Original subtitles

The Prosperities of Vice

Produced by Hidehiro Ito

Screenplay by Rio Kishida Based on a novel by Marquis de Sade

Music by Isao Matsushita

Camera: Masao Nakahori Lighting: Kenji Ushiba

Art Direction: Noriyoshi Ikeya Theatrical Design: Hiroshi Tomi

Recording: Eiji Kimura Editing: Osamu Inoue

Starring: Ri Seiran, Koji Shimizu

Kimiaki Makino Miwako Yonezawa

Aoi Nakajima Yasumi Hara, Minori Terada

Renji Ishibashi

An Akio Jissoji Film

Thank God for meat. And the Devil for the cook

My vice this month is that I made the wife of a public officer my pet

He owed...

He owed me lots of money

It's wonderful to have a dog trained just to please me

I sentenced an innocent man to death the other day

He was incontinent and passed out with fear

It turned me on, and I ejaculated under the gown

The perks of the job, eh. I'm envious

But I have a great story, too

What did you do?.

I bought a ten-year old girl

and made my houseboys beat her

I felt the pain on my body as if I were that girl

Is there any more quail? I'm still hungry

With your endless appetite, there'll be no quail left in Japan

You're late!.

Of course, crime is an ugly vice

Religion, morality, and the law all try to proscribe it

However, human beings secretly prefer crime

I want to free that desire in this theater

When you say theater, you might think of a grand edifice

and a stage filled with bright Iight

And crime might remind you of a dark prison and life behind bars

Theater and prison, and heaven and hell

The truth is, they are all around us if we only look

Play in today's theater is like the gold and silver kept in the bank

food at the restaurants, and love you can buy at the brothel

It is technically the most refined form of art

But is it the true color of theater?.

There are many theatrical factors in our daily life

Meanwhile, crime is also a part of the social fabric

You were criminals

Pickpocket, thief, prostitute, arsonist, robber, and activist

However, the prison is just the graveyard of crimes

In this theater

You will teach the pleasure of vice

and spread its poisonous seeds

through a story of a woman

To combine theatre and crime

and to teach the pleasure of vice to the audience

That is my goal

Henceforth, your criminal Iife

wll not be in the streets, but in this theater

So!. Let's begin...

I was raised in the convent of Panthemont

As you know, it is a famous convent

The person who planted the seeds of vice in my heart

was the head of the convent, Madame Delbene

I was mesmerized, seduced, and corrupted by her

One day, a messenger came from my mother

to tell that my family was bankrupt and my father seriously ill

I returned home, to watch my father die

One month later, my mother died, and I became an orphan

I was alone in the world and had to make a living for myself

I decided to become a prostitute

I started my training under Madame Duvergier

And learned how to be a good prostitute

For six weeks, she sold my virginity to as many as 50 men

Every night, she carefully applied a mysterious ointment

to the swollen part that was abused by the men I spent the night with

Are we allowed to do such a thing?

Are we allowed to do such a thing?.

It's not a matter of being allowed to. I do it all the time

It's our right to take that worthless old man's money

If you don't steal when you can, you are a stupid and naive girl

Are you still that innocent to think stealing is bad?.

Wise up girl, look at the world around you

But it is a very bad thing to do

I didn't know you were still trapped in that useless prejudice

You should get rid of such stupid ideas

Oh, I know what!

I'm going to a dinner party tomorrow night

So I'll take you with me

Why?.

To introduce you to Dorval

Dorval?. Who is that?.

He is a thief!

As you have heard, every actor in this theater is a criminal

I looked at your resume, and it's quiet impressive

Listen, if you tell anyone that the owner of this theater is me

or that we make plays for the pleasure of becoming someone else

you'll end up in prison

I understand

As long as you are here, you are protected

Yes

Do you swear obedience?.

Yes, I do

Show me the proof

What should I do?.

I will tell you that eventually

Aren't you on soon?.

You may Ieave

I absorb nourishment from theft

which I see as the sweetest pleasure of all

I find myself in a flame of sexual desire

only when the passion rises in my body by the act of theft

What?....

Your wife?.

Yes, you have to rape her

I can't

Why?.

You were a thief

You used to steal to make a living

Just do it

Tamae is worth stealing

I also know that, since you came to this theater

you have been staring at her like a starving dog

Am I wrong?.

But why?.

Why do I as her husband ask you such a thing?

