Shunpu den (Story of a Prostitute) Reviews

as a war film it is extremely effective and entertaining. as a love story it falls short. as a blend of the two it is a good film that could have been better but is still worth seeing. sezuki's stylistic appraoch didnt work as well here as it has in other films, and the acting could have been better, but the film does well at grabbing the attention and telling an interesting japanese war story.

A grim look at love from Seijun Suzuki. Suzuki is often placed under such classical driectors as Mizoguchi, Naruse, Kurosawa and Ozu. It's no surprise either. It's not Suzuki's talent itself, but the material he works with. Story of a Prostitute is a grim, realistic and fare look at military hypocrisy. The story even rings true today, with supposedly honorable men performing cruel acts (see Taxi to the Darkside). The film is a mixture of subtle visuals but heavy handed acting and writing. The most engrossing scene was when the young soldier is treated kindly by the enemy. The film talks a lot about honor and love and even love as a form of possession. As a first Suzuki film for me, I'll certainly be checking out more.

This film is weird, not really in a good way. Granted, I may be too European to understand the japaneseness poring out of this film but frankly I want put off by approximately everything that the director thought worth putting in.

[b][color=#ffffff]Story of a Prostitute[/color][/b] (1965, Suzuki) This may well be Suzuki's fullest picture and is immensely powerful and takes a greater emphasis on story, rather than style.

A- (9/10)

[more to be added later]

***.5/****

Pro: Direction. Great B&W cinematography. Good love story. Good editing techniques. Powerful and enduring.

Con: Some sections of the story (mostly military) are glossed over.