Woman of the Lake (1966) Onna no mizûmi | Region-Free (DVD) | English Subtitles

***DISC ONLY***

Source:   DVD with English Subtitles.

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Title: Woman of the Lake (1966)

Genre: Drama

Plot Synopsis:
Miyako, a married woman, engages in an affair with her interior decorator, Kitano. She consents to Kitano taking nude photographs of her, but the negatives are stolen by Ginpei, a schoolteacher who has been observing her. Ginpei uses the photographs to blackmail Miyako, leading her into a complex web of desire, guilt, and confrontation. As Miyako navigates these challenges, she faces profound questions about identity and privacy.

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Cast and Crew:

• Director: Yoshishige Yoshida
• Writers: Yoshishige Yoshida, Toshirô Ishidô, Yasuko Ôno
• Cast:
  • Mariko Okada as Miyako
  • Shigeru Tsuyuguchi as Ginpei
  • Tamotsu Hayakawa as Kitano
  • Keiko Natsu as Machie

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IMDb Link:
Woman of the Lake (1966)

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Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Lou (rhymes with wow!) – ★★★★
   “Until the final thirty minutes, I feared that Woman of the Lake’s God-tier level cinematography would be the main thing it had to offer, its style overshadowing its substance. But then the movie becomes more intriguing from a psychosexual standpoint, and Yoshida also gets a bit more meta with it, almost like he’s holding a mirror up to himself as a filmmaker.”

2. sakana1 – ★★★★
   “Woman of the Lake is both an external story and an internal one. Externally, it’s about the body shared by actress Mariko Okada and her character, Miyako. Having had nude photos of her fallen into the hands of a stranger, Miyako is particularly conscious of her lack of physical privacy, and director Yoshishige Yoshida confirms this loss by reveling in our desire to look at his star, choosing to engage in an intense eroticization of her neck.”

3. Graham – ★★★★
   “A sweat-drenched Mariko Okada lying on the bed wrapped in a towel and gently squeezing half a lemon in her open fist until a few drops of its glistening juices trickle down her forearm is the most erotic thing in the world.”

4. halfway to happy – ★★★★
   “I want each and every frame of this film developed in 25×30 for tomorrow morning.”

5. jo – ★★★½
   “Honestly, what’s stopping modern movies from lighting & framing subjects like this? I’m so serious right now, answer me.”

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Meta Description:
Woman of the Lake (1966) is a Japanese drama directed by Yoshishige Yoshida. The film explores themes of infidelity, blackmail, and personal identity, following Miyako as she becomes entangled in a complex relationship with her lover and a blackmailer. Renowned for its exquisite cinematography and deep psychological insight, this film offers a compelling look into human desires and vulnerabilities.