STOLEN DESIRE is the feature debut of Japanese New Wave’s doyen Shôhei Imamura, it follows an itinerant kabuki troupe, performing in their “tent theater” first in Osaka, and then in the countryside areas, where in the former, amid the city’s post-WWII economic prosperity, the scanty audience’s only interest is the burlesque pre-show, à la French cancan, whereas in the latter, the bumper provincial folks are equally enthusiastic in both the raunchy and the traditional, a young Imamura shows enough acumen about the social implications of Japan’s shifting mentality and urban/rural divides.

The troupe is lead by Taminosuke (Takizawa), a veteran thespian, married to Osen (Sugai) and has two adult daughters Chidori (Minamida, whose demure complexion stunningly betrays the tangible feeling of desire and yearning) and Chigusa (Kita, more open-minded than what we might expect her to be), but our main protagonist is Shinichi Kunida (Nagato, perpetually haunted by ennui or angst, often fly off the handle at the drop of a hat), a university graduate who assumes the role as the troupe’s artistic director freshly out of the ivory tower, carrying a torch for the married Chidori, he is simultaneously coveted by the nubile Chigusa, who isn’t mincing words about her affection.

Their love triangle is candidly if tentatively consumed by passion and carnal knowledge, and in the end of the day, the solution is facilitated by both Chidori and Chigusa’s decisions, one passive, one active, while Shinichi is ailed by the typical man’s oscillation, he cannot make up his mind of what he really wants.

That also says a lot about Shinichi’s idealist slant on the troupe, his high-brow attempt of innovating their repertoire is at odds with the rest’s contentment of the status quo, for them, the theater is merely a skill to subsist their hand-to-mouth existence, no higher pursuance is required.

Clear-eyedly, Imamura doesn’t take sides of this generational chasm, the secular (the business-oriented village hags), even vulgar (men’s lascivious nature) aspects can elicit undeniable amusement as they are hopelessly inherent. Take Kanji (played by Kô Nishimura with unapologetic chutzpah) for instance, a licentious loudmouth/dissenter wades into a gaggle of girls to be lionized for his funny antics, yet back in the troupe, he is spineless to pour oil on troubled waters when two of his casual lovers engage in a catfight, including a feisty Minako Katsuki as a peasant girl who decides to join the group to start anew, at any price.

By comparison, the budding intelligentsia represented by a hot-headed Shinichi is shown too eager, too monomaniac in their revolutionized ambition, hindered by the detachment of the reality, you cannot talk about art with an empty stomach.

Incorporating western strains with Japanese percussions and strings, Imamura conjures up a rumbustious comedy that pluckily tackles the conflicts between modernization and tradition head on, often droll, intelligent and viscerally compelling, one can discern his future virtuosity in this auspicious first work, and complaisantly intones, the best is yet to come.

referential entries: Imamura’s THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1983, 8.0/10); Akira Kurosawa’s HIGH AND LOW (1963, 8.5/10).

