Koji Yakusho, who also starred in Imamura's Golden Palm winning The Eel (1997) but achieved broader US recognition with Shall We Dance? (1996), plays the part of a frustrated and unemployed architect, Yosuke, who is entranced with the idea of finding a hidden treasure rumored to be in a house by a red bridge in a remote fishing village. Saeko (played by Misa Shimizu, who also co-starred with Yakusho in Shall We Dance?) is the beautiful woman living in the house by the aforementioned bridge, and she is unlike any woman Yosuke has ever met. He finds out what makes her so special when they become intimate. To say that Saeko's orgasms are unusual is an understatement on par with describing the Niagara Falls simply as "wet." With that last image in mind, Yosuke's role would further fit into the analogy if you thought of him as one of the people who would eagerly squeeze themselves into a barrel and then paddle their way toward the churning waterfall in giddy anticipation of the ride to come. One reviewer, who saw Warm Water Under a Red Bridge theatrically, reports the audiences reaction to Saeko's first orgasmic waterworks release as being on par with the "oohs" and "ahs" heard at Yellowstone by tourists watching Old Faithful. As can be expected from this description, Imamura has a knack for colorful characters and very inventive situations that playfully weave "this comic fable for adults" through very unusual developments, and Imamura is not afraid to switch gears, confound, and amaze viewers along the way.
The release of Warm Water Under a Red Bridge on dvd by Home Vision Entertainment presents the film at its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, in Dolby Digital 2.0, with easy-to-read English subtitles, an abbreviated Director's biography and filmography, and the original theatrical trailer. Liner notes are by New York Times writer Dave Kehr.
For more information about Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, go to TCM Shopping.
by Pablo Kjolseth