Yes

Because I want to see it

Her face in the pain of being raped

And her body as it begins to accept you and drowns in pleasure

For me, the pleasure of watching is stronger than actually having sex

Entertain me

You're an actor, aren't you?.

I have many friends

I am powerful enough to murder you and not be accused of the crime

He is a thief!

The strong steal, and the weak are stolen from

Do you understand, Therese?.

This mean man said to me

The most important morality in this house is honesty

If you steal even a penny, I will have you hung

and you will not live another life

My wife and I live in peace because of our hard work and saving

By the way, do you eat a lot?.

No, master. I only need a little bread and water

And if there is any, I'll have some soup

What? Soup? Shameless bitch!

Soup?. It seems people live in luxury these days

Someone who's been starving and looking for work for a year eats soup?.

Justine and Juliette

Is that right?.

Justine is the Misfortunes of Virtue. Juliette is the Prosperities of Vice

Madame said...

Said what?.

I live the lives of two women in one body

Women prefer men who are dedicated to them

And we love the men who move us

Since I was nine years old, I have been amoral...

No, you haven't

You are not Juliette

I'm not Justine either

Then you are...

What?.

Who are you?.

I am me

I see something Iike regret behind your eyes

You don't need to feel like that

I don't regret it at all

Why?.

Because I am trained that way

Whatever happens, everything will pass like a blowing wind

as long as I don't look back

Good morning

Are you rehearsing?.

Yes...

- But you are not in the theater - You're right

This is a bedroom

With the morning sun streaming in

You are a Marquise, and that man is a thief

And you are a theater director

I'm just a Marquis

Whose wife has been stolen

You committed a crime in the real world

So you should atone for your sins in the real world, too

Help! Call a doctor!

Hey there, can you hear me?.

PIease read

I was born as the third son of a plasterer

When I finished school, a man decided to look after me for some reason

He sent me to the military academy, and I became a private

Do you have a wfe?.

Yes

So why do you want to do this?.

My wfe is the daughter of a fallen samurai family

When I was serving in Korea, I met her on her second day as a geisha

I borrowed money from the Colonel to buy her, and we got married

I want to make her happy

Nonsense

If you do what you say, you'll die

It's the Showa Restoration. The world will change

My wife will be happy

Marquis...

the prince told us...

he is on our side and will join us once we have started

This is my wife

This is Mr. Kenji Isogai

He wants me to get involved wth them

Have you made a decision?.

I am a director who manipulates the audience

I can create any incident on the stage

But the worst vice I could create in the real world

was a simple murder case

On November 1 at 2pm, Kikuyoshi Mashiko...

the Principal of Ryuhoku Elementary School...

was tricked into drinking poisoned tea at a cafe in Asakusa

Mashiko was transported to the hospital...

but died some two hours later

According to the cafe staff, Mashiko had a large bag with him

When he entered the cafe, he sat with...

Let's start rehearsal. Second and third act

I play Noirceuil, and you play Juliette

It was the poor idiot who was killed

She was just a tool to satisfy our sexual desire

She was so dumb and understood nothing

But your mentality is much higher

You understand my feelings and follow my orders

I know you, Juliette

I knowwhat you Iike

You like wickedness

I know you, Juliette

I know what you like

You like wickedness

Yes, Master, it's true

The thought of wickedness drives me to a frenzy

That's right

You will become noble bad girl

I hate you

You have no idea how much I have suffered from your vice

Ah, but I like your wickedness

I Iove your amorality

Juliette...

That's because you don't know all my vices yet

Then tell me everything

It's about your father

I am the reason for his bankruptcy

It's about your father...

I am the reason for his bankruptcy

It's a long time ago

but at one time I had the chance to help him double his estate

or take it all for myself

I naturally decided to prioritize my own benefit

That's how he went bankrupt and died, and I earned my pension

You monster!

You're a brute of a man

I will repeat it again and again

You're a brute of a man

But even so, I still Iove you

Even though I killed your entire family?

What does that have to do with me?

