Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 22, 2019 0:51:19 GMT
Hi all,for my 20th Japanese viewing of the month,I felt like seeing a Umetsugu Inoue (his Hong Kong Musicals are gorgeous!) title after reading manfromplanetx review for Inoue's Washi to taka (1957),but I also wanted to see Machiko Kyô for the first time. Looking at Kyo's credits,I was shocked to find that instead of never the twain shall meet,Kyo had made a film with Inoue!
Black Lizard (1962) 10.
“The best daughter in Japan, the best diamond in Japan,and the best private detective in Japan.”
For anyone with the Criterion streaming service (is it US only?) they have surprisingly put it on the site!
www.criterionchannel.com/black-lizard
Greeting the viewer in the 4th wall breaking pre-credits intro,directing auteur Umetsugu Inoue with cinematographer Yoshihisa Nakagawa continues to build upon his distinctive, lavish ultra-stylisation, here dipping into surreal startling lights, flashing on the shared inner thoughts (spoken at the viewer) between the Black Lizard and Akechi. Intelligently using the catchy Jazzy songs to set a Caper atmosphere, Inoue sets Black Lizard’s target to be the Iwase household, lavishly decorated in graceful panning shots eyeing Black Lizard’s in the midst of her kidnapping games against immaculately styled Technicolor walls, perfectly colour-coded by Inoue to Black Lizard’s sparkling costumes and her magnificently brash, funky lair.
Adapting Rampo Edogawa’s novel and Yukio Mishima’s earlier stage version, the screenplay by Kaneto Shindo moves at a incredible pace, breaking from any risk of stage-bound by fluid Caper twists of Lizard and her team of minions snapping at the heels of the Iwase household. Giving Lizard all the glamour of a master thief, Shindo smoothly crosses the Caper antics with a utterly delightful underlining romance between the thief and obsessive detective Akechi, causing Black Lizard to kiss a sofa (!) and for Akechi to bring out a fitting bitter sweetness which walks into the bright light final.
The person everyone wants to get their hands on, cute Junko Kano gives a great turn as Sanae Iwase,who Kano takes from a biting back sharpness,to a quick- witted eye to slip out of Lizard’s grasp. Loving the mastery of the legendary thief,exceptional Minoru Oki hits laid-back cool notes as Akechi gets into the groove of trying to remain one step ahead. Performing her misdeeds with a seductive relish, alluring Machiko Kyo gives a fabulous performance as Black Lizard/ Mrs. Midorikawa,whose heart is filled by Kyo with a love for the art of the (stealing) deal.