Fighting Elegy (1966) - Rotten Tomatoes

Fighting Elegy (1966)

TOMATOMETER

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AUDIENCE SCORE

75%

Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

Movie Info

In this sharp satire from acclaimed Japanese director Seijun Suzuki, Hideki Takahashi plays Kiroku, a middle-school student who finds himself troubled by an obsessive lust for the virginal Michiko (Junko Asano), the daughter of the family with whom he boards. But Kiroku soon discovers the perfect solution to thoughts of sex -- violence. One of Kiroku's schoolmates coaches him in the manly art of self-defense, and soon he joins a gang, eagerly fighting whenever the opportunity presents itself. Michiko is troubled by Kiroku's sudden embrace of his brutal side and tries to teach him to appreciate the more gentle side of life -- which, of course, doesn't help him at all. Soon, Kiroku is thrown out of school for making trouble and is sent off to live with his uncle, where preponderance and small-town machismo allow Kiroku to find all the violence he could hope for. The Fighting Elegy's screenplay was written by Kaneto Shindo, a noted leftist filmmaker who also served as an assistant director to Kenji Mizoguchi. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cast

Hideki Takahashi
as Kiroku Nanbu
Junko Asano
as Michiko
Isao Tamagawa
Kayo Matsuo
Takeshi Katô
Yusuke Kawazu

Critic Reviews for Fighting Elegy

All Critics (3)

Cool but superficial and disjointed.

January 17, 2005 | Rating: B-

must have read as a work from the heart in 1966, and it still does today

January 8, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
View All Critic Reviews (3)

Audience Reviews for Fighting Elegy

Fighting Elegy is one of Suzuki's most restrained films, considering the fact that it was released in 1966, a year before he was fired from the Nikkatsu studio for his increasingly outrageous films. He does use some of his better known signatures such as unusual camera angles, editing, and few visual split screens. There are also moments of beauty, particularly some of the final shots. A scenario in which fascism is bred and shared in the growing youth of Japan, Fighting Elegy is not the ideal introduction to director Suzuki's films. Better to start with films such as Tokyo Drifter, Branded To Kill or Youth of the Beast. However, if you're already among the director's fans, I think you'll find this story very engaging. Photobucket

El Hombre Invisible
El Hombre Invisible

Super Reviewer

this film had the makings of what could have been a great film, but it made a few vital errors. the main character had some major contradiction in his character, the telling of the story was unreasonably choppy, and the end of the film fell very flat. even with these major issues the film was very entertaining and had a strong likeable quality. the film missed out on a chance at an epic fight scene at the mid point that i wish suzuki would have followed through on, but all in all this is a good flick for casual viewing.

danny d
danny d

Super Reviewer

View All Audience Reviews

Fighting Elegy Quotes

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