"EMPIRE OF PASSION" "1895." "A village in japan" "You must be tired" "won't you have some, Seki?" "More hot water?" "No, I'm getting out now was Toyoji here today?" "He seems to come often" "Yes, now he's out of the army" "He ought to work, instead of pestering others" "Toyoji isn't in love with you, is he?" "I'm as old as his mother!" "You don't even look thirty." "You're still Little Seki to the villagers" "They're good, my wife made them today" "A special price for four" "I'll lose on it, but you're a good customer" "what a lovely day." "Are you hungry?" "Care for a treat?" "You're always spoiling me with something where did you buy them, Toyoji?" "From the shop." "They looked so tempting, fresh made today" "Delicious!" "I'll try one, then." "I'm always letting you spoil me." "Shall I make tea?" "Later." "Let's eat first" "Toyoji isn't in love with you, is he?" "Is anything wrong, Toyoji?" "You look so serious" "I often wonder why you come to see me" "The last is for you, I insist" "How about sharing it?" "Little Seki, I thought she'd forgotten us for her husband" "She knows the secret of eternal youth to keep her man happy" "Seki, you have as many admirers as ever" "That must worry you, Gisaburo" "Gracious lady, allow me to say how happy I am for you today" "Because of the sake, or because of your happy nature?" "Even drunk, I'm never drunk enough to neglect my wife" "Toyoji, don't stand there, you are welcome" "You ought to think of marriage, too." "How old are you?" "As old as the bridegroom" "You must have looked lovely on your wedding day" "Those children, up to their pranks" "She's asleep" "You're a lucky young man, but don't hog it all" "There's enough for both of us" "Sleep, little treasure, or you will break mother's heart" "Dear lady" "Toyoji" "Don't catch cold from the draught" "I had to lie down, my shoulders ached" "I know how to cure that" "Is that where it hurts?" "Stop, Toyoki!" "Don't do that!" "I'm only trying to make you feel better, that's all" "You're hurting me!" "Relax, then." "You like it, don't you?" "At first you resisted, but now..." "Toyoji, you needn't be so rough" "It's cold here" "The master of the house won't be home until late" "I can't get over it, Seki." "Look at that" "At what?" "Beautiful, eh?" "Toyoji, you're embarrassing me" "I want you to see what you do to me" "Gisaburo will never understand." "we must stop, for his sake" "Seki, only the first time counts." "And you know how you loved it" "Don't say you wouldn't love it again" "I've just remembered a story I heard when I was a child what was it about?" "A woman who couldn't close her eyes at night because a prowler had raped her while she slept" "Seki, you've changed since the first time" "It's so easy to forget that you are twenty years younger than me" "Anyway, you know what I think?" "I don't care if you are twenty years older than me" "But... when we're apart, the thought of you and you husband together drives me mad" "Careful, father" "You're going to sleep" "I know, I'm so relaxed, Oshin" "You haven't eaten much" "I ate too much, now I must work it off" "Don't your employers feed you?" "I'm always hungry" "ls the work hard?" "No, but I'd rather go to school" "There you'll learn to care for children, as your mother did" "School's a waste of time." "we can't afford it" "It's useless." "You'll learn nothing but foolishness at school" "I want a good life" "That's how your mother talked when she was young" "She wanted a better life, a better life" "She's learned to be happy with what she has" "Your mother and father aren't making love now, are they?" "In the daytime?" "See what she's doing, then come back and tell me who's there?" "How are you?" "It's not fit weather for ducks" "Toyoji, out in such a downpour?" "You see everything we can't help seeing, anyway" "I doubt if even the rickshaw-man will go out in such weather" "I bet I know what he's up to with Seki!" "So you haven't seen them today?" "Not even a stray dog." "It's a miserable New Year's Day won't you have tea with us, Toyoji?" "Not today, thank you" "I knew it was you" "It's dangerous here, people can see -who's here to see us?" "where have you been?" "Taking something to my sick aunt why are you out in this rain, Toyoji?" "Come