Pigs and Battleships
1961, NR, 108 min.
Directed by Shohei Imamura, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Hiroyuki Nagato, Tetsuro Tambo.

The Austin Film Society series examines the films of Japanese director Shohei Imamura, one of the most important ñ and least internationally known ñ post-war filmmakers. Pigs and Battleships, a film of “extravagant set pieces and dark humor,” is referred to as Imamura’s first genuine masterpiece. The story focuses on a young woman determined to resist becoming a prostitute, even though it’s the easiest and most lucrative opportunity for employment in this naval-base town. Pigs and Battleships is reputed to be one of Susan Sontag’s favorite films.

This article appears in Carol Keeton Rylander.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.