Review for Masumura Yasuzo's 'Irezumi' ('Tattoo', 1966) from Yume PIctures R2 UK DVD.

A slightly belated review for Yume Pictures release on July 23rd 2007 via R2 UK DVD of another fine Masumura Yasuzo film. This time around it's one that has yet to appear anywhere else with English Subtitles, so fans take note - those not already interested in a man who I think is truly something to be admired, I hope you'll be one of the increasing number to sit up and take in this remarkable man and his stunning films...

One of the great pleasures of exploring a filmmakers work over the duration of their career is to be tempted in by a sense you'll know a certain amount about how to interpret what you're about to watch. With a filmmaker whose work comes belatedly to you, the random nature of non-chronological releases that appear in a patchy form can add to this excitement as much as it can add to the frustration of an incomplete picture that's shifting. Not knowing exactly what shifts might happen somehow often disappears to the back of the mind and you're likely to be wrong-footed all too easily, but it's interesting to see none the less, because with the surprise comes that additional pleasure of a new perspective. Although 'Irezumi' comes from 1966, the same exact year as a recent favourite DVD release from Fantoma in America, 'Red Angel' ('Akai Tenshi'; also given a UK release by Yume Pictures), this film's a much harder call as being from the hands of the same man. The reasons for this will be many and varied, of course, firstly you'll notice we're dealing with a full colour production this time around, vibrantly so, especially with regards the costumes, the kimono's and other apparel of the main character, Otsuya. Mainly this is because the storytelling of this particular film remains in what at least initially appears to be very bold and obvious, whereas it's typical of other Masumura work to be clearly layering on the subtleties from the word go and making the story a mystery that tempts you into a guessing game or a challenge in making momentary judgments of where the story stands. Here it's a more popular and open style of story which gradually reveals that it's slapping down the layers and adding to the depth, intensity, as you gradually progress through what often feels like a small story told in easygoing style and towards a piece that ultimately adds to the perceptions of Masumura's range to give a film that is acceptably his and yet something a little different to the experienced or usual.

Otsuya is a pawnbroker's daughter, Shinsuke is an increasingly successful employee in her fathers store, and the two have developed a relationship that puts them at odds with their background and status. Although the film is typically male-led to the point of potential misogyny as Japanese relationships and films seem to frequently be, Shinsuke and Ostuya are both clearly youthful and portrayed as varyingly naive as a result. Masumura's skill with the adaptation of an 50+ year old short story (and now almost a century old) for this period piece of erotic storytelling, and with the aid of a great script, is to show Shinsuke as naive in a way which shows how he lacks courage and confidence, a sense of an adult sensibility to his judgement as to his choice of actions, resulting in him being under the thumb from the outset and even more vulnerable and lacking in strength as his life becomes more of a challenge. Otsuya, although also youthfully naive, is brash and forceful as a result, the kind of woman that equates to a temptation for those looking for a challenge in terms of dominance; a rarity, maybe, in Japan. Both land themselves in situations as a result, both struggle with one another as a result of their increasingly shifting personalities, a series of events that unfold after the two decide to make the moves towards more independence sets them challenges they must face independently, together and as a result of one another and their decisions which still show their desire to turn to others that may or may not entirely wise choices. As the two initiate their new life, events conspire to set their individual destinies more in motion than their new life together, and Shinsuke's gutless approach to life sets him into places that require he attempt to take control and pull his life back together before he can regain his life with his woman - Otsuya's life similarly seems to go this way, though it's more as a result of others initial meddling and exploitation and leads her to instantly take control.

What follows is a shifting narrative of layers which show how Shinsuke descends into a situation he has every reason to be upset about, but which he should also feel justified in how necessary it was to exact revenge, protect himself and deal with those of a more fundamentally nasty nature. Otsuya is the central focus, and with her manipulative ways, not obviously so, manages to set a sense of unpredictability as to how things will evolve, who is at risk and who is safe, who is next on her list of revenge targets, and ultimately as to whether she is ultimately in control or a victim of her circumstance or naivety; the tattoo on her back, the one referred to in the title, is a Joro, a spider that suggests a destiny that will lead her to tempt and devour many men during her lifetime. The skill here is in the shift between the bold initial stance the story takes, and the resulting, gradual, ultimate very layered and familiarly abstract (in Masumura terms) results as we tumble towards the final moments. Masumura is a far more subtle filmmaker than initially appears to be the case here, and when the closing moments set in place you're left with a sense of there being another entirely new dimension to him you weren't yet aware of. This is the excitement of this film from the perspective of that journey of discovery, but it is ultimately a fascinatingly rich and easy to watch tale of an incredibly beautiful woman's determination to regain control over her life by dealing with all those who put her here; it also offers the chance to sense there's a whole lot more to be revealed than is initially the case, because the creeping nature of the story suggests more was being discussed in the earlier, bolder sections of the film than it may have appeared at the time. Otsuya and Shinsuke offer a central relationship which shifts independently of one another, shifts even more dramatically when together, and ultimately sets them at odds with both authority from more organised cold-hearted and real forces as well as passionate, illegitimate and exploitative elements of a more worldly set of characters as those they turn to, encounter and head towards through their own doing and others interference. The story is a clash of sexuality and violence which, although heady and certainly extreme, feels naturally portrayed through its emotions, yet visually very stylish and unusual too.