I judge everything with my feelings

My family, who became victims of your violence

have not given me any feelings

However, the confession you made of your crime

excited me, and stimulated me

Excited me beyond my control

Come here, my sweet Juliette

I'm getting turned on

Show me your beautiful bottom

The child of the victims of my desire for wealth...

will be turned into the victim of my desire for sex

Ah! What delicious irony

Believe me, Noirceuil

I am happy to be partner of the man who killed my parents

Let my juices flow

and not my tears

That's the only thing I want to give to the dead family I have hated

Before I met you, I was a Juliette who knew not of vice

I Iost my family when I was fifteen and became a prostitute

You found me, married me, and taught me how to act

But just as you are not Noirceuil, I'm not the vicious Juliette either

You didn't drive my father to bankruptcy

Noirceuil killed Juliette's parents

but you have never put your own hands in the mud

Yes, you resemble Noirceuil

He took Juliette out of the brothel, and you did the same to me

And for both Juliette and myself

it was a happy event

As it approaches winter, the sunset becomes clearer and beautiful

Very soon after I arrived at the Noirceuil's house

I became obsessed with the cruel scenes I saw and heard about

And I couldn't control the desire to commit vice for its own sake

I dressed as a man

with a pistol hidden in my pocket

I went into the quiet streets

The purpose was to steal, and to murder for my own pleasure

What's the matter?.

I am the unhappiest woman in the world

If you kill me, that would bring me the happiness I've dreamed of

What kind of unhappiness do you have?.

I Iost my job 8 days ago, and cannot pay the small rent

My child has been taken to an asylum and my husband is...

...in the prison!

All I can do now is to count on people's sympathy

Stand up

I want to enjoy your body first

I'll help you after that

Oh, master...

Even a miserable woman like me can arouse your desire?.

Women like you turn me on even more

Come on, give me pleasure

I am a woman...

But I like women

Oh, no way! Let me go!

I may be ruined, but I have my pride

I cannot stand such humiliation!

Go to hell, bitch!

Tell the demons in hell that Juliette is such a woman

It can't be the Marquis

Well, it's possible

But why?.

For pleasure, like it says in the play

That's Juliette's line

But it can't be Tamae

Well, we can easily come up with someone to play the killer

You seem anxious

We created this theater to get away from horrid reality

Leave it to the marquis

He is the leader

I can handle this case very well by myself

Please do so

It's a nuisance to be bothered by the trivial murder...

of an ex-pickpocket actress who couldn't even act well

But Marquis...

PIease remember...

to be careful

Of what?.

I heard a rumour

They say that a deserter from the army

came here to visit you

Yes, he did

Between you and me, I heard that the Prince is on their side

Don't worry

I won't get involved

Last summer, Mr. Hijikata from the Shin-Tsukiji Company

attended the Soviet Writers Association Convention

He made a speech about the killing of Takiji Kobayashi

and he had his title taken away

I don't care that much about the lives of other people

Anyway, what I value above all other things...

are peace and luxury

In the theater, where murder occurs at the same time every night

someone committed a real murder that was not in the script

That person is a traitor

But who is it?.

I have been a thief since I was a child

I am nourished by theft, which I see as the sweetest pleasure of all

No, my thefts were much smaller more desperate, and more miserable

When I was 5, I stole a pair of sandals, because my bare feet were hurting

When I was 6, I stole rice balls, because I was hungry

When I was 7, I stole a dog, because I wanted a friend

When I was 8, I stole a blanket, because I was cold

When I was 9, I stole a fan, because I was hot

When I was 10, I stole a family's lucky charm

because I was an orphan

When I was 11, I stole a train ticket

because I wanted to ride on a train, and I never had

When I was 12, I stole a cigarette, because I wanted to be an adult

When I was 1 3, I stole a barber's razor, because I needed to protect myself

When I was 14, I stole a radio

because I was lonely

And then...

when you were 30

you stole me

There was an unexpected murder in my theater

and there is an unexpected incident happening in my house

I didn't notice the other day

What?.

You have a mole here

That's called the valley of tears

But I rarely cry, so the tears never run down there

Instead, it's the passage of the wind

Beautiful

Judge, this lady here is the murder suspect

But she has no intention of hiding the name of the real murderer

According to what she just told me, the real murderer...

is one of the three women who went to the town

Here, Juliette, speak up

You remember the name of that woman?.

Of course, I do

It was the most beautiful girl of the three

She was about 18 or 19, and her name was Minette

That's what I wanted to hear

Now, please swear what you just testified

Of course

I swear that the person who killed Madame Simone is Minette

Come on, kiss me. I Iove to suck your Iying tongue

You told a complete lie

You are a wonderful man, Noirceuil

You are the only man in the world I Iove

How foolish of me to betray such a man

Calm down, Juliette

There is no need to regret vice

What you need to regret...

