Seijun Suzuki’s THE TAISHO TRILOGY – The Blu Review

Review by Roger Carpenter

In Japanese history the Meiji Period, which lasted from 1868 – 1912, saw Japan change from a centuries-old isolated feudal society to a more modern society.  The Meiji Period saw Japan being opened to the West and the influence of Europe and America on Japanese culture and society.  This period was a time of immense change for the Japanese.  It was followed by a very short-lived period called the Taisho period, which lasted just 14 years, from 1912 – 1926. The Taisho Period was a time of liberalism and democratic thinking in Japan, and also marked the beginning of a creative movement called ero guro nansensu.  Based upon the shortened English words erotic, grotesque, and nonsense, the ero guro nansensu movement began in literature and art, eventually expanding into theatre, film, and even music.

Over time the original intent of the movement has evolved from an exploration of ideas or objects that were malformed, unnatural, or in some other way abnormal or horrific.  By the 1960’s many ero guro nansensu films featured graphic sex and violence, with or without a plot device.  Thus, we have films like 1968’s Shogun’s Joys of Torture as well as Horrors of Malformed Men and Blind Beast, both from 1969. More recently, films such as Organ, Grotesque, Splatter: Naked Blood, Evil Dead Trap, Entrails of a Virgin, the Red Room series, and dozens of other films have continued to up the ante with regard to sex and violence. Some of these films feature only the barest of plots as well as increasingly nonsensical scenes that dare the viewer to try to explain what was just seen on the screen.

Seijun Suzuki, who was born in the Taisho Period, was an up-and-coming movie director for Nikkatsu Studios in the 1950’s.  Primarily a director of B-features, which typically played the opening slot for a more prestigious A picture in Japan, it wasn’t long before his low-budget features were more popular than the A pictures.  In a fairly short time period Suzuki made the jump from B to A pictures.  But by the mid-60’s Suzuki was beginning to fall out of favor with studio executives.  His popular but delirious take on yakuza, Tokyo Drifter, was a hit but turned off Nikkatsu’s execs who weren’t used to the colorful, trippy, and frenetic film.  Suzuki was warned but the studio was in financial difficulty and his films were popular so Nikkatsu handed the director another yakuza tale, Branded to Kill.  Again Suzuki turned in a film which angered the executives even as it became a huge hit for the studio.  After a year of no film offers, Suzuki was notified by Nikkatsu his contract was being terminated.  He sued the studio—something never before tried—and, though he ultimately won the lawsuit, the final result was an unofficial blacklisting that lasted well over a decade.  Suzuki labored in television, creating documentaries during this time until he exploded back onto the screen with the first of his trilogy of ero guro nansensu epics in 1980.  This trilogy of art films, all taking place during the Taisho period, were wildly popular in Japan, won many international awards, and restored Suzuki to his rightful place in Japanese film history.  But while these films are often referred to as ero guro nansensu, other than a few drops of blood and some very occasional—and tasteful–nudity, this trilogy retains the original flavor of the artistic movement rather than the more explicit, modern version.

All three films feature some supernatural element (the guro) though it is never really emphasized.  Each film also offers some type of romance, from adulterous affairs to weird romances, and even the search for a seemingly unobtainable woman (the ero).  And each film features an abundance of dream sequences, hallucinatory visions, characters that may or may not be real, and the imaginings of these characters which, depending upon the character, also may or may not be real (the nansensu).  While today’s ero guro nansensu films up the sex and violence quotients, Suzuki toned these elements down in favor of some delirious—and often confusing—surrealistic flourishes.

1980’s Zigeunerweisen opens the trilogy.  Two colleagues from an elite military school, one an extremely formal and conservative professor, the other a handsome, adventurous, free spirit who has mysteriously left the school, involve their wives in a series of sexual games.  At nearly two-and-a-half hours, the film is long and confusing.  The sexual games are never as erotic as the term implies and the film is fairly bland until the last half-hour or so when the (possibly) supernatural element is introduced.

1981’s follow up to Zigeunerweisen was Kagero-za (kagero is a Japanese word that refers to a heat shimmer such as how a mirage is formed while za means theater; thus, the literal meaning of the film’s title is something akin to theater of illusions).  While not as popular as the first film, Kagero-za was still a bonafide hit for Suzuki and his independent producer, Genjiro Arato.  The film tells the story of an artist who is drawn to a mysterious woman who may be the ghost of his patron’s dead wife.  The film runs over two hours and 15 minutes but is at its best during a children’s theater performance near the end.

While the first two films were hits, Suzuki had been forced to find independent funding.  It took Arato another decade to secure funding for the final installment of the planned trilogy and it’s to Suzuki’s credit that Yumeji retains the qualities of the first two films even after a decade of development.  The film tells the story of real-life Taisho Period artist Takehisa Yumeji’s relationship with a beautiful widow as well as her dead husband’s ghost and her lover who murdered him.  It, too, runs just over two hours long.

Fans of Suzuki’s Nikkatsu films should be warned that this trilogy is vastly different from his earlier genre output.  They are lush and extravagant, beautifully filmed, meticulously crafted, and well-acted.  But they can also be ploddingly slow and do not use a traditional narrative format.  As film critic Tony Rayns says in one of his introductions to the films, the viewer must understand going in that many enigmas in the films are simply unsolvable.  This will be infuriating for some viewers, endlessly dull for others.  But if one can overcome the sometimes nonsensical occurrences within the films, dismiss the desire ingrained in us for a standard narrative, and simply enjoy the beauty of each film, then one may be able to derive enjoyment from them.  I must admit that I could enjoy the films from a purely cinematic angle, but that wasn’t enough for me; it was chore to get through the films.  I’m glad I’ve seen them.  I’m not sure I’ll choose to watch them again for a long while.

Arrow Video USA has again leveraged its art film imprint, Arrow Academy to release these important Suzuki films.  I applaud Arrow for this release as I’m not sure these films will be a bestseller for them; nevertheless, I’m glad Arrow has seen fit to release them for Suzuki fans and art film fans.

Arrow has again done a fine job with this box set.  The set includes both standard and high definition releases for each film.  I viewed the Blu-Rays and the quality is simply startling.  The picture is pristine and the colors are vibrant.  Each film sports a lengthy introduction by Tony Rayns placing the picture in historical context with regards to Suzuki’s career and Japanese film in general as well as including a discussion of key scenes and potential meanings found within the film.  I found these introductions not just entertaining and educational, but really imperative for new viewers with no real background on the films.  In fact, I viewed these segments multiple times during viewings of each film and found it helped a great deal.  There are other extras which include theatrical trailers for each film, a lengthy interview with the master himself, as well as a 10-minute “making of” documentary—really just some shots of Suzuki filming—for Yumeji.  Finally, a booklet with writing on the films by Japanese film expert Jasper Sharp, is included for the first printing only.

Ultimately, this set will be for film fans who don’t mind being challenged by cinema.  If you have the desire to try something different from the mainstream, this would be an excellent place to begin.  You can purchase the set at Amazon or directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.