kanazawa?
What a coincidence.
What do you mean?
I'm going there, too.
To watch lovers die.
A woman disappeared.
She was married.
She left a message and vanished.
She had a secret lover.
A young man.
She was afraid the affair
would be exposed.
How do you know they'll die?
Did she write that too?
Yes, her driver took her to Lake Yasha.
So she'll die there?
And her lover is heading there too?
I don't know.
The lover is yet to be identified.
But the woman loves him
and wants to die with him.
Too perfect a story.
It sounds more like a play.
A good story, isn't it?
Much better than what you write.
A woman's determination
ruins her man.
I want to see how they die.
You'd go to Kanazawa for that?
I'm bored.
Why are you going to Kanazawa?
A woman.
I received a letter.
From a woman.
A woman.
That woman?
Yes. Your woman.
Bladder cherry, you mean?!
Mr Tamawaki.
She's risking her life.
She's so deeply in love.
Men and women in love.
That's how it goes.
Butler.
The toilet?
Yuzukiro
My name is Shunko Matsuzaki.
My companion awaits me here.
Your companion's name?
It's a lady.
A young lady.
Tell her Matsuzaki has arrived.
Clerk.
You have a date, sir?
- Yes, a lady.
- Her name?
Bladder cherry...
Sorry. I'm sure she's waiting here.
This is the Yuzuki.
That's our hotel.
Perhaps she's late.
Let me stay.
Who?
Ones who talk about
bombs and revolution.
Anarchists?
That's right.
Did one of them do something?
Kidnapped a prostitute.
- Have a drink.
- Thank you.
Our clerk thought
you might belong to that group too.
You don't look like
a regular businessman.
That face, too...
I didn't mean any offence!
What happened next?
He wanted money in exchange for the prostitute.
Her master refused.
Then what?
Such a fuss!
A policeman came to arrest him.
Then you arrived.
I see.
A call for Mr Matsuzaki.
Matsuzaki speaking.
It's me.
Hello.
- Did you see her yet?
- Well...
She hasn't come?
I'm lonely.
Why don't you come over?
This way, please.
Mr Tamawaki?
He's just stepped out.
We've been instructed
to entertain you until he returns.
Master.
Please have a drink.
I wanted to surprise you.
This is all my idea.
Attention, everybody.
This is Mr Matsuzaki,
the famous playwright.
I saw a boat tonight...
...floating down the river.
Two ladies were aboard.
Just the two of them.
Drifting along...
One of them was...
...a blonde.
I was surprised.
Then, after arriving here...
...I encountered a blonde geisha,
who resembled that lady.
How strange!
You might say
it's a mere coincidence.
It's not coincidental.
I planned it all.
That blonde geisha on the boat
is often seen around here.
The other one with the dark hair?
Your encounter with them
was totally taken into account.
What did she do?
She was kidnapped.
She made her way back a while ago.
The police want to question her.
Did you know her?
No.
Don't get involved.
The anarchists are behind this.
The festive drums amuse me.
- They do?
- They're not rhythmical.
The tempo is all wrong.
It's shorter than usual.
Listen.
The wrong tempo.
It messes with my head.
It's dangerous
walking here during the day.
I saw your woman being arrested.
Your lips look delicious.
I like festivals.
Fireworks thrill me.
I want to turn everything
into fireworks.
But this festival's
no good for that.
Too bad.
It's this way.
- No, it's this way.
- Is it?
You want to bet?
Yes.
Please.
Long, long, longer long ago
Longer ago than really long ago
The lord Yoshitsune
Lay with his lady
then fell asleep
Off you go now, off you go
"Since I saw my lover in a dream,
"I have become dependent on him."
It's me.
Shunko Matsuzaki.
I've come all the way from Tokyo,
guided by the drums.
"Next time we die as lovers."
Was that a lie?
I didn't send any letter.
I didn't.
It wasn't me.
Then who was it?
"Next time we die as lovers."
Who would write that?
It's the same handwriting.
I'm telling the truth.
Mrs Tamawaki.
Enough games.
Enough making fun of me.
This is too complicated a game
to enjoy.
Maybe it amuses the two of you.
But it doesn't amused me at all.
Good bye.
Mrs Tamawaki!
Mrs Tamawaki!
I think I saw you last night.
You were on a boat
drifting down the river.
A blonde lady
was sitting beside you.
That was lne.
This again.
Mr Tamawaki told me
the very same story last night.
He's in Kanazawa?
Didn't you know?
He came to watch some lovers die.
A suicide pact?
Who?
Ine and I, perhaps?
You?
Does he wish
to watch us kill each other?