1958年的黑白老电影了，豆瓣评分也太低了吧，看的人也少，才262个，长评3个，这片我评8.0分，下载的字幕时间轴不怎么精准，这里扣掉0.3分。至此看了今村八个作品了。 这是今村昌平的处女作，隐约有其风格的雏形了，是他电影里最轻松喜剧的一个，到《猪与军舰》时，仍延续了喜剧，但是理想与生存的矛盾就更突出了，直接引发了悲剧。从此他的作品是喜剧和悲剧共生的。 《被盗的欲望》只有少少的悲伤，只有在知识分子吉信那里才会找到矛盾冲突的悲伤与忧愁。吉信向往高雅艺术（理想），但高雅艺术在大阪城里都得不到人们的认可，大众艺术（生存）的艳舞一结束，轮到高雅的传统艺术登场，人们都跑光了。本来吉信要离开戏团去电视台完成理想，但碍于人情，吉信还是跟随戏团“家电下乡”了，但这激烈的矛盾与冲突在他内心左冲右撞，带来沉重的悲伤与忧愁。 戏团团长有两个女儿，妹妹非常喜欢他，姐姐嫁人了，却一直在撮合他们，她一直看好这个大学毕业的知识分子。但有一个夜晚吉信因理想的难圆而借酒浇愁喝醉了，姐姐找到并带回他的帐篷，吉信坦言他更喜欢的是姐姐，四目相对，吉信亲吻上了姐姐，意乱情迷中，于是那晚他们做了夫妻之事，于是那晚妹妹进来一看，一下子就明白了，眼泪扑簌扑簌地流。 日本那个年代的农村，没有电视，更没有电影院，几乎没有什么文化娱乐，一个戏团的到来就是一件天大的带着艺术性质的新鲜乐事，放在那时中国农村也是一样的，这是农忙之余人们最大的文化娱乐，爱热闹是农村人的劣根性，贪图新鲜事物也是农村人的劣根性，于是戏团被农村人们像神一样捧着。农村大叔爱三点式的脱衣舞，爱那些姑娘的身材大腿和豪胸，甚至直言看得我都硬了，更甚的还偷看戏团妹妹们洗澡，讨论哪个妹妹胸更豪，身材更好。农村大婶则爱奶油小生扮演的文戏，一个个在台下发狂发浪，巴不得他温柔漂亮的眼睛多看自己一眼，恨不得马上改嫁给他，今夜就把身子许了他。马丁• 斯科西斯是人称为电影导演中的社会学家，而今村昌平当之无愧是电影导演中的人类学家。处女作中就真真实实展示了大众的劣根性，特别是把农村人的劣根性和欢乐展示得毫无违和感，身为农村出身的我切身的感受那就是乡亲们啊。 戏团在农村受捧，也受到农村的劣根性的严重搔扰，闹剧一出出，你方唱罢我登场，好不热闹。戏痞子潜规则爱演戏的农村姑娘事败，妻子大闹戏团与农村姑娘大打出手，村痞子绑走了戏姑娘，戏团男人与村痞子大打一场。 而戏团内部，也因高雅和大众的分歧在暗流涌动。直到吉信看到那个大婶们爱着捧着为之疯狂的奶油小生三郎，在独自一人排演一出贵族霸王戏，才知道自己一直看轻的没文化的三郎，他的表演才华并不输他，高雅这门艺术，并不是点对点适应在知识分子身上，而自己则一直在光说不练，这让他羞愧万分。 有时候不得不相信命运，跌跌撞撞兜兜转转了一圈，还是回到了原点，吉信终于决定要离开戏团寻找理想，三郎更适合留在戏团，戏团更适合大众文化。离开时他在等一个人，似乎是姐姐，似乎是妹妹，最后等来的是妹妹，最喜欢电影里吉信和妹妹的这段对话： 妹妹：你这么可爱的一个人，这么严肃的在想什么呢？ 吉信：我在想啊，我们真是饶了很大的一大圈儿。 妹妹：是吗？我根本没有想过有什么弯路，只要想到那条弯路是直路，那么这样想过的直路，不就是真正的弯路不是吗？ 吉信：？？？ 最后妹妹拉起吉信要走，吉信问去哪里？妹妹说无论是大阪美国或法国。 原来有一种爱就是，只要认定他了，就会原谅他无意犯下的过错，无论他去哪里，都会不畏艰辛而不离不弃。跌跌撞撞兜兜转转了一圈，她们还是修成了正果。 妹妹朝着田野中的戏团挥手喊道：晒油啦啦！！！ 随后，戏团由村民的无比热情的欢迎而来，也由村民无比热情的欢送而去，为了生存，奔赴他们新的生活，无所谓高雅和低俗，只带给人们喜欢看的节目。这就是生活吧。 戏痞子还顺走了场主一只鸭子，场主想都想不到，对村痞子千防万防，却防不住戏痞子啊，哈哈，他骂骂咧咧的追着汽车，追得满头大汗。