Violated Paradise

Violated Paradise, also known as Scintillating Sins and Sea Nymphs, is a 1963 Italian sexploitation film directed and produced by Marion Gering and starring Kazuko Mine. Although film contains mild nudity, it is presented more as a cultural documentary than as exploitation.[1]

Violated Paradise
Directed byMarion Gering
Based onL' Isola Delle Pescatrici
by Fosco Maraini
Produced byMarion Gering
StarringKazuko Mine
Narrated byPaulette Girard
Tom Rowe (English)
Music byMarcello Abbado
Distributed byVictoria Films
Times Film Corp.
Release date
  • June 7, 1963 (1963-06-07) (US)
Running time
68 mins.
CountriesItaly
Japan
United States

Plot

A girl from a remote village in northern Japan travels to Tokyo in the hope of becoming a geisha. On her way to the city, she sees a village where she is attracted towards a fisherman. There women work as pearl divers (amas). When she reaches the city, she decides against being a geisha and works as a hotel maid instead. In the end, the fisherman reaches the city, marries her and takes her to the village, where she works as a pearl diver.[2]

Cast
  • Kazuko Mine as Tomako
  • Paulette Girard as narrator (voice)

Production

Marion Gering produced and directed the picture.

Fosco Maraini and Roy M. Yaginuma were directors of photography.

The film was based on Italian writer Fosco Maraini's work L' Isola Delle Pescatrici (The Island of the Fisherwomen)(1960).[3] A few images shot by Maraini's crew were used in the production.[4] It was filmed entirely in Japan and released in the United States as Diving Girls of Japan and The Diving Girls' Island.[2]

The English version was narrated by Tom Rowe. Marcello Abbado composed the film's music with addition scores provided by Sergio Pagoni. The film's New York premiere was held on June 7, 1963. Victoria Films and Times Film Corp. were the film's distributors.[5]

Release and reception

This film was screened only for adults.[6] In North Carolina, the film was shown as a double feature along with 1000 Shapes of a Female.[7] Jasper Sharp wrote in his 2008 book Behind the pink curtain, that the film stood "as a fascinating visual document of a city in the midst of major transition".[8] The 63-minute film was included in the DVD for The Notorious Concubines.[9] While reviewing the feature, Douglas Pratt called the sound quality "okay" and the picture "tolerable".[10] The Realist's critic called the film a "short bore".[11] DVD Verdict called it a combination of National Geographic and native Japanese styles and "awash with scrapes, dirt, and highly irritating editing jumps".[12]

References
  1. "Violated Paradise". 1963.
  2. American Film Institute (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. p. 1178. ISBN 978-0-520-20970-1.
  3. Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 306. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3.
  4. "l isola delle pescatrici" [The Island of the Fisherwomen] (in Italian). Asiatica Film Mediale. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  5. "Violated Paradise (1963) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  6. "[Advertisement]". The Daily Times-News. Burlington, North Carolina. March 13, 1964. p. 10. Retrieved October 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "[Advertisement]". The High Point Enterprise. High Point, North Carolina. February 21, 1964. p. 30. Retrieved September 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. Sharp, Jasper (2008). Behind the pink curtain: the complete history of Japanese sex cinema. FAB. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-903254-54-7.
  9. Wakamatsu, Kōji; Mayama, Tomoko; Takashima, Shikyoku; Itami, Jūzō; Xiaoxiaosheng; Gering, Marion; Mine, Kazuko; Girad, Paulette; Maraini, Fosco (2002), The concubines, Boxoffice International (Firm), Victoria Films, Something Weird Video (Firm), Something Weird Video, retrieved June 11, 2023
  10. Pratt, Douglas (2005). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!. UNET 2 Corporation. p. 867. ISBN 978-1-932916-01-0.
  11. Krassner, Paul (1962). "[Unknown]". The Realist. Realist Association (31–46): 130.
  12. "DVD Verdict Review –The Notorious Concubines". DVD Verdict. Retrieved September 19, 2015.

Bibliography
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