Kagerô-za

Yomota Inuhik's seminal book, "What Is Japanese Cinema?" takes readers through the Taisho-era's gut-wrenching quest to define the essence of truly Japanese film, those elements that capture the culture's soul and distinguish its movies from those made anywhere else. "Kagero-za" captures that struggle in a period piece set in those times, using the classic ghost enchantress theme as its storyline, and embellished with all the bells and whistles that 1980s filmmaking had to offer. But on display are off-camera actors and yukio-e framing alongside Japanese cinema's roots in kabuki and puppet theater. Director Seijun Suzuki, who frequently abandoned logic in favor of sheer entertainment, tracks a writer's descent into metaphysical madness and takes viewers along for the ride. It's Suzuki unleashed from studio assignments and raw exploitation films, somehow churning out five or six pictures a year, a contract director turned independent auteur who delivers an exceptional work packed with astonishing imagery. It's compelling cinema that could only have been made in Japan.

Kagerô-za is the second part of director Suzuki Seijun's Taisho Roman Trilogy and comes around only one year after the unconventional comeback success of Zigeunerweisen. This movie is based upon a novel by Izumi Kyoka. The film tells the story of a naive young playwright who feels attracted to a mysterious married woman who mysteriously appears into and disappears out of his life . He however soon finds out that her rich husband has a second wife of German origin whose blonde hair and blue eyes can only be seen under the moonlight. There are however rumours in town that the foreign wife is actually dead and has come back as a ghostly apparition. Caught between guilt and passion, the protagonist must decide whether he should defy traditional conventions and be with the lady he desires or commit a double suicide to escape from the nightmarish circumstances.

This film convinces with its overall mysterious and sinister atmosphere. Despite an absence of shocking scenes, Kagerô-za has a creepy vibe from start to finish. Viewers will wonder whether the whole story is fiction or reality or perhaps something in between. The theme of the contrast between traditional Japanese values and radical modernization is perfectly represented by the two female lead characters. The confusion, fear and loss caused by this clash is portrayed brilliantly by the protagonist. This movie doesn't offer any answers, solutions or strategies to these challenges, conflicts and problems. Viewers are thus invited to imagine possible outcomes and discuss these with other cineasts. This movie thus appeals to an intellectual audience and takes its viewers very seriously. In this regard, this film is pleasantly old-fashioned but might be a struggle for younger audiences at first contact.

There are however several reasons why this interesting movie nonetheless deserves a lower rating than its immediate predecessor Zigeunerweisen. First and foremost, Kagerô-za uses several stylistic devices from the predecessor such as its general atmosphere, parts of its plot and the general themes. This movie thus feels at times predictable, repetitive and uninspired. Even the camera angles and soundtrack offer numerous similarities. Viewers might feel that this film can't really stand on its own. Another significant issue is the film's challenging length of one hundred thirty-nine minutes. This film feels plodding in its middle section and is at least half an hour too long. Director Suzuki Seijun honestly did much better jobs when the studio limited his films to running times around ninety minutes in the sixties. His independent films from the eighties onwards should have benefited from some suggestions, overviews and cuts from studio executives to be easier to digest. The advantage is that his films from this era really represent the director's creativity, ideas and opinions without any filter but the notable downside is that these movies are at times overbearingly long, suffocatingly self-important and uncomfortably uncompromising.

As you can read, viewers will need a lot of empathy, patience and time to appreciate Suzuki Seijun's Taisho Roman Trilogy to the fullest. Kagerô-za convinces with interesting characters, beautiful settings and mysterious story. The downsides are its repetitive elements, excessive length and slow pace. This movie is thus recommended to admirers of Suzuki Seijun's later career and cineasts appreciating romantic dramas with supernatural elements. If you already feel that this movie might not suit your preferences by reading this review, then you simply shouldn't waste your time and can skip this feature without any relevant regrets. If you feel however intrigued by this review and generally appreciate films that walk off the beaten path, then you might want to give Kagerô-za a chance.

"Conversely, the petticoat presentation goes to the mystical, women are insubordinate despite of ostensible submission. in KAGERO-ZA, Shinako (Yasuda again, peculiarly prim-looking), the phantom-like entity seduces and mesmerizes Shunko, can not be pinned down with any concrete conclusion, like a banshee, she wails for destruction, but she will not go down that path all by herself."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks

Suzuki makes havoc with the narrative in this second installment of his Taisho films. A man endures a jumble of back-stories involving intrigue and mystery surrounding the woman (or women) of his desire, the movie shifting from one nonsensical cliche and plot to another. The woman is married, then she's a secret lover of his boss, then she's a ghost, then she's part of a conspiracy, then she's in a suicide pact, then she is murdered, etc. Scenes segue from one to another without rhyme or reason, scenery changes without warning, characters appear in different places or perform different roles, and in between, absurd scenes of dream-logic, slapstick, stylish visual sets, or surrealism pass the time until the next pulp drama. And then the movie suddenly explores a strange performance, or a bizarre ritual involving peering into the underside of statues to reveal poetic statements of self or genitalia. During a children's play, the audience ask "what's the plot?" and the answer is "I don't know, the children improvise". A very tediously confusing and unrewarding movie, and too chaotic in style to be a dream. I can appreciate the visuals but I must confess I didn't enjoy this whimsical artsy randomness much.

A 1920s playwright (Yûsaku Matsuda of "Black Rain") meets a beautiful woman (Michiyo Ohkusu) who may be the ghost of his patron's deceased wife.

With "Zigeunerweisen" being a commercial and critical success, Suzuki teamed up again with producer Genjiro Arato, and this time had double the budget. With "Kagero-za", the source material is a short story by Kyoka Izumi, a writer most famous for his idiosyncratic Gothic-flavored ghost stories. And, indeed, this very much captures the "spirit" of Suzuki's Taisho series.

The plot is intentionally obscure and unclear. The beautiful woman, Shinako, remains unnamed for almost the first half of the film, as is her identity as Tamawaki's wife, if in fact that is who she happens to be. Some ambiguity is necessary for the story to play out as it does, but it is taken an extra step by being purposely vague with identities. (Rather than a shortcoming, this could be seen as a strength, as it would encourage repeat viewings for a deeper understanding, not unlike "Mulholland Drive" or other David Lynch films.)

According to critic Tony Rayns, "Kagero-za... may well be Suzuki's finest achievement outside the constraints of genre filmmaking." Variety called it a "beautiful film" and said it was an "Orientalized" take on Luis Bunuel, which is not only complimentary, but apt. Still others have compared the film to Luigi Pirandello's theater of the absurd, which may be going a bit too far.

Arrow Video has released the film on Blu-ray as part of their Taisho Trilogy set. Though perhaps not as celebrated as "Zigeunerweisen", there is much to love about "Kagero-za" and the film is worthy of deeper exploration and contemplation.