The Mystery of Rampo
So provocative the censors banned it. So powerful it came true.
Directed by Kazuyoshi Okuyama
Plot
Edogawa Rampo is a writer whose latest work is censored by the government, deemed too disturbing and injurious to the public to be allowed to be published. However, after burning his drafts, his publisher shows him a newspaper with an account of events just like his forbidden story. As the film progresses, fantasy and reality intermingle in a tale that draws heavily on influences from Poe and Stoker's Dracula. The film's strongly Expressionistic direction skillfully combines a variety of media (animation, computer-generated imagery, grainy black-and-white fast film stock, color negatives) for artistic effect.
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Cast
Masahiro Motoki
Kogoro Akechi
Naoto Takenaka
Edogawa Rampo
Michiko Hada
Shizuko
Teruyuki Kagawa
Masashi Yokomizo
Mikijiro Hira
Marquis Ogawara
Shiro Sano
Officer
Ittoku Kishibe
Cafe Owner
Nekohachi Edoya
Antique Shop Owner
Junichi Takagi
Fujimori
Kirin Kiki
House Wife / Head of Maid
Julie Dreyfus
Mademoiselle
Yoshio Harada
Big Star
Kinji Fukasaku
Film Director
Hiroshi Abe
Singer
Genjiro Arato
Producer