But lne is dead.
You were at the funeral.
How can you kill a dead person?
You're right, of course.
But she won't leave me alone.
I saw you on the bridge last night.
I wanted to call to you,
but she stopped me.
Ine stopped you?
Yes.
But she's dead.
I remember now.
I wrote a letter in my dream.
You said those exact words.
But it was a dream.
Someone must be peering
into my dreams.
That's who sent you the letter.
- Like who? It couldn't be...
- Yes.
It was lne.
- Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes?
Why do dreams have to end?
If we never had to wake up,
it wouldn't be a dream any more.
Mrs Tamawaki.
Can I believe it?
The letter from your dream?
Believe it.
Good bye.
Mr Matsuzaki.
- Yes.
- What? You're still alive?
- Who is this?
- Don't you recognise my voice?
Mr Tamawaki said
he'd go and watch the lovers die.
I thought it was you!
What do you mean by that?
I'm still alive.
I thought you were going
to die for love.
I had a feeling
you'd die with Mrs Tamawaki.
Are you there?
Yes.
More likely you'd be forced to do it.
By Who?
Mr Tamawaki.
I thought you'd be dead by now.
I was quite worried.
Silly boy.
Matsuzaki.
Good timing.
Perhaps we can watch some lovers die
at Lake Yasha. Come with me.
I don't see any.
What?
- Suicidal lovers.
- Me neither.
No sign of them today.
It's fun to watch them.
Did you see Lady Bladder Cherry?
- No.
- I saw her.
My wife, Shinako, is from Kanazawa.
I I I I I A'!
I told her what I came for.
"To see me die?", she said.
Then she asked,
"Who do you want me to die with?"
Would she kill herself
if you told her to?
Yes. Out of stubbornness.
Not for love, no,
but to stubbornly prove a point!
Just to show me and Irene.
I'm sick of it all.
I'm sick of women.
Who's Irene?
Ine, of course.
Irene was her German name.
Women can be stubborn.
By the way,
I asked Shinako who she'd die with.
She nominated you.
Would you die with her?
Shinako...
Shinako?
Shinako looks like...
...a beautiful lady
I met a long time ago.
A mysterious woman?
Splendid. Then die with her.
I've got pills, rope and knives.
Use whatever you wish.
Satisfied?
Now you can finally leave me.
Dearest, did I lose to lne?
Yes, because you loved him.
You men are so stupid.
Why would I risk my life for love?
You don't know women at all.
I want to see your face
before I die.
Kill me with your gun.
I'm here to watch your suicide,
not to commit murder.
Farewell, darling.
Just as the letter said.
This time we die as lovers.
Are you serious?
Let me die beautifully.
Don't be silly.
You're dying for your pride.
Why must I die too?
This is ridiculous!
I'm sorry,
but we're not even that close.
Don't you remember?
I gave you my soul.
That bladder cherry?
That was my soul.
I can't accept that. I won't.
I refuse!
Since I saw my lover in my dream.
I have come to depend on him.
What happened
to the festival drums?
I'm drinking with the money
I won from you.
They disappeared.
They echoed and died away.
Yours too, huh? I see.
...'. A.
They were getting closer.
- Then they just died away.
- Died away?
They weren't real.
The work of a phantom.
A phantom?
Neither man, nor animal.
A phantom.
A phantom.
You saw it, right?
Didn't you?
The lover's suicide?
Suicide?
A woman wanted me to die
with her, as lovers.
- Other strange things happened.
- You upped and ran?
Cheers to the strange woman!
With her hair in the formal style.
But she was blonde.
She died, but she still walks around.
Strange, isn't it!
A blonde.
Beautiful?
With blue eyes.
Blue eyes? Really?
Cheers to the blonde!
Oh, I'd love to see her.
I'd love to bed her.
Bed her?
An anarchist blowing up a blonde!
That suits you.
If everyone digs just a small hole...
.bang!
You get a big hole.
One we can go through.
To the world beyond?
Looks like you're finished.
What's the time?
Keep me company.
"Love". You don't have
to stand on ceremony.
It's not necessary any more.
Yes, you're right.
Let me have a look.
"Ko-omote".
That's right.
I never get tired of looking at it,
like a dream.
Is this...?
It's my inner self.
Your son?
Very impressive.
- It was all a cheap sham.
- Quench your thirst.
Mr Matsuzaki,
take a look at these dolls.
The inner self.
Beautiful.
Takes your breath away.
But also a little embarrassing.
Sex organs with eyes.
How very convenient, but...
...as they look out at me,
I feel as if I'm falling into a hole.
This one is laughing.
