Anticipating the obsessive, deviant amour fou of Nagisa Oshima's scandalous In the Realm of the Senses, Blind Beast is a reflexive film about art- (and love-) making.

Masumura’s take on our addiction to sensory stimulation distills how the modern pursuit of constant excitement is primal, equal parts painful and pleasing. Despite this, we go on damned and delighted, amusing ourselves to death.

A truly lurid classic.

None of this is especially subtle, especially the actors' feverish performances, though Fires on the Plain cinematographer Setsuo Kobayashi uses negative space masterfully...