|
Nikutai no mon (Gate of Flesh) (1964)
A NIKKATSU FILM
GATE OF FLESH From the novel by TAIJIRO TAMURA Produced by KANEO IWAI Screenplay by GORO TANADA Cinematography by SHIGEYOSHI MINE Lighting by AIZO KONO Production design by TAKEO KIMURA Music by NAOZUMI YAMAMOTO Starring JOE SHISHIDO KOJI WADA YUMIKO NOGAWA TOMIKO ISHII KAYO MATSUO SATOKO KASAI MISAKO TOMINAGA ISAO TAMAGAWA CHICO ROLANDO HIDEAKI ESUMI HIROSHI CHO KEISUKE NORO Directed by SEIJUN SUZUKI The stars float above me And I ask them my fortune Where will I find Sleep tonight Police raid! It's not that I've let My heart turn to stone But I no longer have Any tears to shed Who was it that turned me Into this kind of woman - Bastards! - Pigs! Drop dead! Fucking MPs! Maggots! Let's move it! When the war ended, Tokyo became a city of savages. It was kill or be killed in the battle for survival, and the weak lost out. Move aside, please! Clear the path! Dead man coming through. Hey, Mr. Abe. Find another stiff on the street? It's a cruel world. Come have a drink for better luck. You guys go on ahead. He's the second one today. People have sunk so low. Just eat my sweet potatoes and I guarantee you'll never starve. Seriously. I'm not blowing hot air like those old army announcements. I brought 'em in special from Saitama. Whadda ya say, sister? Eat your fill of potatoes, folks! - I'll take one. - Thank you very much. Hey! Oh, no you don't. You must be hungry. Eat all you want. Come back here, you bitch! As a member of the Yoshino syndicate, I can't let - Give it a rest. All right, Sen, just for you. In exchange, how about you and I get together sometime soon? Sure. Out of my way. Excuse me. Would you know where I could find some work? Ever slept with a man? Who's that? She says she wants to join us. - What's your name? - Maya. I'm Mino. I'm Roku. A mean little bitch, at your service. It's hard at first, like any business. Just watch us, and you'll learn in no time. You find your own johns and sell yourself. It's not difficult. No pimps getting in the way and demanding a cut. You've seen those signs in the fish vendors' shops: "Direct from producer to consumer. " It's just like that. Just remember one thing. We're the only ones who'll protect you. So you better obey our rules. If you see some bitch you don't know doing business between Yurakucho and Kachidoki Bridge, find one of us right away and catch her. 'Cause that's our territory. Gotta defend our livelihood. Times like that, or when the police run a sweep, the Yoshino family will protect us. They control the market. Come in here. Fucking intruder! - You're back. - Yeah, hi. Yo! There's one other cardinal rule. Never give it to a guy for free. This is a business, and our bodies are our merchandise. If anyone starts giving it away, we'll all be ruined. Catch you doing that and you'll be sorry. We'll beat you within an inch of your life. Understand? Back off! Give me a chance to undress. Don't mind me. I could use a little show to wake me up. Hold it! Fuckin' asshole. You think you can barge in here and get my blood running, and then just pick up and leave? Let me go! Pay up and I will. Is that all you've got? You can't afford women. Get lost! Wait. You forgot this. What's the big idea? Trying to put me out of business? Here. Be glad I don't charge you for the room. Oh, well. Where're you back from? South? North. Did your sweetheart go south? Brother. Got sent to Borneo. Likely story. Wanna have a good time with me? I'm not so hard up I need to get it from a working girl. Moron! Here comes a jeep! That's all. Yikes! Hey! Give that back! Hey, mister. What the hell? What're you trying to do? Come back here! Buy a sweet potato. Loaded with nutrition! Direct from the producers. One, please. You're working hard. Need to keep up your stamina. Sen, you said we could hook up sometime. Sure. But just so you know, I don't give discounts. You're gonna charge me? What do you expect? I'm not some boiled potato. Get serious. Right. Maya! Ofuku broke our rule. With a student who sells lottery tickets in Yurakucho. Went to bed with him for free. What's that? Poor Ofuku. She had it coming. You didn't have to cut her hair. What's gotten into you? Machiko. That Machiko makes me sick. Acting like Miss Goody Two Shoes. She only joined us a month before you. Wanna have a good time, mister? I caught her hooking in our territory, so I shook her up a little. I'll show you a good time. She