on, we've not met for ages" "where?" "To my house" "what about your brother?" "Donzo won't even know" "No, it's getting late and they'll be expecting me who's expecting you?" "Shave it" "I'll shave it" "we must kill him -who?" "we must kill him" "You don't want him to see you shaved" "How will you stop him seeing tonight?" "I'll make some excuse" "If he sees, he'll want an answer" "But I couldn't go through with killing him" "Like it or not, we must do it" "ls there no other way?" "No" "I can't live without you now." "I'll kill him, if we both don't." "Choose" "what can I say?" "what must I do?" "How do we do it?" "we'll kill him and throw him into an old well where he'll never be found will the body vanish?" "It will soon rot there, sink into the mud." "Soon there'll be nothing left" "what if we fail?" "we won't" "How could it be so easy?" "He must die, or we'll never be happy" "Get him drunk on sake, then we'll kill him" "How much sake will it take?" "Two bottles should be enough" "He drinks a lot" "You think it will take more?" "He has a good head for drink." "Two bottles are nothing to him" "Still, he won't suffer a hangover" "It's too cold for this time of year." "An early winter is a bad sign" "The first snow of the winter." "It's a real blizzard" "It's time you were asleep, little one" "I'm chilled to the marrow." "I was almost caught in the storm" "I had to run" "I'll warm sake for you" "won't that rust the scissors?" "well, it's me who sharpens them" "I always say tuna is better than cod" "Dried and salted, cut into strips and snipped off with scissors" "Your husband's lucky." "I wish my wife spoiled me like this" "It's all for him?" "You're a good girl" "My old woman wouldn't dream of such a thing" "All this alcohol makes me thirsty, but will she let me have a drop?" "No!" "Have a word with her." "You might make her see the light" "You must have guests" "Get me a cord, a length of rope..." "not that" "Something strong, for a man, not a child" "Pull as hard as you can" "All you have to do is keep pulling" "Don't let go" "He's dead" "Swear you won't say a word to anyone" "Stop crying, you fool!" "He's dead, it's all over now." "No one will ever know" "But we must keep our mouths shut what if they ask questions?" "Say he's gone off to work in Tokyo." "He's in Tokyo, got that?" "what about the body?" "How long do we keep that thing?" "what?" "what are we going to do with that?" "Throw him down an old well, I said" "But how to get him there?" "we'll have to carry him what if someone sees us?" "who?" "No one's out in this weather" "All right, but we must hurry." "It's almost dawn" "I can't go through with it!" "we can't stop now" "With the first winds of autumn, the trees begin to shed their leaves" "One by one, the pine needles fall" "The peasants rake up the leaves for fuel, they must not be wasted" "That is the wisdom of the poor" "But the woods belong to the Master, and taking the leaves is theft" "But the Master is tolerant" "The poor continue to gather the leaves" "But that year, Toyoji developed a curious trait" "He carries his baskets of leaves even further into the woods and empties them into an old well" "He cannot explain why, but he cannot do otherwise" "Something makes him do it" "no one notices his strange behaviour" "Until one day..." "Toyoji, why gather leaves just to throw them down a well?" "I gathered them for fuel, but they're no good" "They're too damp, so I threw them away" "Be careful of these old wells;" "one false step, and you're finished" "Young Master thinks no more of it, and goes on his way" "Toyoji also thinks no more of it, and goes on as before" "Been gathering leaves?" "Three years pass" "As the festival of ancestors neared, people began to wonder" "They talked about Gisaburo, whom they hadn't seen for so long" "Oshin, how you've grown" "Visiting your mother?" "She'll be pleased to see you" "Thank you for your hard work" "I'm sorry to go now, but I must attend to my son" "Seki, is it really your son you must attend to?" "Gisaburo must be doing well in Tokyo." "He must send you lots of money" "I've had no news of him or his money" "You must be worried, then" "As he hasn't bothered to let me know anything, he must be all right" "Little Seki, Kurazo tells