In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post-World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions. —The Criterion Collection
Seijun Suzuki (鈴木 清順, Suzuki Seijun?), born Seitaro Suzuki (鈴木 清太郎 Suzuki Seitarō) on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predominately B-movies for the Nikkatsu Company between 1956 and 1967, working most prolifically in the yakuza genre. His increasingly surreal style began to draw the ire of the studio in 1963 and culminated in his ultimate dismissal for what is now regarded his magnum opus, Branded to Kill (1967), starring notable collaborator Joe Shishido. Suzuki successfully sued the studio for wrongful dismissal but was blacklisted for 10 years. As an independent filmmaker he won critical acclaim and a Japanese Academy Award for his Taishō Trilogy, Zigeunerweisen (1980), Kagero-za (1981) and Yumeji (1991).
His films remained widely unknown outside of Japan until a series… read more
A very interesting film, if not a great one. It has a very unconventional storyline: a group of prostitutes in postwar Tokyo take in a crazed returnee from the war. And they all fall in love with him, even though he’s a bit of an asshat. Whatever. The movie’s filmed and edited in a really revolutionary style, especially for Japan. But ultimately, the storyline can’t really hold up a full movie.
As Crap Monster (thr greatest screen name of all time) said before me, my favourite of Suzukis
Todavia trabajando para el estudio Nikkatsu, en el que realizó sus aventuras mas desquicidas hasta que lo echaron cuando la cosa se puso un poquito mas intolerante con la inmesa “Branded to Kill”… read review
Seijun Suzuki is a mad genius.
Really. He is quite marvellous in spinning these visually phantasmagorias filled with neon colors and cinemascope compositions so eclectic your head with stretch… read review
Really strange film from director Seijun Suzuki tells a dark, intense story centered around a serious subject matter – the desperate lives of prostitutes in post-War Tokyo – with surprisingly bright… read review
