Japan Synopsis
煉獄エロイカ
Rikiya Shoda is an engineer working for the Atomic Agency in Japan. One day, his wife Nanako returns home with a lost teenager called Ayu. A man, pretending to be the father, comes to get her back; Ayu keeps telling him that Rikiya and Nanako are her parents. Through this disruption, Rikiya suddenly starts remembering his youth as a revolutionary.
Other Titles From Art Theatre Guild
The 1969–1971 Japan Window
Heroic Purgatory holds position #21 of 64 Japan films in the 1969–1971 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1970s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1970s in Japan, 197 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Heroic Purgatory premiered alongside 17 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 17 other Japan films in 1970.
The 342nd Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
29 audience reviews — more than 49% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 27th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,194 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (52nd percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #965 of 1,933 (top 50%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Art Theatre Guild, Gendai Eigasha |
| Runtime | 2h 1m |
| Release Date | September 26, 1970 |
| IMDb | tt0065834 |