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Odd Obsession

Play trailer Poster for Odd Obsession Released Jun 23, 1959 1h 36m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A mostly impotent man (Ganjirô Nakamura) who is aroused by jealousy tempts his beautiful wife (Machiko Kyō) into an affair with a doctor.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Ichikawa's more straightforward narrative method doesn't do justice to all the ironies, but this is a still a singular and memorable movie. Oct 23, 2007 Full Review Elliott Stein Village Voice One of his most striking films. Aug 28, 2006 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out The film cannily shifts through different points of view. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Pauline Kael KPFA (Berkeley, CA) Ichikawa’s cold, objective camera observes the calculations and designs, the careful maneuvers in lives that are fundamentally driven and obsessive. Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Dick Gima Honolulu Star-Bulletin It's a nearly perfect film version of Tanizaki's best-selling novel ably directed by Kon Ichikawa. Mar 16, 2023 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Beauty here is linked to the concept of the opposite, as the film's images parallel love with illness. Apr 13, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (2) audience reviews
walter m [font=Century Gothic]In "Odd Obsession," Kenji Kenmochi(Ganjiro Nakamura) is worried about not being able to please his younger wife, Ikuko(Machiko Kyo), sexually anymore, now that he is getting older. One possible solution he has is to use Dr. Kimura(Tatsuya Nakadai) as a focus for his jealousy. Complicating matters is that Dr. Kimura is treating Kenji, while trying to keep it secret from his wife, so as not to worry her. Complicating matters even further, is that Kimura is hoping to marry Toshiko(Junko Kano), his grown daughter...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Kon Ichikawa, "Odd Obsession" is a perversely satisfying morality tale. As with any movie of this subgenre, there is a line that is crossed, in this case it involves desire. While it is not wrong for Kenji to want to satisfy his wife, he also has to remember that growing old is a natural part of life and it is best to do so gracefully. Remember that this movie was made long before the invention of Viagra but practically foresees one of the more popular uses of the internet.[/font] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The beginning is awesome. The end is awesome, and somewhere in the middle is the best train scene ever. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Odd Obsession

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A mostly impotent man (Ganjirô Nakamura) who is aroused by jealousy tempts his beautiful wife (Machiko Kyō) into an affair with a doctor.
Director
Kon Ichikawa
Producer
Masaichi Nagata
Screenwriter
Keiji Hasebe, Kon Ichikawa, Junichiro Tanizaki, Natto Wada
Distributor
Edward Harrison [us]
Production Co
Daiei Kyoto, Daiei Studios
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 23, 1959, Wide
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)