Thoughts on Seijun Suzuki?

I have yet to see any of his works, but I do wonder if they're worth it. I like a good, quirky Japanese film, which he seems to have flourished in making. Is he a good filmmaker? My favourite filmmaker is Akira Kurosawa, though I can't see much in the way of connections between them, and I dig Takashi Miike, too, who, from what I've seen, is comparable.

What do you think of the late Seijun Suzuki?

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Thanks again, Mr Portridge.

It's more than worth it. He's such an influential and important filmmaker. His opus magnum, Branded to Kill, is a Japanese New Wave-ish take on Yakuza Eiga, and such a treat for fans of New Waves (not just Japanese). Shot in elegant black and white, it's also one helluva eye-candy. Tokyo Drifter is another significant film. It's Winding Refn's favourite movie ever made and it's the quintessence of style over substance filmmaking. It oozes with so much style, glamour and coolness, it makes most other films pale in comparison. Cool Yakuza gangster in colour suit singing a maudlin song? Yes, please! Gate of Flesh is another significant film, not only because it was the first Japanese film to show nudity (post a short video of Michael Rosen saying 'nice', or licking his own lips here), but also because it has much to say about post-war Japan. I think I've seen Youth of the Beast, too, but I can't remember much about it.



I haven't yet explored his late movies. Except for Pistol Opera which I loved. He's such a prolific director, I still have many of his film, old and new, to see.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

Seijun Suzuki: The Chaos of Cool



Yep, Branded To Kill rules.