Post-war Japan was an unstable environment, making it the perfect setting for Seijun Suzuki's "Nikutai no mon" ("Gate of Flesh" in English). This study of a group of independent prostitutes who take an ex-soldier under their wing must have been one of the most shocking movies at the time. The nudity and torture scenes are not something that you usually saw on screen in 1964.
In one of the DVD's special features, Suzuki explains how he had the prostitutes wear certain colors to reflect their personalities, and there's a scene where they stand against certain colors to emphasize this. Like Kubrick, Suzuki knew how to make use of these things.
Suzuki also mentions his enmity towards the US. Of course, the scene at the end showing the Japanese and US flags comes across as a subtle admission of what had become of the war (specifically, what had become of Japan). All in all, the movie amounts to a fine piece of work. I now hope to see the rest of Suzuki's work.
In one of the DVD's special features, Suzuki explains how he had the prostitutes wear certain colors to reflect their personalities, and there's a scene where they stand against certain colors to emphasize this. Like Kubrick, Suzuki knew how to make use of these things.
Suzuki also mentions his enmity towards the US. Of course, the scene at the end showing the Japanese and US flags comes across as a subtle admission of what had become of the war (specifically, what had become of Japan). All in all, the movie amounts to a fine piece of work. I now hope to see the rest of Suzuki's work.