Photo courtesy of Film Movement. © 1974 NIKKATSU.
Source: Film Movement press release
Special Thanks to Michael Krause
A masterpiece by Roman Porno master director Noboru Tanaka, THE OLDEST PROFESSION, (aka CONFIDENTIAL REPORT: SEX MARKET or SECRET CHRONICLE: SHE BEAST MARKET), restored in 4K from the original 35MM master negative distinguishes itself within the genre with its bold use of form, gut-wrenching performances and uncompromising depiction of the realities of sex work in 1970s Japan, creating one of “the most distinctive titles of the category” (Asian Movie Pulse).
THE OLDEST PROFESSION will be available on VOD, Digital, and Film Movement+ on April 4th.
Photo courtesy of Film Movement. © 1974 NIKKATSU
THE OLDEST PROFESSION ((秘)色情めす市場, Maruhi: Shikijo Mesu Ichiba, 1974)
20 years have passed since the Prostitution Prevention Law was enacted, and the red-light district is now gone. Nonetheless, sex work as a profession persists.
It’s the height of summer in Kamagasaki, home to Tsutenkaku Tower, which overlooks Osaka. Sharp beams of the sun clearly separate shade from light. 19-year-old Tome quarrels with the proprietress of a small restaurant that has been arranging her sex services, striking out on her own. She lives with her mother, also a sex worker, and mentally disabled younger brother, Saneo. As long as there is pay, Tome will have sex with anyone, including her mother’s lover.
Despite threats by a middleman that she must return to her old workplace, Tome refuses to back down. In this town where a man looks just like the one from the most-wanted ads, flawed young men and women abound, and a middle-aged man wanders around washing and reusing his condom, Tome walks her own lonely path selling her body to survive.
Directed by: Noburu Tanaka
Written by: Akio Ido
Cast: Meika Seri, Genshu Hanayagi, Shiro Yumemura, Moeko Ezawa, Junko Miyashita, Sakumi Hagiwara
Cinematography by: Shohei Ando
Genre: World Cinema/Drama/Erotica
RT: 83 minutes
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
Photo courtesy of Film Movement. © 1974 NIKKATSU
About Film Movement
Founded in 2002, Film Movement is a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. It has released more than 250 feature films and shorts culled from prestigious film festivals worldwide. Film Movement’s theatrical releases include American independent films, documentaries, and foreign art house titles. Its catalog includes titles by directors such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Lee Isaac Chung, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maren Ade, Jessica Hausner, Andrei Konchalovsky, Andrzej Wajda, Diane Kurys, Ciro Guerra and Melanie Laurent.
In 2015, Film Movement launched its reissue label Film Movement Classics, featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on Blu-ray and DVD, including films by such noted directors as Ang Lee, Eric Rohmer, Luchino Visconti, Stanley Kwan, Peter Greenaway, Bille August, Marleen Gorris, Takeshi Kitano, Arturo Ripstein, King Hu, Sergio Corbucci and Ettore Scola. For more information, please visit www.filmmovement.com. Visit www.filmmovementplus.com for more information about Film Movement Plus, Film Movement’s critically lauded streaming subscription service.