Movielogr
Gate of Flesh (1964)
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
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.
Length 90 minutes
Actors
Jô Shishido | Kôji Wada | Yumiko Nogawa | Tomiko Ishii | Kayo Matsuo | Satoko Kasai | Misako Tominaga | Isao Tamagawa | Chico Lourant | Eimei Esumi | Hiroshi Chô | Keisuke Noro | Mikiko Sakai | Terue Shigemori | Kôji Yashiro | Takashi Nomura | Shinzô Shibata | Akira Hisamatsu | Akira Takahashi | Jiro Hiratsuka | Kuniya Mizukawa | Hiroshi Takao | Yôko Ogata | Yôko Yokota | Keiko Kitaide | Yôko Naka | Megumi Wakaba | Tamehisa Aida | Akio Sawai | Yoshiyuki Nemoto | Akio Fujii
Viewing History (seen 2 times)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/09/2016 | Movie Screen | Film | Theater | 8 stars |
| 06/15/2014 | TV | DVD | Library | 7.5 stars |
| (Average) 7.75 stars |
Viewing Notes
So many thoughts and emotions on this one. Of tragic and depressing on the surface but lots of layers here. Need to think about this some more.
(after a few days still thinking about this movie)
I’ll probably end up buying this movie. Will wait to see if it comes out on Blu-ray but maybe on the next 50% off sale I’ll just get the DVD. After viewing the interview with Suzuki and Kimura (his production designer) I wanted to watch the movie again. I guess I could just pick it up from the library. Really a remarkable achievement in set design to create the look and feel of 1945 post-war Tokyo.
I love Suzuki’s use of color and unintentional symbolism (he’s such a riot as he discusses this). He was such a visionary director stuck in the studio system at Nikkatsu. Crazy that the studio had disdain for his creativity and vision yet continued to allow him to work (until Branded to Kill, of course). Also interesting that four of the women were hired outside of the system b/c the contracted actors would not do nudity.
As much as I enjoy Suzuki’s other work I can see revisiting this film more often. But I’ll probably revisit his films regardless.
10 years ago
I still need to see this one! I generally like Suzuki’s movies a lot but this one always seemed more serious and less stylized than his other movies I’ve seen.
10 years ago
Yes, I would highly recommend this. And it is very stylized as you’ll see. After viewing the interview with him and his production designer Takeo Kimura I appreciate the movie even more for what they were able to accomplish. I won’t go into it here but I’d recommend viewing the film then that interview (on the Criterion disc).