Zegen 1987
Description
ZEGEN (The Pimp). “Of Imamura’s late films, Zegen is the most like his early masterworks: epic, energetic, sexually impudent, and grotesquely funny. A satire about colonialism, commerce, and carnality, Zegen is based on the true story of a hairdresser, Iheiji Muraoka (Ken Ogata), sent to Manchuria to spy on the Russian army. A born entrepreneur, Muraoka set up a chain of brothels throughout Asia —a kind of fornication franchise— and became ‘the big Boss of the South Seas.’ As Imamura portrays him, the ‘zegen’ is a decent but doltish and blindly patriotic businessman who views his development of a prostitution empire throughout Southeast Asia as the vanguard of Japan’s military adventurism: ‘For the sake of a great cause, I procure women.’”Imamura's rambling epic is filmed entirely outside Japan in early 1900's South East Asia. It satirizes Japanese imperialism with considerable bite, but is also very entertaining in its characters and story. Based on the autobiography of a Japanese business man named Muraoka, if follows the main character from when he jumps ship swimming ashore in Hong Kong harbour, to Manchuria where he works as a Japanese spy using prostitutes to gain information from the Russians, to Malaysia where he sets up brothels of Japanese prostitutes in a effort to further Japanese colonization in the area. Ken Ogata plays the lead, giving a nuanced performance of the man who runs brothels as part of his noble service to the Emperor. There is also a compelling love story, some very humourous satirical lines and plenty of half clothed women. What more could you want?Note: The title 'oyabun' is used for Muraoka often in the film. It means Boss, or Big Boss or Godfather... I think you get the picture. Trivia: Director Takashi Miike was given his first film credit, as assistant director on Zegen. He was a student at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image at the time. The Institute was founded by Imamura.
Country: Japanese
Status: Completed
Released: 1987
Genre: drama;
- Ads
- Coming Eps
- Ongoing
Ads
Coming Episode
-
News Sokuho wa Nagareta (2009) Episode 10
Delayed -
Love Naggers 3 Episode 210
Delayed -
Midnight Photo Studio (2024) Episode 6
Delayed -
Unpredictable Family (2023) Episode 132
About 24 hours -
1000 Years Old (2024) Episode 8
About 2 days -
1000 Years Old (2024) Episode 9
About 2 days -
1000 Years Old (2024) Episode 10
About 2 days -
Queen of Tears (2024) Episode 7
About 2 days -
Wonderful World (2024) Episode 9
About 2 days -
Wonderful World (2024) Episode 10
About 2 days -
Queen of Tears (2024) Episode 8
About 3 days -
Beauty and Mr. Romantic (2024) Episode 3
About 3 days -
Beauty and Mr. Romantic (2024) Episode 4
About 3 days -
Hide (2024) Episode 3
About 3 days -
Hide (2024) Episode 4
About 3 days -
Hotel Saltwater (2024) Episode 6
About 3 days -
Unpredictable Family (2023) Episode 133
About 4 days -
Nothing Uncovered (2024) Episode 5
About 5 days -
Nothing Uncovered (2024) Episode 6
About 5 days -
Wedding Impossible (2024) Episode 11
About 5 days -
Wedding Impossible (2024) Episode 12
About 5 days -
In Cold Blood (2024) Episode 48
About 6 days -
Soo Ji & Woo Ri (2024) Episode 4
About 6 days -
The Third Marriage (2023) Episode 107
About 6 days
Popular Ongoing
-
Blood Free (2024)
-
The Escape of the Seven: Resurrection (2024)
-
Hide (2024)
-
Lovely Runner (2024)
-
Nothing Uncovered (2024)
-
Pyramid Game (2024)
-
Queen of Tears (2024)
-
Missing Crown Prince (2024)
-
The Impossible Heir (2024)
-
Wonderful World (2024)
-
Midnight Photo Studio (2024)
-
Wedding Impossible (2024)
-
Beauty and Mr. Romantic (2024)
-
Troll Factory (2024)
-
Parasyte: The Grey (2024)
-
Jazz for Two (2024)
-
Guess Who I Am (2024)
-
In Blossom (2024)
-
The Legend of Shen Li (2024)
-
Two Worlds (2024)
-
Songkhram Somrot (2024)
-
Tempting Heart (2024)
-
The Believers (2024)
-
La-ojan (2024)
-
To Be Continued (2024)
-
Beauty Newbie (2024)
-
Summer Strike (2022)
-
Mon Rak Luk Thung 2567 (2024)
-
The Cheating Heist (2024)
-
City of Stars (2024)
-
The Invincible (2024)
-
Wiman See Thong (2024)
-
Liar's Love (2022)
-
The Opera of Love (2024)
-
Once a Doctor, Always a Doctor (2024)
-
Let's Begin Again (2024)