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Gate of Flesh
But I'm not sure. how does he feel about America?
1964
Review: September 30, 2005
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Starring: Yumiko Nogawa, Jo Shishido, Kayo Matsuo, Satoko Kasai, Tamiko Ishii
Can help you absorb the strange world you are about to enter.
THE SETUP:
In post-war Tokyo slums, four prostitutes' lives together are disrupted by the entrance of a studly guy.
DISCUSSION:
This movie is considered an exploitation movie, but looking at it now, it looks like nothing but an art movie. This could be because [as revealed in the interview on the disc] the code in Japan in 1964 allowed them to show very little, so while there ARE more than a few scenes in which women are tied up, stripped, and beaten, you see very little that would excite anyone who has seen television in the past 20 years.
The movie begins with a beautiful title sequence showing drawings of screaming female faces. Then we are introduced to the world of the film, which exists in the slums of Tokyo after World War II, when the country has just been defeated by America, and is still occupied by American forces. Maya, a woman just entering Tokyo, is soon taken in by Sen, a prostitute, and introduced to the other prostitutes she lives with.
The crumbling world created for this film makes an impression right away. The sets consist almost entirely of the bombed-out ruins of buildings, all pillars, piles of rubble, and rooms with no ceilings. The phrase "dog-eat-dog world" has rarely been portrayed as clearly as this one, in which people are packed into tiny alleyways, thievery is rampant, and beatings don't garner a second glance. In the "something you don't hear everyday" category is a blues song in the background sung-surprisingly naturally-in Japanese. Maya wanders into the scene, and steals a sweet potato out of hunger. A man catches her, and says "You're hungry, aren't you?" One thinks he's going to be kind to her and take her in, but no, he chases her to an open space, rips her dress, and begins beating her while laughing. A crowd quickly gathers to watch. Sen stops the man, and then invites Maya to come with her. Another way this film doesn't go the way one expects it to is that, rather than Maya being a delicate flower who takes a long time to adjust to the horror of being a prostitute, she basically takes to it right away and is no less tough than the others.
The prostitutes have a few rules, chief of which is "never give away what you can get money for." This is quickly demonstrated on a member of their club, who they strip and whip, chop off her hair, and leave tied up in a boat, where a crowd gathers round to gape-and God knows what else. We are invited to imagine the worst.
One soon notices that the four main prostitutes are each always clad in a signature color. In the interview, the director says this was done merely so the audience could tell the women apart. and I think it's best, as a viewer, to take him at his word and try to avoid the easy symbolism of the "green equals envy, red equals anger" variety. For Western viewers, it is an invaluable device, and one that adds to the artiness of the film, even if it wasn't intended that way. Other self-consciously artistic touches include a spotlight set on a woman as she is "performing," and half-screen double exposures to show what a character is thinking.
The women take in a stranger, Ibuku, who they respect and want to help because he stabbed an American soldier. He is a kind of Japanese "Streetcar"-era Marlon Brando, all coiled sexual energy and anger. He has a very live-for-today, take-what-you-want kind of attitude, and seems virtually indestructible. This movie also defies the conventions we've come to expect of our movies, and further casts itself as a serious and artistic film in having all of the women fall in love with him and scheme against each other, rather than continue to lead independent lives. The movie also defies Western convention in that his presence does not lead to the collapse of the household.
The real enemy here, as is made abundantly clear, are the Americans. The American flag is front and center, bugle music playing, as Sen gives a speech on how the way for the prostitute to cope is to "spit on everything." One of the rules of the women is never to accept an American as a customer. A pot containing what we are told is "American Stew" contains used condoms. And in the final shot of the film, an American flag flies conspicuously over the slum. The message, very clearly delivered, is that these situations exist because of the American occupation. There is some interest to be had in the vehemence with which the Japanese thwart and resent their American occupiers, looked at in the light of our occupation of Iraq, but I don't think the comparison goes all that far.
The story the movie tells isn't the most important thing here, and as such the general environment and psychology of the characters are justly brought forward. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit for the first hour, then the interest flagged. Since the plot, what there is of it, isn't the main attraction, once you've absorbed the atmosphere and psychology, there's not much else. But if you're looking for something quite different, this movie is a very worthwhile way to spend your time. If this is exploitation, we could sure use a lot more like it.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
Yes, especially if you're interested in a view of a certain aspect Japanese characters and society that you don't often see.
