The smallpox virus has created its own unique atmosphere in Terayama’s film where the skin of a bandaged adolescent and the surface of the filmic image are subjected to a bizarre ‘disturbance’ as snails cross the screen and nails are hammered into the skull of the ailing patient. Illness in this film is as much a psychic entity as a physical one and manifests itself in an array of theatrical tableaux from grotesque women rigorously brushing their teeth to a snooker game where the players in white face makeup behave like automata. A Tale of Smallpox uses a medical theme to chart the traumatic dream life of Terayama’s times, evincing deep-rooted concerns in the Japanese national psyche that hark back to the upheaval of Meiji modernisation and the devastation of World War Two.
Directed by Shūji Terayama
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.7 / 5
Cast
Keiko Niitaka
Yoko Ran
Takeshi Wakamatsu
Crew
Shūji Terayama
Director
Shūji Terayama
Screenplay
Tatsuo Suzuki
Director of Photography
Eiko Kujo
Producer
Popular Reviews
9 reviews
Portoroghi
8.0★ · 05/24/26
I can appreciate the experimentation that was explored. The music tied with the scenery was very fascinating.
I can appreciate the experimentation that was explored. The music tied with the scenery was very fascinating.