A man has a wife and nine girlfriends, all ten of whom are fed up with his shameless polygamy and plot to kill him. However, this is easier said than done.
Futaba Kaze (Fujiko Yamamoto) walks down a dark street in the opening shots of director Kon Ichikawa’s 1961 film “Ten Women in Black.” Other women watch her from the gloom, following her one by one as she passes their hiding places. Futaba appears aware of their presence. They eventually gather to confront her while Miwako (Mariko Miyagi)—who happens to be a ghost—narrates from above. What is happening here?
That question draws viewers into this satirical look at gender roles in 1960s Japan. These women all have Matsuyoshi Kaze (Eiji Funakoshi) in common. Futaba is his wife, and the other women are his mistresses. Kaze is painted as an unremarkable character, someone floating by in the world with nary a thought for the consequences of his actions. Through Miwako’s narration, a device I found more distracting than effective, we learn what led to this shadowy gathering: the women’s conspiracy to murder Kaze.
Kaze may be the center of everyone’s attention, but the women are the real stars. Alongside Futaba are nine mistresses, apparently only a fraction of his romantic endeavors. He’s been very busy at the office! The film doesn’t take the time to develop all of the women. The ones Ichikawa does develop are all distinctive, professional women who appear to have a lot going for them. Their competitive drive for Kaze’s affection supplies the film with much of its satirical bite.
The women’s plots to murder Kaze and his own plans to fake his death keep this film propelling forward, with its direction remaining engagingly uncertain. Setsuo Kobayashi’s stark black-and-white imagery plays into the narrative’s darkness. While the film’s conclusion is cryptic, its ominous nature implies further trouble ahead for the film’s characters.
“Ten Women in Black” is now available on Blu-ray™ from Radiance Films, with a transfer sourced from a 4K restoration by Kadokawa Corporation. I stayed absorbed in the story throughout, with no distracting image issues. The uncompressed mono audio is clear, too.
The list of extras initially seems brief, but it includes the feature-length documentary “The Kon Ichikawa Story,” directed by Shunji Iwai, essentially making this disc a double feature. It also includes an appreciation by Yasuharu Konishi and the film’s original and re-release trailers. The limited edition includes a booklet with an essay by Yuka Kimbara.
Despite its distracting narration and cryptic conclusion, “Ten Women in Black” is a film ripe for rediscovery, presented in another strong package from Radiance Films.
Now available on Limited Edition Blu-ray™ from RADIANCE FILMS
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