The Atrophy and the Ecstasy

Blind Beast (Yosuzô Masumura, 1969)

Cultural historians cite "the pill" as sparking off the sexual revolution, free love and drugged-up hippies; trends synonymous with the swinging sixties and early seventies. The world of film serves as a historical insight for those of us who weren't around in garnering some modest and skewered notion of what times were like back then. Judging by the works of notable erotic film directors like Walerian Borowczyk, Radley Metzger and Jesús Franco, I'm under the impression everyone was as it like rabbits. Japan was no different as the decade bore the Pink film, AKA Pinku eika.

Based upon Edogawa Rampo's 1931 novel, Moju: The Blind Beast, Yosuzô Masumura's Blind Beast is a perfect, yet disturbing example of this hedonistic period in film. More commonly labelled as an erotic horror, however, other than its finale, a more accurate description would be it's a psycho-sexual drama. In many ways, the film has a lot in common with William Wyler's obsessive tale The Collector (1965) and Pierro Schivazappa's battle of the sexes, The Laughing Woman (1969), AKA Femina Ridens, but it proceeds in its own unique direction once it reaches a pivotal juncture in the plot.

Aki is a beautiful model, who becomes the object of desire for Michio, the blind sculptor. The sightless virtuoso maybe a gifted artist, but, alas, not a pick-up artist. Conning his way as Aki's substitute masseur, he sweeps her off her feet via the aid of chloroform rather than chirpsing. Aidied by Michio's mother, Aki is kept prisoner in a dark studio decorated by various human body parts sculpted by Michio. Aki is forced to be her abducter's muse for his greatest sculpture. Thus, plenty of groping and fondelling ensues. Blind Beast chronicles Aki's eventual submission and love for Michio.

A compelling exhibition of Stockholm syndrome, where insanity and lust are in equal measure. Imprisoned for so long in her enclosure, Aki develops visusal atrophy and is left blind like her captor turned lover. The couple, addicted to each other's touching eventually become desensitised to this. Stronger displays of carnal affection manifest into S&M fetishism and even further extremes of sexual depravity, leading up to the film's show stopping finale.

Blind Beast is fairly minimalist; only three major characters and the majority of it is shot inside Michio's surreal looking studio. It's surprisingly well lit considering its gloomy location, and as already mentioned, a visual treat thanks to all the body parts adorning the walls. It makes for an unforgettable back drop in this macabre love tale. Its tone, along with the actors' performances are sincere and mature enough to never make the film appear salacious or truly exploitive. That might sound contradictive considering it falls under the pink film umbrella, but it equally crosses over into serious cinema territory to me. There's some telegraphed forshadowing which eventually comes to light for the film's unforgettable climax; a disturbing yet poetic bookend to the film, in my opinion.

Problematic by today's standards, Blind Beast is still a great film; which says a lot, since with the notable exception of Meiko Kaji's early run as Nami Matsushima in the Female Prisoner Scorpion franchise, the pinku eika I've sat through have been either dull or just down right nasty like the Entrails of a... films. Blind Beast is a rare winner in this category and makes me willing to give the genre another shot.