The mouth is wide open.
It has to be a woman.
- It's mine.
- I remember. It's your woman.
Yes, you're having sex with her.
- You see it?
- Oh yes.
But I know
an even scarier woman.
More mysterious, more real.
How can I put it?
Intercourse between
one soul and another.
Souls?
This is the last one.
Let's follow tradition.
The smell of blood intoxicates you,
making the doll inside seem to shine.
That is my son.
He fell in love
with a married woman.
He watched her from a distance,
his heart ablaze.
But he never touched her.
One night, as usual,
he went out to spy on her.
He came back at dawn.
Then he told me
that he was going to die.
He'd followed the woman that night.
She crossed a field
and then sat in front of a shrine.
As he watched her,
a young man appeared.
They sat together at the shrine,
back to back, in silence.
My son studied the young man.
Then he realised
that the young man was he, himself.
He saw himself?
The soul of my son
had left his body.
It sat, back to back,
with the woman.
Then he told me
that he was indeed dead.
Then, that night, he...
Her moist eyes
And sweet whispering words
Could easily cheat
My pure, innocent heart
I knew lovely roses had thorns
I knew lovely girls set traps
For such as /
I wish I hadn't known anything at all
I would have been happy
I'm not good at making dolls.
But I do like those Freemasons.
I always attend their meetings.
"Love" is my nickname
at the meetings.
It means artlessness.
Returning to dust.
The end of the ceremony.
My soul is...
...swaying.-
Deep inside me...
Swaying wildly...
The blonde!
Japanese flowers are for graves.
They are only ever placed
on a grave.
So the flowers
which are placed on graves
are the most beautiful of all.
Don't you agree?
I asked Tamawaki
to visit me in hospital,
bringing flowers
taken from a cemetery.
He said I was teasing him.
So Shinako collected them.
She understands exactly how I feel.
Because we're both women.
Ridiculous.
This is absurd!
I saw the funeral with my own eyes.
- Whose?
- Yours.
I was watching you too.
From the coffin.
The moon is full.
My dyed hair
cannot deceive the moonlight.
Tamawaki would only ever
make love to me in the moonlight.
He loved the way my hair changed.
No moonlight, no loving for me.
I'm like a phantom.
Tamawaki made a phantom of me.
So I can't live without him.
Yet he deserted me!
Now I think I can survive.
Mr Matsuzaki.
Help me live, will you?
Make me live.
You can. Please.
You're a doll with a hole.
Your inner self is in there.
That's your value.
You have a hole.
You can see many things in there.
Once you've seen your fill,
you must break it.
That's your destiny.
I can hear drums.
Is there a festival on?
There's something on in town.
Perhaps a decorated train.
"Soup lchimura...
Rice Kataoka...
m AN ...
"Actors and actresses
will entertain the audience!"
Are they traveling minstrels, or...?
Hello.
Old man, can you hear me?
Come on, open the curtain.
Start! Go ahead.
Someone is lost!
Someone is lost!
Ine is lost
Go find her.
Hey-
ls the lost person a child?
She isn't a child.
I think she is... 27 or 28 years old.
She's married too.
So she ran away.
Give me three bottles.
Yes, sir.
Ine... She was in the hospital.
Then she suddenly disappeared.
She knew she'd die.
The end of her life.
She's already dead.
You're joking.
Dead people can't get lost.
Not in this world.
She's lost in the darkness
between this world and beyond.
She is lost forever.
Search for her.
In the darkness...
From here to Hell.
Goodness!
It frightens me.
Noodle seller.
Will you come with us?
Let's go to Hell.
We'll take you with us.
Come with us!
- No!
- Good!
Eat and run!
Ine is lost
Go find her.
Who were they?
Phantoms who deceive men?
I thought you were dead.
Are we together in Hell?
You're an idiot.
She really loved you.
Why run away?
You should encourage her.
Tell her you'll live with her,
at least.
You slept with lne, didn't you?
She told me.
Said she robbed me of my lover.
I'm your lover? Really?
I want to live!
I really do.
I want to live with you.
Why this wish to die?
You're the outer self.
She's the inner self.
Of course.
Just like all men.
They prefer the inner self.
It makes me sad.
You escaped after all.
You can't take her.
You can't die twice.
Can your wife die twice?
Who will die with her next?
Be seated, sir.
It's better than standing.
Thank you.
Tell me.
What's the story of the play?
I don't know.
The children improvise.
I really don't know.
Please sit down, sir, madam.
Thank you.
Damn it!
Don't discriminate.
I've been standing from the start!
Attention.
Attention.
I've been waiting
for the midnight bell.
