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The Pornographers (1966)

7.2/10 IMDb 100% RT
IMDb Trailer

Subu makes pornographic films. He sees nothing wrong with it. They are an aid to a repressed society, and he uses the money to support his landlady, Haru, and her family. From time to time, Haru shares her bed with Subu, though she believes her dead husband, reincarnated as a carp, disapproves. Director Shohei Imamura has always delighted in the kinky exploits of lowlifes, and in this 1966 classic, he finds subversive humor in the bizarre dynamics of Haru, her Oedipal son, and her daughter, the true object of her pornographer-boyfriend’s obsession. Imamura’s comic treatment of such taboos as voyeurism and incest sparked controversy when the film was released, but The Pornographers has outlasted its critics, and now seems frankly ahead of its time.

Best Release

Radiance Films · Pre-Order

Cast

Shoichi Ozawa, Sumiko Sakamoto, Keiko Sagawa, Masaomi Kondo, Haruo Tanaka, Ganjirō Nakamura II, Chōchō Miyako, Kō Nishimura, Ichirō Sugai, Shinichi Nakano

Runtime

2 hours and 8 minutes (128 minutes)

More movies around 2 hours

Upcoming Release June 22, 2026

Edition

Pre-Order

Street Date

June 22, 2026

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