Profound Desires of the Gods

1968 2h 53m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 72

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tokyo engineer Kariya arrives on a primitive tropical island, where he interacts with the Futori clan, to drill a well to power a sugar mill.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Rentaro Mikuni
Nekichi Futori
Chōichirō Kawarasaki
Kametaro Futori
Kazuo Kitamura
Kariya
Hideko Okiyama
Toriko Futori
Yasuko Matsui
Uma Futori
Yoshi Katō
Ryugen Ryu
Hōsei Komatsu
Shimajiri
Chikako Hosokawa
Mrs. Azuma

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Keiji Hasebe, Shōhei Imamura
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 173 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Masao Tochizawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshirō Mayuzumi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mutsuo Tanji shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rentaro Mikuni and Chōichirō Kawarasaki and Kazuo Kitamura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0063173 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shōhei Imamura directs. Masao Tochizawa behind the camera. Toshirō Mayuzumi scores. Mutsuo Tanji cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 173 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Masao Tochizawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toshirō Mayuzumi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mutsuo Tanji shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Rentaro Mikuni and Chōichirō Kawarasaki and Kazuo Kitamura carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0063173 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 72 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "japan", "pacific island", "incest", "remote island".
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.