Shadows on the Silver Screen: Desire and Censorship (Early 1970s)

Shadows on the Silver Screen: Desire and Censorship (Early 1970s)

In the early 1970s, Japan was in the throes of rapid economic growth, but behind the scenes, pollution problems and political mistrust were becoming apparent, reflecting the instability of society. In such an era, cinema played a unique role beyond mere entertainment as a venue for reflecting social contradictions and people's desires. In particular, the battle over sexual expression became a symbolic event in the struggle between culture and power.

In movie theaters, Nikkatsu Roman Porno and pink films gained the support of the public, and local strip theaters were also busy. Audiences sought release from reality and stimulation, but at the same time, the boundary between art and obscenity was constantly being questioned. While police and government officials repeatedly exposed films for displaying obscene material, banning screenings and issuing correctional guidance, filmmakers and audiences asserted their freedom of expression and resisted censorship. This friction highlighted the fact that films are a mirror of social norms.

In the background, the lingering effects of the student movement and counterculture overshadowed society, and there was a growing distrust of authority. Sexual expression went beyond mere entertainment, and was a challenge to see how far one could extend the bounds of the forbidden and an attempt to break down the boundaries of social regulation and freedom. The desire reflected on the silver screen was at the same time a light illuminating the limits of power.

The relationship between cinema and censorship during this period symbolizes the tension between cultural expansion and control. While enjoying dreams and fantasies on the screen, audiences were also witnessing the social absurdities that lurked behind these dreams and fantasies.