started crying and gave me a big sob story, so I felt sorry for her. She's disgusting. Going like this all the time. Hey, mister, let's have some fun together. You really have to go now? I have to get up early. Your wife's a lucky woman. To have a husband who visits her way off in Fukushima. Her father would bawl me out if I didn't. That's the lot of the adopted husband. A woman's happiest when she's married. I'd sure like to be married again. You said your husband was a teacher? Yeah. Got called up in the reserves and sent to Iwo Jima. I sometimes wonder how he died. It was awful. He had BO to kill. I feel like I caught the stench from him. Smell me, will you, Roku? - No way. - Okay, I'm done. - A final rinse. Wash real good, Maya. Disease and babies are your worst enemy. I know. My mother and brother died in the river. At Daichigashi. My brother was only seven. He didn't have a chance. Where were you? At a factory in Osaki. They say everybody who jumped in the river died. Even a sumo wrestler. Died hanging onto a boat. His hands were burned to a crisp where they stuck out of the water. Let's change the subject. We all got hurt in the war. That's what's called the victim mentality. When my brother got killed in Borneo - There goes Maya, talking about Borneo again. You should call yourself Borneo Maya. That's not bad. Roku, what was that thing you said before? What I said before? That you should hate everything. Spit on everything. Spit on it? That's right. Spit on it. We'll spit on everything - street urchins, tramps, babies, workers, housewives, parents, bigshots, buildings, trains and trucks. Realizing nobody will help us lets us know what to expect. What do you think you're doing? And so, in order to eat, we tightened the bonds between us. The instinct for survival made it happen of its own accord. - Can I have yours? - Forget it. Don't try to cross us, sister! We're not like the others you've seen! We don't like people sticking their noses in our territory! Your territory? Backward thinking like that lost us the war! We live in a democracy now! You think democracy means sleeping with Gls? Don't make me laugh! We're sick of all that democracy and brotherhood-of-man bullshit. Keep hanging around here, and I guarantee you'll regret it. Asshole! Run, Maya! Run! - No Yanks! - Drop dead! - Take that! Let me through! Cut it out! Listen here, Sen! We can't afford to have you making trouble with Gls. Fuck the Gls! They're just men. You're a man, too, aren't you? Why suck up to a bunch of GI whores? - Who're you calling GI whores? - You. Trash! Take a look at who you're dealing with! KOMASA OF KANTO What do you think? It's a real piece of work. Nice body. You should get a full-body tattoo. I once knew a geisha with a white spider tattooed on her thigh. When she drank or strained real hard, the white spider would stand out real pretty. In fact, that's what got me into this line. I just want power. Awesome power, beyond my own. I see. Like people way back who tattooed themselves to fight wild beasts. Clear the way! Move along! It's not a show! What happened, Mr. Abe? Some crazy returnee. Stabbed a GI just like that. Were they having a fight? It happened so quick, I'm not real sure. At least he showed the Japanese spirit still lives. You could show a little more spirit yourself. It's hard these days. It's "democracy this, democracy that" every time you turn around. Over here, Maya dear. No business for you either? Nights like this, I really hate this work. - Fried noodles. Crisp. - Coming up. A woman belongs in the home. My family was my father and mother and me. My father loved my mother, and my mother loved my father, and it was a happy home. My father strayed once, went off with another woman, but he came back. It wasn't because of me. He couldn't forget my mother. He couldn't forget her body. I wonder if you understand that, Maya dear. Here's your noodles. The relationship between a man and a woman is physical. Always physical. You don't yet know the true joys of the flesh, Maya dear. Stuff that "Maya dear" shit! Just call me Maya! Hey, mister, wanna have a good time? I do. You got the money? Don't worry. Hurry up and do your business. It's hot in here. You're as bad as the whores at the front. Look who's talking! It's you men who are pathetic. Losing the war! Oh, yeah? So you gonna do it or not? Let's see your money first. Damn. So long, babe. - Where is he? - He went out the