us that Gisaburo came to him in a dream" "Yes, it's at least a week ago" "I didn't want to upset you" "It was only a dream" "He told me he was uncomfortable, wearing the sames clothes for so long" "He asked if I could bring him fresh clothes" "Kurazo would have done it, if he knew where Gisaburo was" "He wouldn't let Gisaburo down" "Kurazo, I think your dream was because you ate too much" "No wonder, with his appetite" "And Gisaburo's wife's the one to bring him fresh clothes" "But Seki never sleeps, she's too busy." "So she never dreams" "Ishichi, did you light the fire again?" "I did it" "Oshin, I didn't expect you to be here" "I didn't expect you until the holidays." "what are you doing here?" "I keep dreaming that father is dead" "You said he'd be back with lots of money by New Year's Day" "But two New Year's Days have passed" "I think my father will never come home well, you'd think he would have sent word, at least what if he is dead?" "He's always dead in my dreams" "Gisaburo, why have you come?" "Please rest in peace" "wait, I'll get you some" "Seki, you're out at this hour?" "So Gisaburo's come home at last?" "why are you sleeping here?" "I thought I was at home" "You mustn't let anyone see you here." "Come on, we must go" "Toyoji, you must spend the night at our house" "I'm frightened to stay alone" "You know I can't do that while Oshin is there what if she is there?" "If anyone found out, they'd say we got rid of Gisaburo we must wait a little longer" "Toyoji, I wonder... are you tired of me now?" "would I be so worried if I weren't in love with you?" "we must wait" "For how long?" "It's been three years" "Now why all these rumours, and ghosts appearing?" "No sense in panicking, it won't last." "You must be patient" "I can't go on" "If you don't want to be alone, ask Mistress to stay with you" "I'm sure she wouldn't mind" "She says she can't sleep, but her snores keep me awake." "As for ghosts..." "It's a wonder she can sleep, the noise she makes" "I pity the man who sleeps with her, it must kill all the fun" "Still, I hope it keeps away ghosts, I can well do without them" "Anyway, Gisaburo has nothing to reproach me for" "Ghosts!" "You must be weird to see such things" "Good evening, Mistress." "Do you recognize me?" "Gisaburo, the rickshaw-man" "Good lady, please..." "I saw him, the ghost!" "I dreamt about father, too" "It seemed he was in danger" "Trying to get out of a hole, like an old well, crying for help" "It's you" "I had to come here, because you wouldn't stay with me" "Denzo's here" "It's not to make love." "I'm afraid the ghost will appear again" "You think he won't appear here?" "I feel he wouldn't dare to come here" "what's wrong with him?" "Nothing" "I am Police Inspector Hotta." "I'd like a word" "You scared me" "Are you deaf?" "Sorry, the ears are no good any more, can't hear a thing" "Answer a question, if you can about the rickshaw-man" "what I do know is, say what you like, it's a fact we need rain" "The rickshaw-man" "You'll have to speak up" "Are you stone deaf?" "Have you seen a ghost around here lately?" "G H O S T!" "You're little Seki, aren't you?" "Haven't you a surname?" "Of course" "what's your husband's name?" "Gisaburo Desa" "ls he here?" "No, he's away, working" "where?" "In town?" "ln Tokyo, I think" "where in Tokyo?" "I don't really know" "Surely his wife ought to know" "what does he do?" "He pulls a rickshaw" "How long will he be away?" "Don't you hear from him at all?" "Can you show me one of his letters?" "He can't read or write, I'm afraid" "How do you know he's in Tokyo, then?" "Someone saw him there" "And who is this someone?" "Is she your daughter?" "Yes, she's here on holiday." "She'll go back to her job soon" "what's her name?" "Oshin" "Oshin, your father hasn't tried to contact you, has he?" "we're told his spirit has returned." "Doesn't that disturb you?" "I intend to find out what has happened to him." "Understand?" "You've had no word from him for three years." "Isn't that rather curious?" "Don't make me go home." "I can't sleep, I'm so afraid" "Seki, you have no more to fear from the police than from a ghost" "The ghost isn't dangerous, he can't harm you" "But if the lnspector discovers the truth..." "But you haven't seen the