Criterion moves away from Seijun Suzuki’s lurid, subversive and “incomprehensible” gangster flicks by releasing his more straightforward (but nevertheless racy) tale of passion and survival in the slums of post-World War II Japan.
Gate of Flesh tells the tale of a girl, Maya who has no one to depend on after the war. She falls in with a group of prostitutes who have managed to take over a territory and live together in an abandoned house without worrying about gangsters and pimps running their lives. Enter Ibuki, a lost, hateful ex-soldier who ekes out a living through black market dealings and attacking American soldiers. He stays with the group of prostitutes and forms extremely volatile relationships with each one, while dealing with the police on his trail and the enormous chip on his shoulder.
Suzuki manages to turn the pulpy B-movie into a piece of cinematic art, largely due to Takeo Kimura’s staggering production design—the two of them accomplished the remarkable feat of reconstructing a post-war Japan in less than two weeks on a B-movie budget. The result is striking and memorable as these bleak, immersive backdrops allow for the prostitutes to pop out in their vibrantly colored dresses and comfortably live their relatively stable lives. Though they may suffer with the difficulties of prostitution, the viewer hardly notices because the group is happy and better off than most of the country with their steady supply of food, water, shelter, clothing and full control over their lives under a strict group code.
Only when Ibuki arrives do matters get complicated-- but Suzuki does not provide an easy-to-spot antagonist. All at once, it seems to be the society’s treatments of the prostitutes, Ibuki’s determined vengeance, Japan’s loss in the war, and the American soldiers occupying the city. Ironically, Suzuki gives the prostitutes some semblance of domestic felicity until these external factors tear it apart.
However, fans need not worry that he is stuck only in social commentary. This pic does not have many completely baffling moments, but distinctive Suzuki elements still appear—in the rather explicit violence and sexual content that garnered an adult’s only rating.
While it is hard to ever truly feel intimate with the characters, this odd classic manages to get by more on the turns of its plot, the raw erotic energy of the whipping scenes, and the strength of the fine cast—including Jo Shishido of Branded to Kill fame playing Ibuki.
Reviewed by Tarun
