The second of two controversial 1970s-era, hypersexual, statement films by Nagisa Oshima, Empire of Passion is a bizarre, statement-heavy ghost story set against the backdrop of pre-industrial Japan. Produced by the French, shot and directed by a Japanese crew, this thematic sister film to In the Realm of the Senses takes a much less obscene look at the act of love, but adds supernatural elements and questionable situations to create a heady, strange, haunting story that is far from played out even today. Beautifully shot, with every frame painstakingly crafted, this is the very epitome of a serious artistic endeavor, utilizing genre tropes to further punctuate Oshima's overarching themes of repression and thought-control in his native Japan.

Empire of Passion is the tale of two lovers -- a listless handsome, young layabout and a beautiful, young-looking 50-year-old woman -- who conspire to murder the woman's husband, a hardworking rickshaw driver. After getting him drunk and strangling him, the lovers throw him down a well. But as the years pass, people in the village get suspicious of his absence -- and then he begins to appear in their dreams. And in his home. And to his daughter. Slowly, the haunting begins to plague the lovers who are torn about what to do, leading to a searing climax and a stunning conclusion.

What I love about this film is that while it is a ghost story, it is not a vengeful ghost story. It isn't about the horror of the supernatural. Quite the contrary, all the ghost wants is to regain a small portion of the comfortable life he shared with his wife. The horror here is the guilt associated with the passion, with what these people did to this man for the sake of their own love, and how it now threatens to destroy them. Oddly enough, the evocative visuals looking up out of the well would later be reinterpreted in the classic Ringu (as well as the American remake with which you are most likely even more familiar, The Ring).

Empire of Passion has only a small handful of extras, outside of the usual phenomenal Criterion DVD transfer and subtitle update, but what's here is definitely a worthy addition. Both the lead actors from the film were interviewed for this release, giving historical perspective on the film and their involvement in it. Additionally, it is packaged with 2003 interviews with the assistant director and a line producer on the film. Finally, there is a 20-minute thesis documentary comparing and contrasting Empire of Passion with In the Realm of the Senses.

Empire of Passion is available now from The Criterion Collection.

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