...is virtue

Whip me, I beg you!

PIease give me that shameful pleasure!

Here, hurry!

Don't worry

The mole you found does not hurt

It wasn't in the script

You mean, when I turned round?.

Right

Were you acting?. Or...

Or what?.

Was it atonement in advance?.

What if it was acting?.

My compliments

What if it was atonement?.

If my on stage existence surpassed my real life one...

you'd probably be disappointed in me

What was all that nonsense?.

You don't like sea cucumber?.

You shouldn't have likes and dislikes

I never tried it before

There are plenty of things you have never eaten!

To learn about taste is to learn about the world

Eat!

Open your mouth!

Coward

Her sin taints you all

Do you want the sea cucumber?.

Or do you want the whip?.

Did you punish her?.

The other night, they met secretly in the attic

She was held gently in his arms

Stretched...

Seduced...

She was beautiful. It made me jealous

Last night, she made me panic, acting lines that were not written

I was destroyed as an actor

Tamae is not just yours

She is ours

Then you should sense it, too

Sense what?.

Jealousy and defeat

Or did you already sense it? Even before I did?.

Back when I found Tamae and put her between you and me

Did you already sense the jealousy and defeat?

I am O

You are?.

Madame CIairwil

CIairwil...

You... you're killing me!

Juliette

You are wonderful

But I am much older than you

Think about it

I am already 40

I have become numb to most things

That's why I need a lot of tricks and foreplay, to get turned on

For me to get excited...

I need to imagine dirty fantasies and indecent acts

My frenzy must frighten you

And you will soon become fed up with my desire

It looks like you're eating your own flesh

Moriko blamed me

About three days ago?.

Right

Is your scar from the whip gone?.

Yes. Shall I show you?.

No, I'll just use my imagination

I want to ask you something

What is it?.

What would you do if I died from an accident?.

I would write a script by myself

I would put on a mourning dress and Iots of perfume

and play a widowed marquise

It'd be a year long run, and the target audience would be society

Then what?.

I don't think I would be bored very much

I quit

Of dieing?.

I want to remain in the audience

You'II attend me on my deathbed?.

I am an actress who plays Juliette

I want to die...

...in the bright light

To Mr. Dorval

From Juliette

Thank you for the cleaning. Come steal me tonight

Welcome

You're such a good thief, coming to steal your master's wfe

Thank you for the cleaning

Come steal me tonight

Here, drink

Don't be scared

Your Juliette wll be here soon

She is in bed with her husband right now

She asked me to come instead

You're an idiot

That was an aphrodisiac

Juliette is not coming

Now you must make love to me

You can stand there until the aphrodisiac kicks in

Or do you want to eat this with me?.

Cockscombs

It was the Dowager Empress's favorite

Putting on her thick make-up,

governing the vast land of China

and eating cockscomb soup...

She Iived to be 73 years old

She is my role model

Is theater illusion or reality?.

Stage actor arrested for the actress murder case

In fact, theater is about violating certain rules

Which makes it a crime

The essence of theater is to violate the rules set by nature, state and public

For example, we can transform a corner of a crowded room into a deserted field

Philosophically speaking, theater is crime

The graveyard of crimes

Crimes put on masks and play an active role in this society

Stop it!

It's broken

You still kept it with you?.

I got this clock from you when I was 15

Throw it away if it's broken

Or do you want me to repair it?.

Neither...

Let me return it to you

- It's not broken - Watch carefully!

I killed her

I'm surprised

You don't believe me?.

You think I'm saying this to save him?.

I don't care who did it

But why did you kill her?.

He had to kill a school principal, someone he hardly knew...

as a punishment for raping me

So I killed an actress whom I kill in the play every night...

as a punishment for being raped

You believe in the prosperity of vice

but you can never commit a murder outside the stage

He and I could kill in real Iife

We committed a murder with our own hands

We were chosen to be together

Chosen?.

By whom?.

Probably... by you

Who are you playing Justine for?.

Do you play a woman of virtue for him, and a woman of vice for me?.

Who the hell are you?.

I was nobody

And now, I am slowly becoming me

You are my wfe

What do you want me to do?.

You don't know?.

No, I don't

What do you want me to do?.

Nothing

You are Juliette, a woman of vice

And also Justine...

a woman of virtue

My hope is that you play both roles

Give him back to me...

And then...

