Gate of Flesh
Directed by	Seijun Suzuki
Produced by	Kaneo Iwai
Starring	Joe Shishido Satoko Kasai Yumiko Nogawa
Music by	Naozumi Yamamoto
Cinematography	Shigeyoshi Mine
Release date(s)	May 31, 1964 (Japan) December 11, 1964 (U.S.)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
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Gate of Flesh (肉体の門, Nikutai no mon^?) is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. born Seitaro Suzuki (鈴木 清太郎 Suzuki Seitarō) on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese Film director. is a Japanese Actor most recognizable for his intense eccentric Yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities The year 1964 in film involved some significant events Events January 29 - The film Dr The cinema of Japan (日本映画 born Seitaro Suzuki (鈴木 清太郎 Suzuki Seitarō) on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese Film director.

Synopsis

In the impoverished and burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-World War II Japan, a band of prostitutes defend their territory, squatting in a bombed-out building. Somehow they eke out a living together. Forming a sort of family in an environment where everyone (American soldiers and Japanese entrepreneurs) is a potential antagonist, the girls joke and cajole each other, and ruthlessly punish any of their group who violate the cardinal rule—no having sex for free. A new girl, Maya, joins their group and learns the trade. An ex-soldier, Shintaro Ibuki, is shot nearby and holes up with the girls. Each of them starts to crave Ibuki, placing strains on the group. Maya feels it worse, seeing him as replacement for her brother (who died in Borneo). She takes him after a night of drunken revelry, and both are ostracized. Agreeing to run away together, he is shot in a double-cross, and she is left as she was at the beginning of the film—alone and hopeless.

Production

A conceptual sketch by production designer Takeo Kimura for Gate of Flesh (1964).

Planned as an "adult release" (Japanese films were classified by the country's film board as "general release" or "adult"), the usual pace of production at Nikkatsu (10 days pre-production, 25 days shooting, 3 days post-production) allowed Suzuki and his innovative production designer Takeo Mimura precious little time to construct sets to recreate post-war firebombed Tokyo. Sets were slapped together on the backlot using materials purloined from studio warehouses, and theatrical set design techniques which could compromise the film's "realism. " The resulting production has been lauded for its resulting visual flair. ^[1]

Most female actresses at Nikkatsu refused to the work in the film due to the nudity and subject matter, so the cast's female roles were filled by actresses from outside the studio. ^[1]

Cast

• Joe Shishido as Shintaro Ibuki
• Yumiko Nogawa as Borneo Maya
• Satoko Kasai as Komasa Sen
• Koji Wada as Abe
• Tomiko Ishii as Roku
• Kayo Matsuo as Mino
• Misako Tominaga as Machiko
• Keisuke Noro as Ishii
• Chico Rolando as Catholic Priest

References

External links

• Gate of Flesh at the Internet Movie Database
• Criterion Collection essay by Chuck Stephens
• Gate of Flesh (Japanese) at the Japanese Movie Database