ghost." "He's sucking the life out of me" "It's very strange that Gisaburo never appears to me" "If he tells anyone he's in the old well, we're lost" "Seki, you must be strong" "If we lose courage, we'll end up at the end of a rope" "You must be strong we mustn't meet while the lnspector's here. we don't want him to suspect we mustn't meet while the lnspector's here. we don't want him to suspect" "You say such things now, but at first you didn't care when you shaved me, you didn't care who knew" "Please don't cry, Saki" "I don't want to leave you." "I want to stay here" "Don't worry. would I go through this if it wasn't so we could be together?" "Don't worry. would I go through this if it wasn't so we could be together?" "I can't bear to go on." "I know you can stand it, but I can't" "Denzo!" "Charge!" "Did the lnspector give you that?" "Saki, go home. we must not be seen together" "Saki, go home. we must not be seen together" "Don't be afraid of the ghost." "Just give him some sake" "Seki, you know what everyone says?" "You have someone, and you're getting this for him, then?" "But I don't like this talk about a ghost." "Do you think he's jealous?" "If he comes here, I'll give him some advice" "I'd tell him to help you by resting in peace" "I'd tell him to help you by resting in peace" "Seki, you don't look well." "I'm sorry if I've upset you" "I don't like hearing about ghosts, either" "Seki, are you going home?" "Get in, I'm going that way" "No, I'd rather walk" "Seki, won't you get in?" "My poor little Seki" "All right, I'll get in" "Are we on the right road?" "No, we're not" "I must have forgotten the way home" "Seki, you must guide me" "Seki, you must guide me we must turn back" "I've no idea where we are." "Don't go so fast" "I don't recognize this at all" "I don't recognize this at all" "If only I could tell where we are" "No point in going on if you don't know where you are" "No point in going on if you don't know where you are" "Have you really forgotten the way?" "Help, somebody!" "I'm so afraid, Gisaburo" "I'm so afraid, Gisaburo" "Turn round, let me see who you are" "Turn round, let me see who you are" "Mother, what's happened?" "I'm leaving now" "I'm leaving now" "Don't leave me" "You said you didn't want me to stay" "Because all you talk about is father -lf I stay, I'll be reminded of him" "Are you sure you don't know where he is?" "Are you sure you don't know where he is?" "I'll tell no one about my dream, and I'll never come back again what do you mean?" "Don't go out alone at night." "It's bad to leave lshichi alone" "Don't go out alone at night." "It's bad to leave lshichi alone" "Little Seki, helping with the harvest?" "Toyoji has plenty of time to help you out" "Toyoji has plenty of time to help you out" "Some people have no shame" "They kill their husband if he finds they've betrayed him" "Some people gossip too much." "what if you were wrong?" "Some people gossip too much." "what if you were wrong?" "Don't say there's nothing fishy" "Don't jump to conclusions" "You'd have to be blind not to see, what with all these strange goings-on" "You'd have to be blind not to see, what with all these strange goings-on" "That's true" "Every afternoon he goes off to the woods, up to no good, I'm sure" "Do you know what he does?" "I hear he gathers a basket of leaves..." "I hear he gathers a basket of leaves..." " strange behaviour, if you ask me" "Did you ever see him in the wood?" "No, nor at my house, either!" "Did you ever see him in the wood?" "No, nor at my house, either!" "There's nothing between us." "You're just gossiping" "Thank you for your hard work" "May I come in?" "May I come in?" "Young Master saw me throw leaves into the well." "If he tells the lnspector..." "You think he will?" "You think he will?" "I'll listen to what they say" "what if the police question us?" "Go away, don't been seen here" "Little Seki, are you in bed already?" "I've cooked sweet potatoes for you" "I've cooked sweet potatoes for you wait, I'll let you in" "Don't bother, I'll leave them outside" "I didn't want to disturb you if you were with someone" "I didn't want to disturb you if you were with someone" "Gisaburo, please forgive me but I've nothing here to drink and I'm too tired to go and