window. There he is, chief! He's getting away! Machiko's been acting strange. Doesn't come home much. When she does, she can't seem to sit still. Right. Something's up with her. Don't you think so, Maya? She said she really hates this work. If she hates it so much, she should quit. A whore shouldn't try to play housewife. She got sweet on a man whose wife stayed in the country after the war. We've got company. Could someone go buy me some liquor? You're hurt. Just a scrape. If the MPs come, get rid of them, will you? They won't come here. Maya, go get the liquor. We meet again. Are you the one who stabbed the GI in the market? He had it coming. Still haven't found him? Maya. - Does it hurt? - Not a bit. Twenty days and it'll heal on its own. That's how our bodies are built. Count yourself lucky. The downpour washed away your bloody trail. The market was crawling with police. You can stay here until it heals. Right, Sen? What's your name? Shintaro Ibuki, former lance corporal. So you're a returnee. I feel like I'm in a field hospital. What's your racket? S.T.? Gotta be the X word. B.T. Is more his speed. What the hell are S.T., X and B.T.? Don't you know anything? S.T. Is a sneak thief, the X word is extortion, and B.T. Is bicycle theft. Idiots! What good is it using such obvious codes? You think you're special or something? Give me a break! I do whatever I have to to survive. I bet you're a hold-up man. Anything less and you're beneath contempt. I'm gonna get some sleep. As soon as that wound heals, I want you out of here. This place belongs to just us girls. We'll see who goes - you or me. Just to eat and live - he had more fight in him for that than he knew what to do with, and I watched him with a feeling of awe. As in primitive societies where the strongest becomes chief, Ibuki soon stood at the center of our little community. Is dinner ready? I lived through years of carnage on the battlefield. You talk like you know life. What a laugh! You're just taking the easy way and having your jollies. Can't tell anymore who's the sponge here. He's just blowing off steam from being cooped up too long, right? Shut up! I better be going. I'll get yelled at if I'm late. See you later. Be a good boy and hold down the fort for us. Here you go. What's keeping you? Get moving! Shin, I'll leave this for you to eat. You like pineapple? In the mountains of northern China, it made my day when it came in with the supplies. I thought it was the best thing in the world. I swore if I got back alive, I'd stuff myself with it. You eat like a glutton. You bet I do. Take away a man's appetite for food and sex and what's left? Spout all the high-minded phrases you want, but without those two things, you haven't got shit. Right. That's why we lost the war. Even after losing, the bastards who did this to Japan are still talking big. I'll never again believe a word they say. I'm gonna live for sex and food. Shin's got a hot temper, but what a man! He looks like a little boy when he laughs. It's like having my brother back. I hope he stays with us. Watch where you're going. Do you have any canned pineapple? - Sure. American. - How much? Twenty yen. Don't let the MPs catch you. Hey there. Oh, it's you. Don't startle me. Could I talk to you a minute, Sen? You haven't seen that guy again, have you? What guy? The returnee who stabbed that GI. You were with him when the MPs came in, right? Haven't seen him. Wouldn't recognize him if I did. Wait, Sen. Here, have a cigarette. Come over here. He's a real gutsy guy. He organized a heist from a PX warehouse in Yokohama. He had some returnee friends in with him, and some Gls, too. The GI he stabbed was one of them. A quarrel within the ranks, I guess. What'll you do if you find him? Just talk to him. The others are all in custody, but the goods are still missing. And you want the goods? I'm willing to pay, of course. A little give-and-take. I'll tell him if I see him. Don't forget. Hurry. You bought some too? It's not pineapple. What're you doing? What is it? - Canned pineapple. Canned pineapple? Excuse me. Who are you? I've been staying here. You one of the group? - Yes. - You're different from the others. Hi. Nice to see you. Sorry I can't stay. Give the others my regards. She makes me want to throw up! With Ibuki the central figure, someone was going to break ranks, which presented a serious problem for our survival. It was time to make clear, individually and