http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058409/
Plot by imdb: "After World War II, some Tokyo prostitutes band together with a strict code: no pimps, attack any street walker who comes into our territory, defend the abandoned building we call home, and punish whomever gives away sex (who falls in love). Maya, a young woman whose family has died, joins the group. Into the mix comes Shin, a thief who's killed a G.I. The women allow him to hide while recovering from wounds, but then he won't leave. Maya is drawn to him, discovering as she falls in love that she can feel again; she's now more fully human, but at the same time, she's endangered herself and her livelihood. Can she and Shin make it out of Tokyo to establish as a couple?"
A sexploitation plot, a realistic historical background, the pop/flashy colorful aspect of Seijun Suzuki frame composition, his desperate romanticism and his fascination for outlaw groups, in this case prostitutes, all these are turning this movie into an instant cult classic for me.
How can I describe how magnificent is the movie ? Just watch the trailer and the screencaps. It's mesmerizingly beautiful. Having been shot in the Nikkatsu studio with all the crafty technicians around and a comfortable budget allowed this very stylish director to fully control every aspect of his creation. It will go even further in his following works, "Tokyo drifter" & "Branded to kill", pop insanities disguised as yakuza eiga, leading to his firing by the Nikkatsu in 1968, supposedly for "making incomprehensible pictures". Those fucking dumb suits !
A wonderful dive into the dark underbelly of post-war Japan, a huge sense of desperation and bitterness is felt all along the movie, that really explains a lot about the generation of directors that emerge in the 60's: Suzuki, Fukasaku, etc.... Having lost their illusion on mankind in their childhood during the war, they went on making "genre" movies that were extremely cynical and quite desperate, but who showed an incredible vitality.
"Gate of flesh" is amongst those movies. A sense of constant emergency and at time, hysteria is only compensate by the inner feeling of the main characters that "there is more to life than this". "This" in that case is stealing, robbing, being a prostitute, etc... Anything that can make you survive in a desperate situation.
The cast is top notch, all the prostitutes having their own strong personality but the main roles belongs to Yumiko Nogawa and Jo Shishido (and his silicones cheeks), both great.
Another amazing piece of work from Suzuki and a movie that goes really beyond its exploitation genre.
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