Waste of time

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Ryuko is a lounge singer who always carries a black rose. She's very odd--acting very sensual yet also other-worldly and aloof. Yet despite this, practically every guy comes under her magnetic spell. Some do harm to themselves or others, some are just plain loony--and when the ne'er do well son of the lounge falls for her, you know it spells trouble.The secret in this film is that the female lead in this film, Ryuko, is actually played by a man (Akihiro Miwa). While the summary currently posted on IMDb (if you read it in its entirety) thinks this the film is a "feverishly perverse, campy and baroque freak-out", I think this is WAY too great an oversimplification of the movie. While the movie does star a guy posing as a woman, this did not appear to be a chance to "freak-out" the audiences but was in many ways after the tradition of Kabuki theater--where ALL the roles are played by men. In Europe or the USA, having a guy playing this part in 1969 would have been unheard of--whereas in Japan it wasn't that big a deal. So the context for this is VERY important.Now I am NOT completely defending the casting of Akihiro Miwa in this role--but it isn't because he's a guy. No, the fact is that he just doesn't make that pretty a girl! And, as this woman is supposed to be magically alluring and gorgeous, this IS a problem. So when the men, one after an other, throw themselves at her and even kill themselves over her, you wonder why--why THIS particular lady? Sure, she's mysterious but also not especially pretty by any standard and, occasionally, a bit annoying (that laugh...uggh!). Had some other guy or a woman been cast as Ryuko, I think the film would have been a lot better.As it is, with the odd casting as well as a difficult to believe plot, I'd give this film a 5. It's an interesting little diversion, but I've seen a lot better.

With BLACK ROSE MANSION, I was kinda hoping for a strong 60s era pinku film, maybe something like BLIND BEAST or even MANJI or something of the sort - unfortunately - I got nothing like that. Though a relatively watchable films style-wise - the subject matter is pretty much the same thing that I've seen in tons of other 60s/70s era Japanese films - minus the "fun stuff" that makes pinku films so enjoyable.Ryuko (played by female impersonator Akihiro Miwa) is a hit at a private men's club at Black Rose Mansion. Ryuko's songs and manner entice pretty much all men that come into contact with her, causing inexplicable feelings of obsession. Ryuko's ex-lovers begin showing up and causing problems, until the owner of the mansion professes his love for her and agrees to take care of her. When the owner's son comes home after a long hiatus, he also falls for Ryuko, causing problems between father and son...BLACK ROSE MANSION is basically another Japanese film of obsessive love, mixed with a bit of a "prodigal son" tale, and some kabuki-style elements. The use of a female impersonator for a woman's role is interesting but somewhat distracting. There are no sleaze elements for us pinku lovers out there - so if you grab this one thinking it'll be a typical pinku entry - forget it. The storyline is decent, but is the same subject-matter that I've seen in dozens of better films. If you want better films about similar themes, try the above-mentioned BLIND BEAST, MANJI, or perhaps EMPIRE OF THE SENSES and skip this one...6/10

I hate to disagree with the first review, but I think this is a pretty good film. While it doesn't hold up to the first film in the series (Black Lizard), this is an impressive sequel. If only Black Lizard were available on DVD, the 2 films would make great bookends to the story. Kinji Fukasaku (of Battle Royale fame) has a writing style that many can't follow easily & has a tendency to be abrasive to some, but this film stands high in my book in the psychedelic 60's film genre. Also, not much is made of the fact that the leading lady is actually a leading man, which disturbs some, but in my opinion only enhances the camp factor. A Fun, weird caper from a time & place that no longer exists.

this film is pretty lame. I don't know whether the factoid that the leading lady is played by a man comes out or not in the plot but in the film it's pretty obvious although...for all I know I could be wrong but, I don't think so. anyway this is one of those Japanese films made with a lot of trying hard to do something but the filmmaker doesn't really know what he's doing. I am supposed to write 10 lines HM well don't rent the movie unless it's in a bunch of 3 from Norfolk's and you can send it right back without any loss to your viewing pleasure.oh I need more lines I see. I deleted some cause I was cagily trashing some other director and I have no idea who. . . it was anyway. . . oh well go see "So Close" what else could I tell ya. is this enough lines?