I saw this film because it sounded like a novel exploration of sexual relations in Iran. I've enjoyed other films from Iran in the past so thought I would enjoy this one too. It just didn't do anything for me. I never knew enough about the character Elly to really care what happened or why.

I saw the film first and read the book later. I found the book seriously disturbing, the film had a much lighter touch, hinting at the violence without showing it in full detail. A lot of the dialogue in the film is taken from the book.

I have the criterion edition of this on DVD and it is worth getting for the historical context of both the plot and the production of the film. I like all the samurai type films of Kurosawa that I have seen : 7 samurai, yojimbo, ran and kagemusha. This one is perhaps not the most entertaining but could be the most complex and ultimately the most rewarding.

I never saw the original but i think this is a great film. The story is well placed, it moves slowly but deliberately.

I have a real soft spot for his earlier films such as The Boys from Fengkuei, A Summer at Grandpa's, A time to Live a time to Die and Dust in Wind. I have a particular interest in Taiwan and it is great to compare Taiwan now to the Taiwan depicted in these films. But the stories are also told with such affection for the characters and the cities the films are set in.