299 - Story of a Prostitute

[captainofbeef]

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Exclusive new video interviews with director Seijun Suzuki, production designer Takeo Kimura, and film critic Tadao Sato
- New essay by film critic David Chute
- Original theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- More!

[lordofdance]

Suzuki's Gate of Flesh and this movie are both about prostitution, so I couldn't help but compare the two as I watched Story of a Prostitute. I'm a sucker for colorful, stylish visuals mixed with exploitative subject matter, so naturally Gate of Flesh is up my alley. Story of a Prostitute is visually interesting and attractive, as well, but it's in black & white. The whole style and tone is much more depressing. I don't want to let my biases influence my opinion of Story of a Prostitute negatively, because it often is a beautiful movie to watch, but it didn't draw me in like Gate of Flesh did.

The stories are both about forbidden love, and to be honest, I wasn't particularly interested in that aspect of either movie. I guess Story of a Prostitute is more driven by the forbidden love thing than Gate of Flesh, which might be why I didn't like it as much. It's more intimate and serious, while Gate of Flesh is almost playful by comparison. Story of a Prostitute also focuses on the Japanese military during wartime, while Gate of Flesh takes place in the aftermath of war. I wonder what I would have thought of Story of a Prostitute if I saw it before Gate of Flesh. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more.

These would be two interesting movies to watch back to back, which I just might do.

[criterionmaster]

Actually, while I haven't seen either of these films, I think what you are talking about can totally compare to two other Suzuki films, Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill. While I enjoy them both, I definitely think Branded to Kill suffers from being in black and white. Suzuki's beautiful style works so much better in color, it would seem. It is so much more fun, and gives Suzuki so much more to work with. Do you think this film would have worked better in color, or was it more than that that wasn't amazing about it?

[lordofdance]

Some of the images in Story of a Prostitute are much more haunting and attractive than anything in Gate of Flesh, so the B&W isn't a total hinderance. Color definitely is Suzuki's thing, though. I don't really think Story of a Prostitute should have been in color, it's just not as entertaining to me personally. I could definitely see people with more depth than myself liking Story of a Prostitute more than Gate of Flesh. Personally, I'd rate Gate of Flesh ****1/2 and Story of a Prostitute *** (maybe ***1/2). I really need to watch it again, because it has a lot to offer stylistically. Suzuki is one of the few directors that has a style that I always find enjoyable.

I really think you, and everyone else, should check these movies out. Branded to Kill is way crazier. Gate of Flesh and Story of a Prostitute are almost normal by comparison, but way more interesting to watch than most other movies out there, at least to me.