criterionforum.org

Seijun Suzuki (b. 1923)



FILMOGRAPHY

Cheers at the Harbour: Triumph in My Hands (Minato no kanpai: Shori wo wagate ni) (1956)

Pure Emotions of the Sea (Hozuna wa utau: Umi no junjo) (1956)

Town of Devils (Akuma no machi) (1956)

Floating Hotel (Ukigusa no yado) (1957)

Eight Hours of Horror (Hachijikan no Kyofu) (1957)

Nude Girl with a Gun (Rajo to kenju) (1957)

The Spring That Didn't Come (Fumihazushita haru) (1958)

Underworld Beauty (Ankokugai no bijo) (1958) HVE

Voice in the Shadows (Kagenaki koe) (1958)

Blue Breasts II (Humihazushita haru: Aoi chibusa II) (1958)

Love Letter (Rabu Retaa) (1959)

Passport to the Underworld (Ankoku no Ryoken) (1959)

Naked Age (Suppadaka no Nenrei) (1959)

Fighting Delinquents (Kutabare gurentai) (1960) Yume

Take Aim at the Police Van (Jûsangô taihi-sen ori: Sono gôshô o nerae) (1960)

Beastly Sleep (Kemono no nemuri) (1960)

Undercover 0-Line (Mikko 0-rain) (1960)

Everything Is Crazy (Subete ga kurutteru) (1960)

Tokyo Knights (Tokyo kishitai) (1961)

Bloody Channel (Kaikyo, chi ni somete) (1961)

Go to Hell, Youth Gangs! (Kutabare! Guren-tai) (1961)

The Man with the Hollow-tip Bullets (Sandan-ju no otoko) (1961)

Reckless Boss (Muteppo-daisho) (1961)

Million Dollar Match (Hyakuman doru o tatakidase) (1961)

New Wind over the Mountain (Toge o wataru wakai kaze) (1961)

Those Who Bet on Me (Ore ni kaketa yatsura) (1962)

Teen Yakuza (Hai tiin yakuza) (1962)

The Bastard (Akutaro) (1963)

Kanto Wanderer (Kanto mushuku) (1963) HVE

Detective Office 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! (Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akuto-domo) (1963) HK Video

Youth of the Beast (Yaju no seishun) (1963) Criterion

Blood Doesn't Forgive (Oretachi no chi ga yurusanai) (1964)

Flowers and the Angry Waves (Hana to doto) (1964) Yume

Gate of Flesh (Nikutai no mon) (1964) Criterion

Born under a Bad Star (Akutaro-den: Warui hoshi no shita demo) (1965)

Tattooed Life (Irezumi ichidai) (1965) HVE

Story of a Prostitute (Shunpu den) (1965) Criterion

Carmen from Kawachi (Kawachi Karumen) (1966)

Fighting Elegy (Kenka erejii) (1966) Criterion /
Yume

Tokyo Drifter (Tôkyô nagaremono) (1966) Yume / Criterion

Branded to Kill (Koroshi no rakuin) (1967) Yume / Criterion

Good Evening Dear Husband: A Duel (Aisaikun konban wa: Aru kettou) (1968) (TV)

There's a Bird Inside a Man (Otoko no naka ni wa tori ga iru) (1969)

A Mummy's Love (Miira no koi) (1970) (TV)

Story of Grief and Sorrow (Hishu monogatari) (1977) Panorama

The Fang in the Hole (Ana no kiba) (1979) (TV)

Lupin III – Season 3 (1980) (TV) various episodes

Chen Wuchen's ‘The Nail of the Holy Beast' (Chin shunshin no sjinjuu no tsume) (1980) (TV) episode of Ellery Queen Masterpieces

Zigeunerweisen (Tsigoineruwaizen) (1980) Kino

Mirage Theater (Kageroza) (1981) Kino

Storm of Falling Petals – Banner of a Fireman in the Flames (Hana Fubuki – Honou ni mau ichiban matoi) (1983) Video

Cherry Blossoms in Spring (Seijun sakura hensou) (1983) TV

The Choice of a Family – I'll Kill Your Husband for You (Kazoku no sentaku – Anata no teishi o koroshite ageru) (1983) video

Capone Crying Hard (Kapone oi ni naku) (1985)

Lupin III: Legend of Babylon (Rupan sansei: Babiron no Ogon densetsu) (1985)

Yumeji (1991) Kino

Marriage (Kekkon) (1993) omnibus film

Pistol Opera (Pisutoru opera) (2001) Media Blaster / Yume

Princess Raccoon (Operetta tanuki goten) (2005)Mei Ah / Yume / Japanese DVD (no English subs)


RECOMMENDED WEB RESOURCES

Senses of Cinema

Midnight Eye interview

45 Caliber Samurai – A Seijun Suzuki Tribute Site


FILMS

Princess Raccoon


DVD
(If you plan to purchase online, please use the links at the
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Tokyo Drifter

Branded to Kill

Youth of the Beast and Fighting Elegy

Gate of Flesh

Story of Prostitute

Criterion's Obsession with Suzuki (Suzuki as bête noire of “realâ€

I thought I'd start a thread similar to Annie Mall's Ken Russell thread. I've seen a fair amount of discussion as to superior image quality of a non-Criterion release of Tokyo Drifter in that thread, and I'd love to see some comments on other films by Suzuki that have been released.

