Nikutai no mon (1964)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Seijun Suzuki

Writers:

Taijiro Tamura (novel)
Goro Tanada (writer)

Release Date:

11 December 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After World War II, some Tokyo prostitutes band together with a strict code: no pimps, attack any street walker who comes into our territory...

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Sex | Fugitive | Seduction | Intruder

Cast

Yumiko Nogawa	...	Maya
Jo Shishido	...	Shintaro Ibuki
Kayo Matsuo	...	Omino
Satoko Kasai	...	Sen
Tamiko Ishii	...	Oroku
Misako Tominaga	...	Machiko
Isao Tamagawa	...	Horidome
Koji Wada	...	Abe
Keisuke Noro	...	Ishii
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kuniko Kawanishi
Chico Roland	...	Black Pastor

Also Known As:

Gate of Flesh

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) (2000) | UK:R (1968) | France:-12

Company:

Nikkatsu

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A downward shot pans across a crowd following a stretcher. When straight down, you see the shadow of the camera, crane and the camera operator.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in From the Ruins: Making 'Gate of Flesh' (2005) (V)

Arty Japanese exploitation

Having discovered the Female Prisoner Scorpion series recently, I've been looking out for more Japanese exploitation films and Gates of Flesh is an early example. The film is a bit artier than the other examples I've seen, and despite focuses on a nest of prostitutes; there isn't a lot of sex/nudity in it either. However, director Seijun Suzuki gets round this by giving the film a tremendously dark and unpleasant atmosphere that bodes well with the plot line as well as the time in which the film is set. The film is set shortly after World War II and we focus on a group of prostitutes who have come together to work for themselves. As a result, they have no pimp to answer to and so have to protect themselves also. They get a strict set of rules in place, which are enforced again by the girls themselves and the main rule states that none of them may give out what they sell for free. The group gets a new member in the form of a girl named Maya and shortly afterwards a thief seeks sanctuary with the prostitutes, and causes disruption within the group.

The plot is very ambiguous and it's never made clear exactly what the 'point' of any of the characters is, which on the one hand makes the film interesting as it means we have to work things out for ourselves; but on the other, the characters lack humanity and so the film can be a bit dry as a result. The director is apparently quite respected for making films like this; Gate of Flesh is the first one of his that I've seen so I cant comment on the body of his work, but clearly he is a director that values of the importance of making his films interesting and Gate of Flesh also looks very nice and the director gets the best out of his performers. I think that the director was hoping more to get a point across than anything else, but he also values style and that comes across well in the film also. The plot does flow fairly well, although at times it seems like there's not a lot happening so the film is not constantly entertaining. Overall, I won't name this film as a favourite of mine and I do prefer the more wild Japanese exploitation flicks; but this certainly isn't a bad film and I can recommend it.