as a group, what the consequences of betrayal would be. Sen, Machiko's finally done it. She broke our rule. She gave herself away for free. I knew all along she'd do it. Sounds like it's time to crack some bones. If you have definite proof, we'll make her pay for it. I've got proof, all right. Last night I was at Karasumori Hotel. This is for tonight. Don't worry about it. I decided I wasn't going to charge you. But... When I'm with you, I feel like I'm your wife. When I'm with other men, I tell myself I'm doing it so I can see you. That's what makes it bearable. Machiko! Look at me. Look at me. Why the gathering? We've got something interesting to show you. What? You'll see in a minute. Here she comes. Where is everyone? - I wonder what they wanted. - Machiko. Take off your kimono. We're gonna give you a thrashing! I haven't done anything. Don't give us any lip. Get your clothes off or it'll only make things worse. Roku heard everything. Your disgusting cries of ecstasy. Hurry up and strip. Damn. Nice body. Filthy bitch! I don't care if she dies. Give her what she deserves. You gotta beat her on the ass for it to sound good. Roku. You don't know what it's like to love a man. You're jealous. You're jealous of me for knowing secrets of the flesh that you don't. Pull. Heave-ho, up she goes. Give it to her, Sen! Bitch! You take us for fools? Harder, Sen! Take that! You broke our rule! Stop groaning! Give it to her, Maya! More! Learned your lesson yet? Selling your body is a business. Do it for free and you're just a slut! Damn. We're being too tame about this. I have an idea. Wait just a second. What're you gonna do with that? Just watch. Great idea! She'll never be able to show herself to a man again. On your feet, Machiko. If you resist, you'll only get hurt. What're you going to do to me? Here goes. If you do that, I'll kill myself and come back to haunt you. Fine. Haunt us if you want. Don't be such idiots. Wind up your vicious game and let her go. Pressing my lips to a shiny red apple I gaze in silence at the bright blue sky The apple doesn't say a word But I know just how it feels The apple is so sweet The kid's a good kid A good-natured kid And just like the apple the kid's so very sweet The apple doesn't say a word - Back off! - Get away! - You dirty rat! - Get lost! American stew's the best. Full of nutrition. Cheap, too. Single file! Wait your turn! Get me a bowl here, chief. Stop pushing! Get in line! Do I have something on my face? You remind me of a boy I knew. Back in Yokoami, when I was in third grade. He played the red demon in our class play. A barrel maker's son. Dark skin. He looked good in the red demon's paper mask. Are you saying I look like a red demon? I don't know. Maybe you remind me more of my brother. The kid who played the hero was the son of a sumo referee. He was smart but stuck-up, and I didn't like him. The red demon was one of the bad guys, but I thought I wouldn't mind getting eaten by a demon like him. You had a crush on him? Yeah. When he moved away to Jujo, I couldn't eat for a week. How old are you? Eighteen. A wounded beast once healed longs to return to his free and savage life. Ibuki started making forays into town. You hadn't come around, so I thought you'd left Tokyo. I've been concerned about what I left with you, but I'd like you to hold it for me a little longer. I'll come and get it soon. What is it? It's not hot, is it? Nothing like that. I wouldn't ask my best friend's father to do anything risky. Just don't get desperate and do something reckless. Especially after being lucky enough to make it home alive. Though it's hardly a country worth coming home to anymore. Still, you gotta count yourself lucky, considering those who didn't make it. The key is money. Can't do a damn thing without a chunk of money. Shin, you know you can't keep this up forever. You'll be caught eventually. I'll skip town before that happens. That's not what I'm talking about. If you need a chunk of cash, remember that offer I brought from the Yoshino syndicate? You've still got that PX stuff hidden somewhere, right? I agree. That's your best bet. There was that offer, wasn't there? I wonder... I think it's a bad idea. Just keep doing what you've been doing. That's what suits you best. Hold on. You say the guy's here now? - Right. He just arrived. But boss... - Hey, mister. - What do you want? Come on, boss. Thank you, sir. Thanks. Hey. Everybody move