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The last film of Teshigahara Hiroshi, the renowned Japanese director of The Woman in the Dunes, Basara - The Princess Goh is a sumptuous piece of filmmaking set in the late 16th century. The title heroine is played by Miyazawa Rie, who is famous as a singer as well as the first Japanese actress to pose in full frontal nudity. Miyazawa proved her talent in acting by winning the Best Actress Award at the Moscow Film Festival with Hongkong filmmaker Yonfan's The Peony Pavilion in 2000. She also won wide acclaim with her performance in last year's The Twilight Samurai. The male lead of the film is played by Nakadai Tasuya who appeared in Kurosawa's Kagemusha and Ran. The film continues to explore the conflict between art and politics following the death of Rikyu, master of traditional tea ceremonies as well as the title hero of Teshigahara's previous film, Rikyu.