So, as a starter: Here is a list of the Seijun Suzuki releases available from Criterion and HVE:

Story of a Prostitute (1965)
DVDBeaver

Gate of Flesh (1964)
DVD Savant DVDBeaver

Youth of the Beast (1963)
DVD Verdict

Fighting Elegy (1966)
notcoming.com

Tokyo Drifter (1966)
DVD Verdict

Branded to Kill (1967)
DVD Savant review

Tattooed Life (1965)
DVDBeaver review
DVD Savant review

Kanto Wanderer (1965)
DVDBeaver review
DVD Savant review

Underworld Beauty (1958)
DVDSavant review

Released by Media Blaster, Inc.:

Pistol Opera (2002)
Midnight Eye
DVD Beaver

Foreign Releases:

Gate of Flesh (1964)
Hanzibar Films (UK) - Region 0
Pagan (UK) - Region 2

Branded to Kill (1967)
Second Sight Films (UK) - Region 0

Tokyo Drifter (1966)
Second Sight Films (UK) - Region 0

French Box Sets:
Vol. 1 - HK Video (FR) - Region 2
Includes: Branded to Kill, Youth of the Beast, Gate of Flesh

Vol 2. - HK Video (FR) - Region 2
Includes: Tokyo Drifter, Detective Bureau 2-3, Fighting Elegy

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (1977)
Panorama (HK) - Region 0 - English Subtitles

SuperHappyFun.com releases:

With English subtitles -

Detective Agency 2-3: Go To Hell! (1963) - DVDr

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness (1977) - DVDr

Titles without English subititles:

Zigeunerweisen (1980)

Yumeji (1991)

Capone Cries A Lot (1985)

Mirage Theater (1981)

Carmen from Kawachi (1966)

Story of Bastards: Born Under a Bad Star (1965)

The Bastard (1963)

The Flower and the Angry Waves (1964)

Our Blood Will Not Forgive (1964)


I'll post links to reviews for each release as I get a chance and my own thoughts on them. I just bought Kanto Wanderer and Tattooed Life, so I'll watch them and report back soon. I really would like to hear about international releases of Suzuki films from those of you who have seen them and how they stack up to the Criterion and HVE releases.

There's also an acceptable UK DVD release of Gate of Flesh (1964). I thought it had been cut when I watched it, but according to the British Board of Film Classification the film was passed for DVD release with no cuts made.

I really hope Criterion puts out Story of a Prostitute and Gate of Flesh in the next year.

I have all of the R1 Suzuki's. The Homevision discs are pretty good, and with the exception of a few moments of Underworld Beauty, the image quality is quite impressive. I think the Criterion titles are better films overall, but the Homevision movies are probably more representative of his genre work, so I would definitely recommend them to fans or anyone with an interest in Japanese cinema.

Story of a Prostitute is probably my favorite of his films, and I would stop sniffing rice to get a DVD copy of it. Gate of Flesh is quite good as well, and is an interesting precussor to the pinku eiga period at Nikkatsu (I think it was the first mainstream Japanese film with nudity). I would really like to see Carmen from Kawachi as well, which is the third part of his "Flesh Trilogy", which all feature the same actress. They all deal with prostitution and the exploitation of women.

Has anyone seen any of his "Taisho Trilogy" films? I've only gotten the chance to se the first, Zigeunerweisen, which I unfortunately had to watch without subtitles. It was...an interesting experience.

There are also French DVDs. of six Suzuki movies: Branded to Kill, Tokyo Drifter, Fighting Elegy, Youth of the Beast, Gate of Flesh and Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell, Bastards! All of them appear to be great transfers and none of them have English subtitles.

the dancing kid wrote:Has anyone seen any of his "Taisho Trilogy" films? I've only gotten the chance to se the first, Zigeunerweisen, which I unfortunately had to watch without subtitles. It was...an interesting experience.

Was there much talk in Zig? Pistol Opera had little dialogue and although knowing what they say helps me enjoy the movie on the surface, its the visuals that say it all.

www.superhappyfun.com/ has bureau 2-3 with english subtitles and the taisho trilogy without.

There is plenty of talking in Zigeunerweisen, if memory serves. I wouldn't recommend watching it without subs. It's mysterious enough as it is without the lack of subs to make it even more difficult!

Very excited to hear about Detective Bureau 2-3 Go to Hell Bastards! being available on DVD! I've been dying to see that one for ages.
Thanks for the tip, Nihonophile!

Wow, excited by all of the responses. I'll probably add as much information about the foreign and bootleg releases to my first post when I get the time.

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm on my way to superhappyfun to check out that Detective Bureau 2-3 release.

Just posted what is hopefully a more complete list. Let me know of any mistakes or additions.