it. Get out of here. This is Mr. Ishii, our boss. Pleased to meet you. What have you got? The goods, I mean. Penicillin. About 200 vials. I want to sell the full lot. How do I know you're not selling me a bill of goods? It's not bogus, is it? If you don't trust me, forget it. There are others interested. Seems everybody's learning our business these days. All right. Boss! Give him the money. I can never wear this dirty suit again. This is to cover clothing costs. - Want a receipt? Not necessary. But if anything goes wrong, we'll hold you responsible. When can you deliver? The goods are stashed on the other side of Matsudo. I can go up there and be back the day after tomorrow. Fine. Think about it, okay? I finally made up my mind. I wonder. Can a woman like me really be your wife? After everything you said before? I don't know. It seems like a dream. I'm 40 now, and tired of being my father-in-law's slave. I want my freedom. You and I can get a new start together. What do you say? That's so romantic. You're a good man. I'm so happy. That'll be 45 yen. Thank you very much. - Ramen, please. - Me, too. Having a merry old time? It's not what it looked like. How is everyone? They're like house mice, those no-count hookers. They crawl around in the dark, eat, go to bed, and that's it. I thought you were their friend. Forget that. I hate them. Wet behind the ears, but acting all worldly. Makes me sick. I'd like to throttle them. What do you say, Machiko? Want to hang out with me tonight? Sure. I'll follow you anywhere. How could you know how I feel? Machiko's a demon. A demon trying to possess Shin. I'll become a demon, too. - It's so strange. - What? It'd been my dream for so long to be a proper married woman again. But for some reason, when the chance finally comes, I don't want it anymore. It's not that I'm worried. I don't see the value in it anymore. The way to judge value is to commit to something and go for broke. Thinking about it in the abstract won't get you anywhere. After losing the war, Japan's got to go for broke, too. Hit bottom, suffer the hard times, and rebuild from scratch. That's the only route to a new life. Are you talking about yourself or me? I'm saying don't believe in anything you haven't laid your own hands on. Say. Why don't we move in together? You know you don't mean that. This was just a diversion for both of us. Shin didn't come home. I suppose that means he's gone for good. Machiko did it to spite us. But how could Shin - Shut up, Roku! Shin's not to blame! He's back! What're you going to do with that? Eat it. We cooked a lot of cows and pigs at the front. If you guys don't eat better, you'll get skinny as green onions. How're we going to eat it? - How do you think? I'll kill it. - Kill it? Damn, that was hard work. Mino, you go out front and rubber. Okay. Can I have a cig? - What's "rubber"? - She's keeping watch. Wipe yourself off with this. That's strange. What's the matter? My cow's gone. Your cow? - She's definitely not here. - That's right. Something smells. Look. Keep up the good work, Officer. That's... um... Excuse me... that's... Officer! Roasted sweet potatoes, one yen. Real tasty. What's going on? They got wind that Ibuki was here yesterday. Roku, you go on home. They're threatening to close down the whole market. Is there any way, I wonder... Any way to what? This is awkward, but since I was the contact on this deal, I'll get grief if there's any trouble for the syndicate. What are you trying to say? Could you get him to call the deal off? Return the advance? You're funny. A grown man acting like a little kid. Don't be ridiculous. This might be wood alcohol, but have some if you want. I'm drinking. I'll have some, too. Don't blame me if it kills you. If it kills me, I'll come back and haunt you. Knucklehead. If it kills you, it'll kill me, too, since I'm drinking the most. I don't care if it does kill me. Me neither. Beef is 40 yen a pound, right? We sell our bodies for the same price. You're right. Something's crazy when our bodies cost the same as beef. Don't you think so? If we're eating 40-yen beef, and selling our bodies for 40 yen, then which is it? Are we eating to sell our bodies, or selling our bodies to eat? And either way, what are we living for? I have no idea. Don't think so much. It's because you're alive that you can have a feast like this. Isn't that enough? I was amazed, Shin, how you managed to drag it down those narrow