Pastoral: To Die in the Country

This is the second feature fiction film by Terayama Shuji, based on a collection of his poem with the same title as this film. His actual boyhood experiences are depicted into biographical form, but actual facts and illusions are mingled. The boyhood era self and the self of present days are depicted on the same plane and dimension. This is handled with much extravagance that it is impossible to follow the plot and story. The music of J. A. Caesar, art direction of Awazu Kiyoshi and other new talent abounding in character and personality have been employed resulting in what is to be regarded as an avant-garde creation ushering in a new era.

SYNOPSIS:
A boy whose father died while he was still small, is tired of his mother's ignorance and persistent attention. He occasionally speaks with his father through the medium of Osorezan or goes to the circus that is touring the area and makes friends with the popular AIR-WOMAN. He is talked into eloping by the next door neighbor housewife BAKEDORI with whom he has been infatuated for some time. But all these are the dreams of the author in his boyhood days and form a part of a biographical film in which "myself" of today has made as a movie director. The present day "myself" meets with the "myself in boyhood days" and together they visit their home town. But they meet up with all kinds of ugly and evil facts that are so different from the illusions of twenty years ago. A call is made of the mother with the intention of murdering her, but she welcomes them as in the days gone by.

Print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.

Director Shuji Terayama, 1974, 102 min., 35mm, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Kantaro Suga, Hiroyuki Takano, Chigusa Takayama, Yoshio Harada.