Japanese B Movie Master

August 18, 2010 4:00 AM

After making his 1967 gangster film Branded to Kill, director Seijun Suzuki was fired from the Nikattsu studio and didn't find work again for ten years. He sued for wrongful termination, but was still blacklisted. Still, he has managed to amass an impressive body of work.

This Artforum article is a good introduction to his work. And many of his movies, including Branded to Kill are available on Youtube. There's a poster gallery here, but it's a Tripod site and Metafilter will inevitably destroy it. My personal favorite is Tokyo Drifter (trailer).

posted by dortmunder (12 comments total)

"Gate of Flesh" is also a good place to start - it's a lurid, low budget run at the same subjects tackled by Shohei Imamura in "Pigs and Battleships".

Nikkatsu gave a lot of talented unknowns a chance to direct in the late 50s / early 60s - I watched the Nikkatsu Noir box set recently, and was floored by how much Suzuki et al were able to do with no time, and almost no money. His "Take Aim at the Police Van" is also really worth checking out.
posted by ryanshepard at 4:49 AM on August 18, 2010

I didn't know there was a Nikkatsu Noir box set. I'm going to have to check that out.
posted by dortmunder at 5:14 AM on August 18, 2010

As huge fan of Branded to Kill, I was inevitably let down by the pseudo-sequel, Pistol Opera. At least it was entertaining to watch Kenji Sawada fill Joe Shishido's role.

A Branded to Kill post in the same week as a Plague Dogs post- this is why I love this place.
posted by Dr-Baa at 5:26 AM on August 18, 2010

Ah, Japanese cinema, something I know very little about beyond Kurosawa, and Hiroshi Teshigahara. Thanks for hipping me to this guy. I got my girlfriend a Wii for her birthday and she set it up with Netflix so I've added Branded to Kill to the instant queue. These new toys are amazing.
posted by nola at 5:41 AM on August 18, 2010

I don't know, Dr-Baa. I kind of like the attitude of a guy who, after getting black listed for Branded to Kill, decided keep remaking it. The first 2/3 of Pistol Opera is better than the last 1/3, but, hey.

A friend recently gave me a copy of Princess Raccon. I've already seen it, but the box keeps taunting me with what I know is inside -- nearly two hours of maddening, joyful, astounding, boring, glittery insanity. It is not every director who can manage to include a ukulele solo into a film and make it seem not only not the weirdest thing in the film but positively normal and wholesome.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:56 AM on August 18, 2010

NYC Mefites who are into Seijun Suzuki might be interested in BUTTERFLY, BUTTERFLY, KILL KILL KILL, a stage show based on the films of Suzuki, currently playing for Fringe Festival. It is apparently pretty great.
posted by 235w103 at 7:01 AM on August 18, 2010

I love Seijun Suzuki, especially Branded to Kill. I'm amazed to see he is still alive, and I definitely see him paving the way for current Japanese directors like Takashi Miike.
posted by Dmenet at 9:20 AM on August 18, 2010

I don't have anything to add except thanks for the post, Suzuki is great. Check out his Stories of Sorrow and Sadness for some interesting suburban melodrama, not what you'd expect from the man behind the craziness of Branded to Kill.

Also now I'm gonna have the Tokyo Drifter theme song stuck in my head... the opening to that movie is unparalleled
posted by jtron at 9:31 AM on August 18, 2010

I love Branded to Kill. I came across it channel surfing late one night and was immediately pulled in by the great camerawork.
posted by joedan at 10:38 AM on August 18, 2010

The Criterion Contraption has a great* review of BTK.

* all of the reviews on that site are great.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:40 AM on August 18, 2010

Tokyo Drifter is so, so good.

This is a killer post, thanks.
posted by lumpenprole at 11:58 AM on August 18, 2010

My favorite is Underworld Beauty. It's a little more conventional, but pleasing.

Yakuza movies are a difficult pleasure in the US. They are hard to locate and relatively few have made it to VHS or DVD.

One of the movies has an interview with Suzuki in which it is revealed that he was voted Best Dressed Man in Japan and he certainly looked it in the interview. Being well dressed is more about how the clothes are worn than the clothes themselves. I, sadly, usually look like I got dressed out of a rag bag and a rumpled rag bag at that.
posted by warbaby at 8:09 PM on August 18, 2010