Gate of Flesh


Gate of Flesh is a 1964 Japanese film based on a novel by Taijiro Tamura and directed by Seijun Suzuki. The first of Suzuki's "flesh trilogy", the series is considered the "crowning achievement" of his period working at the production house Nikkatsu. The film is viewed as a direct and allegorical critique of Japan's Occupation and subsequent development, which rather than breaking with the country's pre-war militaristic, authoritarian social structures only sees their reconstitution in the post-war period.

Plot

In an impoverished and burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-World War II Japan, a band of prostitutes defend their territory, squatting in a bombed-out building. Somehow they eke out a living together. Forming a sort of family in an environment where everyone is a potential antagonist, the girls cajole each other, and ruthlessly punish any of their group who violate the cardinal rule—no falling in love. A new girl, Maya, joins their group and learns the trade. An ex-soldier, Shintaro Ibuki, is shot nearby and holes up with the girls. Each of them starts to crave Ibuki, placing strains on the group. Maya feels it worst, seeing him as replacement for her brother. She takes him for a night of drunken revelry, and both are ostracized. Agreeing to run away together, he is shot in a double-cross, and she is left as she was at the beginning of the film—alone and hopeless.

Production

Planned as an "adult release", the usual pace of production at Nikkatsu allowed Suzuki and his innovative production designer Takeo Kimura precious little time to construct sets to recreate post-war firebombed Tokyo. Sets were slapped together on the backlot using materials purloined from studio warehouses, and theatrical set design techniques which could compromise the film's "realism." The resulting production has been lauded for its resulting visual flair.
Most female actresses at Nikkatsu refused to work in the film due to the nudity and subject matter, so the cast's female roles were filled by actresses from outside the studio.

Cast

There are three other film versions,,, and a recent 2008 TV drama series.