There are a few more Japanese discs here. I'm guessing the Superhappyfun copies of the Taisho films are copied from these DVDs, though I think a few of them say they are from laserdiscs. It looks like none of these have English subtitles, but the version of Pistol Opera they have comes with an audio commentary! It doesn't say who it is on the track though, and from the interviews I've read, Suzuki seems to take the John Ford approach to talking about his films, so I'm guessing it's either someone else or it's a really sparse commentary.

Pistol Opera Special Collector's Edition

Yeah, it seems like the superhappyfun discs must have come from Japanese releases, but most of them aren't listed on CDJapan. I don't know anything about the origin of the Laserdiscs that the SHF discs come from.

the dancing kid wrote: but the version of Pistol Opera they have comes with an audio commentary! It doesn't say who it is on the track though, and from the interviews I've read, Suzuki seems to take the John Ford approach to talking about his films, so I'm guessing it's either someone else or it's a really sparse commentary.

Suzuki is on the commentary, as listed on the packaging,
but I havent heard it. Its a cast and crew commentary

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness is also available with English subs as a legit HK dvd from Panorama:

Thanks, I added that above.

I'm not sure if the French DVDs have English subtitles or not. If anyone knows, please tell me.

Also, I'd be interested in listing any VHS releases with English subtitles of films that aren't available on DVD.

The French discs don't have English subs. Superhappyfun.com has the French disc of Detective Bureau subbed. It's pretty crude (it's massively overscanned, it loses a lot of picture quality, and the subs are really bare-bones, old HK-style subs), but you can watch the film now. It's fun, a great film, and worthy of a legit release next to Youth of the Beast. Too bad no one's picked up on it. Jo Shishido is at his most debonair in this one. The other releases there have no English subs and are from Japanese laserdiscs. Can't speak to the quality, but there are many there I want to see.

Zigeunerweisen, my cause celebre, is a tough enough movie WITH subtitles. Without I would even hazard that it is completely impenetrable. It is a film structured around a series of conversations. Events occur in the film, mostly off-screen, and the conversations reflect those events and inspire action among the characters, most of which gets cut away from before it fully plays out. It's a very enigmatic film, and language is absolutely necessary to the experience--it's also about the articulation of different cultural ideals and their juxtaposition, which demands verbal understanding in order to make any kind of sense.

According the the Lupin Encyclopedia, Suzuki's entry into the Lupin III series, Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon [Rupan sansei: Babiron no Ogon densetsu] (1985, co-directed with Shigetsugu Yoshida) is available in Japan (no English subtitles) as a single film or as part of a limited edition Lupin III box set...

I'm purposely waiting to add Gate of Flesh and Story of a Prostitute to the list until they are officially announced by Criterion. I just want to play it safe. But, I am extremely excited about the prospect of having both of them in a good release from Criterion.

My comments on Tattooed Life and Kanto Wanderer have been delayed by the fact that I'm working on my thesis. In May, I'll have a lot more to add here.

Does anybody know anything about the Second Sight Films Branded To Kill and Tokyo Drifter transfers in comparison to the Criterion discs?

Here are comparisons of the criterion and the second sight disk's:

Tokyo Drifter

Branded to Kill

The Criterion's are obviously better, better contrast and sharpness and the SS doesn't show much more picture at all.

Reviewing Criterion's "Branded to Kill," DVDBeaver comments "this very early non-anamorphic Criterion DVD looks very poor. One of their worst - no question. It is quite hazy with shallow contrast."
As to "Tokyo Drifter," DVDBeaver says "I'll wager Criterion would like to forget this release"!
I guess all reviews are ultimately subjective. My eyes concur with the views by DVDBeaver and I would still say the Second Sight discs, admittedly far from perfect, are still better.

No question about that the criterions are everything but perfect. The only thing is that the uk disk's are even worse.
I hope the pictures of the comparison are up again in some time (yesterday they were), than you can see it with your own eyes.

The label KimStim has bought the rights to Suzuki's Taisho trilogy and hopes to release it in a boxed set 1st qtr 06.

tavernier wrote:The label KimStim has bought the rights to Suzuki's Taisho trilogy and hopes to release it in a boxed set 1st qtr 06.

R1? got any proof?

I didn't know it was Kimstim, but from what I heard the trilogy is acquired for DVD release. Kimstim doesn't have a great record, but hopefully this is a chance for them to proove themselves.

A new French discset is out, including Story of a Prostitute, Tattooed Life, and Flower and the Angry Waves. No English subs. Can't speak to the quality of the releases, but I've heard the other two sets were high quality.

Also, superhappyfun's disc of Story of Grief and Sorrow is the same transfer as the Panorama disc, which is cropped from 2.35:1 closer to about 1.78:1

Scroll down to the bottom of this link for the Suzuki DVD info from KimStim's founder Ian Stimler

I think you can safely add Gate of Flesh and Story of a Prostitute to the Criterions list now.

tavernier wrote:Scroll down to the bottom of this link for the Suzuki DVD info from KimStim's founder Ian Stimler

OH MY GOD!!!!! =D> =P~

2006 is gonna rock!!!! I just hope I get a chance to see Raccoon Princess theatrically!