"Pale Flower" by Masahiro Shinoda DVD Movie Review

[Mark Heide]

Shinoda was known for breaking the mold when it comes to movie making. This is a re-release from 1964. If you are a fan of the Japanese Yakuza crime genre and Japanese style gambling don't miss this film. When this film was originally created the Japanese Film Company, Shochiku, thought the film was immoral and delayed release of the film for 8 months due to the gambling scenes.

What Shinoda does is create the real gambling atmosphere as if you were there. You can feel the tension created by the filming and the excellent soundtrack created by Toru Takemitsu. Shinoda's films are about it's characters before something happens. A perfect example is when Saeko asks Muraki what's it like to play for bigger stakes?

The cinematography is excellent. In my opinion, this film is one of the greatest black and white pictures made. Go rent or buy it. You will not be disappointed.

Good Luck

Mark