get some" "would you like one?" "would you like one?" "Gisaburo, tell me why haven't you denounced me?" "...why haven't you denounced me?" "Before you died, you must have seen that it was me killing you" "You know who killed you" "So why don't you tell someone?" "Answer me, will you?" "Gisaburo, where are you going?" "Please take me with you" "Don't go" "Seki, are you there?" "Is that you, Toyoji?" "Open the door" "Just go away" "I don't want to see you again" "The lnspector is still here." "They may tell him about the well" "I don't care, nothing matters" "They can arrest me, I don't care what they do" "It couldn't be worse than all this the aching when all hope is gone" "Always waiting for you, Toyoji, and you never come" "Open the door" "If you don't go, I'll tell the lnspector that I killed Gisaburo why don't you open the door?" "Have you gone mad?" "Leave me alone." "Let me die" "They won't be able to do anything to me if I'm dead" "They won't blame you then" "Leave the village, make a new life." "I just want you to be happy" "Seki, open the door" "Go away." "It won't do any good to die together" "I want us to live together." "we'll live together" "It's impossible now." "I want to die" "Don't let them see you here, they'll arrest you" "I won't go." "Open the door" "It's too late." "If I meant anything to you, you would go" "I won't go." "I love you, Seki" "Don't you understand?" "You don't scare me" "Go away!" "Gisaburo" "No, she can't die!" "Seki, please forgive me" "I wanted to live with you for three days" "Three days of happiness for us" "Hurry, we must try to save them!" "Young Master, what are you doing here?" "I'm out for a walk." "These are our woods" "And you, Toyoji?" "Could it have been you who said he saw me throwing leaves into a well?" "I never said a word" "But only you saw me do it" "Old woods are full of surprises, and old wells" "You may not even remember which well" "So you told the lnspector?" "Of course" "I don't believe you." "If you know which well, you wouldn't be looking for it" "You'll die for what you've done" "Perhaps, but you'll die first" "Good evening, little Seke" "Hurry, Toyoji, don't keep me waiting" "I've been here five days now, eaten alive by mosquitoes" "That's kind of you, Odame" "Not at all" "Good evening, dear lady" "Is the little one asleep?" "Be quiet, he sleeps so lightly" "Dear lady, care for a treat?" "why "dear lady"?" "It's not like you" "You said you wanted us to share three days of happiness" "I couldn't think of what to do" "Then I remembered that I called you dear lady when I came for tea we never gave a thought to being seen together, so let's be like that" "The lnspector has no right to stop us" "Dear lady, care for a treat?" "How kind of you." "You're always spoiling me with something" "It's nothing at all where did you buy them, Toyoki?" "From the shop." "They looked so tempting, fresh made today" "Delicious!" "I'll try one, then." "I'm always letting you spoil me" "Shall I make tea?" "Later." "Let's eat first" "Toyoji isn't in love with you, is he?" "Don't cry now we'll ruin everything if we make a mistake now" "Good, I'm waiting for you to make one, stupid mistake" "Is anything wrong, Toyoji?" "You look so serious" "why are you laughing?" "I was thinking of how we shared the last one" "This time the last one is for you" "No, it's for you, dear lady" "Stop it!" "who's there?" "I heard a noise out there" "I didn't hear anything" "Someone was moving around" "No one's there, except the cats on heat at this time of year" "It's you who's on heat, fool!" "Everyone says Young Master hanged himself to save the family honour because it was him who killed Gisaburo who knows if Gisaburo is really dead?" "I know someone who should know" "Kurazo saw him in a dream, trapped in a well" "That was only a dream, after all" "And he didn't say whether he was alive or dead" "How are they so sure Young Master committed suicide?" "Inspector, why haven't you arrested Gisaburo's murderer yet?" "End this story that my son killed him, and that's why he killed himself" "I can't make an arrest without proof" "Everyone talks about an old well and someone throwing leaves into it" "No one knows which well" "Arrest him and force him to confess" "Madam... my