Directed by Kei Kumai, Sandakan No. 8, set in mid-20th-century Japan, was nominated for the 1975 Best Foreign Language Oscar, after winning a major prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
The title of the film (which is aka Room No. 8.) refers to a brothel in Borneo.
The film tells the story of a crusading female journalist, who meets an elderly woman who years earlier had been shipped to Borneo.
We find out that as a young girl, she had been sold into prostitution by her poor family.
The movie tries to make a strong statement about the position of women in Japan—past and [present.
Originally released in the U.S. without a rating, the film has since been classified R.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Foreign Language Film
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Context:
The winner of the Best Foreign Language Film was Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala.
The other nominees were: Land of Promise from Poland; Letters from Marusia from Mexico; and Scent of a Woman from Italy.
Credits
Running time: 121 Minutes
Directed by Kei Kumai.
Released on November 2, 1974.
Cast
Kinuyo Tanaka as Osaki Yamakawa as an older woman
Komaki Kurihara as Keiko Mitani
Eitarô Ozawa as Tarozo
Yoko Takahashi as Osaki as a young woman
