Tezuka’s Barbara; or, Deadly Temptation
A woman like the city's excrement from the millions of people that it consumed and digested. That was Barbara.
As the title of the film suggests, Tezuka's Barbara is a live-action adaptation of a manga created by the legendary artist Osamu Tezuka. The movie was conceived by his son, Macoto Tezuka, in order to celebrate the mangaka's 90th anniversary of birth. Barbara remains one of Tezuka's most serious works, exploring the themes of creativity, infatuation, occultism, violence, and obsession.
A woman like the city's excrement from the millions of people that it consumed and digested. That was Barbara.
As the title of the film suggests, Tezuka's Barbara is a live-action adaptation of a manga created by the legendary artist Osamu Tezuka. The movie was conceived by his son, Macoto Tezuka, in order to celebrate the mangaka's 90th anniversary of birth. Barbara remains one of Tezuka's most serious works, exploring the themes of creativity, infatuation, occultism, violence, and obsession.
Release Info
Directed by: Macoto Tezuka Starring: Fumi Nikado, Goro Inagaki, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Eri Watanabe, Minami
Language: Japanese Original Title: ばるぼら Runtime: 100 min
Synopsis
While leaving the Tokyo subway, a famous novelist Yosuke Mikura (Goro Inagaki) notices a drunk woman lying on the ground and citing poetry. Her name is Barbara (Fumi Nikado). Mikura takes in a vagrant woman, but they do not get along with each other. However, Mikura is repeatedly saved by Barbara whenever something strange and dangerous happens to him. The woman becomes his muse. As he is writing a novel about Barbara, Mikura distances himself from his friends and colleagues. He intends to marry mysterious Barbara but supernatural forces get in the way...
While leaving the Tokyo subway, a famous novelist Yosuke Mikura (Goro Inagaki) notices a drunk woman lying on the ground and citing poetry. Her name is Barbara (Fumi Nikado). Mikura takes in a vagrant woman, but they do not get along with each other. However, Mikura is repeatedly saved by Barbara whenever something strange and dangerous happens to him. The woman becomes his muse. As he is writing a novel about Barbara, Mikura distances himself from his friends and colleagues. He intends to marry mysterious Barbara but supernatural forces get in the way...
I admit that I had not read the original manga prior to seeing the film, so I am unable to provide a comparative analysis between the source material and its adaptation. However, from what I have found out on sites devoted to Osamu Tezuka, it becomes apparent that the movie encapsulates the essence of the manga in a very effective way.
Recommendations
If you want to experience a sensual, arthouse spectacle, then shut the blinds, turn on dim lights, and play Tezuka’s Barbara. Make sure to grab the Third Window Films release which comes out at the end of June! It’s an All Region release in dual format (DVD as well as Blu-Ray) that contains the following bonus features: a look at behind the scenes, interviews with Macoto Tezuka and Christopher Doyle, interviews with Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikado, deleted scenes, alternative ending. My thanks go to the distributor for sharing the screener.
If you want to experience a sensual, arthouse spectacle, then shut the blinds, turn on dim lights, and play Tezuka’s Barbara. Make sure to grab the Third Window Films release which comes out at the end of June! It’s an All Region release in dual format (DVD as well as Blu-Ray) that contains the following bonus features: a look at behind the scenes, interviews with Macoto Tezuka and Christopher Doyle, interviews with Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikado, deleted scenes, alternative ending. My thanks go to the distributor for sharing the screener.
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