steps. The cow, I mean. Hell, when I was in northern China, I went up cliffs and deep into valleys with a donkey in tow. I'm an expert donkey driver. It must have been really tough. Shut up! I don't want your sympathy. You couldn't possibly imagine what I went through. With wounded buddy on his back He treads the pathless way A dark march through battlegrounds As the night turns to rain Sorry to be such a burden Says a voice upon his back Forget it, he says And marches firmly on The steps of the soldier Ever proud and strong My brother took this with him. You think they have donkeys in Borneo? Borneo? No idea. That's right. You said your brother died there. "Congratulations on your call to colors. " Sad, isn't it? This flag. So many men got one of these, only to get themselves killed. With wounded buddy on his back He treads the pathless way A dark march through battlegrounds As the night turns to rain Sorry to be such a burden Says a voice - Come on, everybody. Liven things up! The stars float above me And I ask them my fortune Where will I find sleep tonight It's not that I've let - I'll show you how we crossed the Yellow River under enemy fire! All right! In attack and in defense Its steel sides lean out A floating fortress standing tall On it we can rely The floating fortress will before the rising sun protect The four and distant corners of His majesty's sacred realm Fight hard, Shin! Brother. - It was suicide. - Suicide? What a bunch of weaklings! Come on, Shin. Let's drink. I've had all I can take. Shit. I'm sleepy. Is it true you slept with Machiko? Yeah. Are you crazy? With that loser? You got that wrong. Machiko's a real woman. Shin. I'm a woman, too, you know. Shin! Shin. What's gotten into you? Flashing your tattoo and acting tough is more your style. Shin! Enough already! I'm tired! Leave me alone! Fuck off, you son of a bitch! Useless bum! Thief! I'm kicking you out of here tomorrow. Harder, Sen! You take us for fools? What the hell are you doing? I'm going to kill you and then kill myself. Damn it! Take me. I love you. I love you. Where are you going? To sell the beef. There's much more than we can eat. Sen said she was going to kick you out in the morning. Maybe it's time for me to leave. Wait, Shin. Can I ask you just one thing? You're the first man I've ever loved. For the first time, I've felt human, but now I'll get kicked out of here. The moment I become a real woman, I'm an outcast. How will I survive? Does feeling human mean you can't go on living? Will I fall by the wayside? How am I supposed to know heavy stuff like that? Want to go away with me, somewhere nobody knows us? If you do, come to Hinode Bridge at 9:00. I've got a couple things to take care of before then. I'll be there. I'll be there for sure. Roku, go to the market and tell Abe everything. This is the problem with letting a man like that hang around. He'll get what's coming to him. Right. Can't have people thinking we work with him. Okay. Let's give Maya a thrashing and kick her out like we did Machiko. Shin's unforgivable, but Maya's just as bad. Are you serious? Why would I lie? Hurry, or he'll make off with your penicillin. The penicillin! Hey, everybody! Go tell the boss to get the MPs. That fucking bastard! I get nervous when someone asks me to keep something for him. I always worry I might lose it. Might have been better if you had. What is it, anyway? The personal effects of a war buddy. I couldn't find out where to take them. But I didn't have the heart to burn them. Honor the departed soul by keeping them. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning. I've got to be going. Take care of yourself. So you're going? You take care, too. Drop me a line when you get settled. Find yourself a good wife and start a family. Hold on a second. For luck. - Roku! - Mino! Ready? Heave-ho! A little higher. The stars float above me And I ask them my fortune Let's take a break. Where will I find sleep tonight It's not that I've let My heart turn to stone Shin. But I no longer have Any tears to shed Who was it that turned me Into this kind of woman They got him! Get him out of the water. You grab him there. Damn! It's not the penicillin. - Wanna have a good time? - No, forget it. Jerk. - Wanna have some fun? - How much? Fifty yen? Okay. I'd fallen by the wayside. But I was determined to cling to the happiness of the fallen, even if it dragged me to the depths of hell. THE END SkyFury |
|