Mr. Leopold, I am happy to obey your capriciousness

And to satisfy your desires

However, if you are a man with dangerous impulses

just like any other king

Then I will never enter your gate

So please remember

Our sacrifices are over there

You are a medium, and the priest

and I play the role of offering the sacrifices to you

AII right then, let us begin

No matter how crafty a king is, I sometimes believe his words

Especially when I have a sure method of revenge

You! Are you threatening the king's life?.

Of course I wll not hurt you without a reason

But if you break the promises

Beware...

I wll remind you with this knife that I am a French woman

So there is no difference between killing a cobbler or a king

Just like killing a fly and a butterfly is exactly the same

They are both natural species

I Iike this woman's honesty

I do, too, my majesty

But do you think this brash woman wll really obey your pleasure?.

I'm a little worried

That is a groundless fear, priest

To act proud and gentle in society, and sweet and obedient in the bedroom

is the duty of French prostitutes

Therefore, that is my duty also

But remember, even if I become your slave in the bedroom

I only obey your sexual desire, not your status as a king

I have deep respect for sexual desire

However...

I am deeply against respect for status

Let's begin

Whoever it is...

when I'm beaten, the bedroom turns into a boat in the darkness

With the jumbling blade of a sickle

I was skinned and marked with a letter of the moon

A small fire in my body was fanned by the wind

and turned into a blaze

Look at the fire burning the mansion

That's the fi!re from my body

I may be infertile...

but my fire burns the sky

I have a firefly between my legs

Every time I'm whipped, the firefly twinkles

It sparkles, flickers and shines

Outside, is a snowy darkness

CIose the gate tightly

And nothing about the world needs to be seen, heard, or mentioned

You should forget everything

Look, it's warm mid-day here

The sunlight falls. Overflows

Like a shimmer in the air, or the wind crossing the river

Here, embrace me

Her words are an unstated command

Tamae, you are...

Come!... My Iover!

You...

You are the one who trained me

No matter what kind of nourishment it absorbed

a rose is obligated to atone for its beauty

That's what you said

I am a rose, too, Tamae

I too am obligated to atone ...for beauty

What is this?.

It's a dish

This is a dish of cooked olive

This is a dish?.

Sure

Do you want to know the recipe?.

Yes

First, you take a large olive

Deseed it, stuff it with anchovy and pickled bud of broccoli

Leave to marinate in the finest olive oil

Then stuff it into a fat quail

Wrap it with grape leaves and stuff it into a medium sized plover

Then stuff that into a matured Japanese pheasant

Stuff that into the finest chicken

Stuff it into a matured goose

Wrap it with bacon, stuff it into a young guinea hen...

Stuff that into a turkey...

It's not over yet

What else is there left to do?.

The next step is to fill all the interspaces...

with chestnuts, ground meat, bread crumbs

Put it into a big pot

Together with celery, cracked pepper, salt, regular pepper, cilantro

and other spices

And simmer it for 24 hours

Then, the essence offorest, pond, field and farm meld together

and will soak into the olive in the core

And that's what I am going to eat

2-26-1 936 Military attack Prime Minister's house!

It is still not too late

Surrender immediately. And submit yourself to military law

Your crime will not be prosecuted

That is the wish of your family, and of the entire nation

Abandon your actions immediately

These are the Orders of Military Command

I have no fear of death or pain

My soul belongs to the Emperor

Good-bye, my love!... Remember me

Let's pray

Here...

This is my wife's hair

After my execution...

Will you bury it wth me?.

I barely managed to save you

You are the one who told them about the iniquitous plot

AIthough you were the one who was behind it

And you persuaded them to get involved

Because I am a Marquis...

I play my part

The role of a man who lives on in shame...

and grows old

Your theater was not damaged

You can put on a political play or a crime play

Whatever you like

This house remained untouched, and your status was protected

Nothing happened

Nothing at all, in terms of your surroundings

I died for my own sake

But you tried to die for others

You were betrayed and surviived

What a waste of time

Juliette died and disappeared from this world

It was meant to happen, and did not surprise me

This precious woman died without saying her last words

And no artist will ever be able to recreate her existence

Therefore, if anyone made an attempt

all he could do is use his imagination, not the truth

However, no matter how hard he tried, those with a trained eye...

especially those who were absorbed by this story

would be able to tell the huge difference

Who am I?.

I am...

...the Marquis de Sade

In other words...

Clown...!

Directed by Akio Jissoji