condolences" "Dear lady, if I arrest an innocent man then I am guilty under law" "what are you talking about?" "The law" "Inspector, did you get those nasty mosquito bites in the woods running after girls?" "I thought you would like some cakes" "Funeral cakes" "Do you think the lnspector will come tonight?" "It doesn't really matter" "I've decided to confess to killing Gisaburo... alone" "You knew nothing about it" "I'll say that you are innocent" "Don't talk like that" "It's funny, but I'm no longer afraid of them" "Toyoji, tell me something was it you who killed Young Master?" "But if you killed him so that we would be safe why must you confess now that he's dead?" "Yes, that's why I killed him, but now I don't care whether I live or not" "But I can't live without you" "But you will live, I want you to" "If they arrest us, will they hurt us?" "One hundred strokes of the cane" "I once saw a man caned." "You're stripped naked, bound hand and foot and beaten with one hundred strokes" "Completely naked?" "It's horrible torture, your back laid raw, your flesh torn apart" "No one can bear the agony" "Don't think about it." "Just remember:" "you didn't kill Gisaburo" "You know nothing at all about it" "But how can I forget that he's in the well?" "There's still the body" "There's no body any more, there's nothing left of him" "It's still down there, slowly rotting away in the well what does it look like now?" "we must get it out of there we'll get it out and bury it" "we can't do that we can" "Gisaburo's ghost is still in love with you" "I don't think he'd let them arrest you if he could help it" "My eyes..." "I can't see!" "Toyoji, I'm blind" "Can you see this?" "Look at my face" "But I can't see your face" "Toyoji, kiss me" "You really can't see?" "You know, I'm not young any more" "You said that age didn't count" "You must try to get away while there is still time" "But I've nothing to be afraid of" "Neither have I." "It was me who killed Gisaburo, you had no part in it" "You must escape while you can we'll go away as far as we can." "I'll guide you, Seki" "I'd only be a burden to you" "I've been a burden to you all along" "Seki, wouldn't you be sad if we were parted?" "I'd rather die." "Life would be meaningless without you" "we'll always be together." "Nothing but death can part us now" "But you need not die with me." "Go on and live" "Not alone" "Then kill me, and take your own life" "No" "But you said you were no longer afraid of anything" "Toyoji when I'm asleep you could do it and I wouldn't know" "Toyoji, look at me now" "I know I'm not beautiful any more but look at me, so you'll always remember me" "Little Seki" "Can you still love me now?" "Even if you can't see, open your eyes as though you were looking at me" "You are very beautiful" "Let me touch you" "Kill me, please, I beg you" "Promise you'll kill me when I'm asleep" "You still deny killing him?" "I didn't kill him!" "Seki and Toyoji were arrested and taken to Mount Shibano" "They were hung from the great oak tree and their torment began" "The lnspector was determined to get a confession, or he would be ruined" "Time and again the rods rained upon the helpless, swinging bodies" "Time and again, Seki lost consciousness and was revived with buckets of cold water" "Her hair was matted with blood and water no trace of her beauty remained" "Crazed with pain, Seki and Toyoji admitted to their crime at last" "I murdered him!" "I did it alone!" "I killed him all by myself!" "Autumn was in the air" "A chill breeze swirled the first russet leaves to the ground" "The villagers gathered around the old well" "Very slowly, drawn from the well the withered remains of Gisaburo the rickshaw-man appeared" "For three years, Gisaburo had lain in that well" "As he reappeared, they were stunned into silence" "Although his features were ravaged, the cord remained cut into his neck" "Toyoji lowered his eyes in silence but Seki uttered a heart-rending shriek" "Had those blind eyes somehow seen Gisaburo?" "Several years went by" "The woods were green, golden, then white with snow again" "One day there was talk of the lovers who were taken away and all but forgotten" "According to the gossips Seki and Toyoji had been condemned to death and executed"