Snow woman.
Pour me a drink
when you finish your make-up.
You're trembling.
Are you cold?
Yes, I am feeling rather chilled.
Naturally, you...
You fell into hellfire.
You fell into hellfire.
And you became a snow woman.
You returned from Hell
as a geisha or prostitute.
When you were a woman named...
Named what?
What's my next line?
Ine.
Named lne. What did you do?
Tell me your story as I drink.
III cannot...
III cannot...
You make me feel sad.
Come out, phantoms.
Let us be merry.
With pleasure!
Never tell of this
to Taro of Tanba.
Never tell him.
Thank you, madam.
Thank you.
She looks so cold.
The actress, I mean.
What's your name, girl?
Sugar Arashi.
No, your role.
Isn't it Irene?
It's lne.
Ine?
- Tell me.
- What do you want to know?
Tell me the plot of this play.
If you carry on watching,
you'll soon see.
Of course.
But please tell me first.
Who wrote the story?
I really want to know.
If you keep watching...
I'm in a hurry.
Tell me now.
Be nice to me, OK?
You're very stubborn.
It's not that she's stubborn.
An actress only plays a role.
She knows nothing more.
Who are you?
I'm a playwright
who carries bladder cherries.
You want to know the plot?
Yes. Reveal it.
When Irene becomes Ine,
she goes crazy.
The mad Ine has dark hair.
She believes in her man
and does her hair
in the formal style.
But love is transitory and fragile.
The strings of love are cut.
Who cut it?
You will see soon enough.
The next act is the climax.
She becomes a corpse.
Her skin is pawed by the satyrs.
You simply must watch it.
I made her wig very carefully.
It's blonde at first,
then it shimmers into black.
It's the curse of Hell.
We'll show it to you.
I'm leaving.
I don't need to see this.
Did you write this?
Love and grudges -
your favourite themes.
I'm afraid not.
It's far too realistic for my pen.
Are you being modest?
Or over proud of yourself?
It's just some phantom show.
Who talks of realism here?
What happens to lne's hair?
Tell me.
Ine's story ends
with her having dark hair.
You can ask the other woman.
The other woman? Who?
The one who became his plaything
in place of Ine.
His second wife.
Playwright.
You seem to be well informed
about the truth.
Did you write
the second wife's story, too?
It is in the fogs of Hell.
I'll tell it to you.
Enough!
You speak to your inner self.
Come out, playwright!
A one-man play is too dull!
Irene, come out!
The new plaything,
the new flower,
taken by the man at first,
didn't know anything.
Then she was told about Ine.
The man wanted her
to become his second wife.
He was arrogant. Impudent.
He drove his wife mad
and replaced her with a new one.
He asked the young,
innocent woman. ..
...to be his second wife.
To be his second wife!
To humbly be his second wife.
How dare he say that to her!
The second wife agreed.
She pretended to be obedient
to her husband.
She obeyed him,
but then double crossed him.
She showed him
that women were not so weak.
She showed him!
She did? But how?
Adultery.
A flower picked
by the wrong hand has to wither.
I showed him how it withered.
Oh, it withered!
What of the second wife?
I shall die.
I shall die.
Death will settle the matter.
Do you understand, playwright?
This is the end of the story.
I know, / know.
The story is not over.
Not yet.
We have an audience.
Let's watch
the last act of the play.
Stop it!
Stop it!
I have no need of men's souls.
Drowned bodies.
Suicides for love!
Young lady.
You're very pretty.
Where are you headed?
Look. See the vapour
rising from the ground.
Yes, spring has come.
Dead?
Me?
A man came from Kanazawa
with a letter.
He said you wouldn't last long,
getting letters like that.
Mr Tamawaki died with his wife.
I shudder to think of it!
Then I found you standing like a ghost.
What a shock.
Come on, read the letter.
"Since I saw my lover in a dream,
"I have depended on dreams.
"To my love, Shinako."
You're right!
"To my love."
Does that mean you?
What a waste.
- She's dead.
- I wonder.
Will you please leave now?
I'm no longer obliged
to take care of you.
What are you doing?
I was Tamawaki's woman...
The dream changed my life.
This is a song of vengeance.
So you saw the heights
of desperate love in a woman.
I was involved in a romance too.
But she was the worst.
So wicked, and she has VD.
I'm taking her to her hometown.
It's my duty, because I love her.
Heads or tails?
Heads!
Give me one yen.
All of it? Thanks.
Where did you buy the bladder cherry?
On Ueno Hill.
In death I shall be known as
"square", "circle", "circle", "triangle".
The End
Directed by
Seijun Suzuki