The year is 1972 in Japan. A movie comes out that is hard to classify: historical epic, sexploitation film, political satire. The basic plot is a high-born lady marries a country lord. Both are inexperienced in sexual matters and the consummation does not go well. In an effort to “train” the lord, his advisors hire a shady merchant to bring in a French woman (Sandra, the daughter of an executed missionary) to show him sexual pleasure. The mistress does her job too well and the lord is obsessed with her. He spurns his wife for the mistress and imposes a ban on sex across all of his territory because something so fun should only be in the hands of the elite. Despite a comedic tone in many parts of the film, there are also some tragic elements.

Suzuki seems like a talented director. The use of vibrant colors in some scenes combined with shot composition make me interested in some of his non-erotic films. While this is a sexploitation film, it is not really erotic through a lot of the film. Too many early scenes of people not enjoying sex. Also, a top less woman commits seppuku while elevator music plays, leading to a confusing mess of nudity, gore, and a tone-deaf soundtrack. There is another scene where Sandra is raped for not blasphemy her God, inter-cut with paintings of Jesus, all set to a soundtrack that sounds like it belongs in a chase scene from a 70s cop show.

However, there are incredibly beautiful women and many of the scenes involving lesbian sexual tension are effective. So, it would be unfair to say there is no eroticism. Also, there are some funny moments. There’s a scene where the lord’s advisors float the idea of providing pigs for the male populace to pleasure themselves with. Also, a Japanese man pleasures women and repeatedly uses the excuse that he is only acting “for the honor of his clan”. I also chuckled at a line of dialogue “You had an affair with my mistress!” When the sex ban is lifted, a man with crippled legs jumps for joy, miraculously healed.

In the special features, there is of course an original trailer. A 17-minute interview with Japanese film critic Koshi Ueno reveals a lot of interesting information about the director. Norifumi Suzuki was prolific, revitalizing the yakuza genre, but also making comedy, action, and sex films. He also popularized several actresses, taking them from obscurity to leading ladies. Additionally, an audio commentary from Jasper Sharp provides a lot about the Japanese film industry and the historical period in which the film is set. If a person wanted to learn about the 1600s through 1800s in Japan, the commentary track is a must watch.

The cover art is in keeping with Mondo Macabro’s stylized paintings of some of the more bizarre imagery from the film. The picture quality itself is good, being a 2k transfer from the film negative. For anyone that is a fan of the genre, this is an interesting film that has piqued my interest in the rest of this director’s career. Throw in all the special features and I have to say it is a recommend.