Post by manfromplanetx on Jun 4, 2021 1:11:46 GMT
In the 1960s Daiei studio released a series of “black films” roughly translated as “salaryman thrillers”. With an underlying cynical tone, the films are tales of corporate and legal corruption, of characters with few morals and questionable scruples. Director Yasuzô Masumura filmed three excellent films, beginning with Black Test Car (1962), followed by The Black Report (1963) and Black Super Express (1964).
Kuro no hôkokusho aka Black Statement Book or The Black Report (1963) is a tale of murder, infidelity, lies, theft and the pursuit of justice.
Kakimoto president of the Fujiyama Food corporation is found murdered in his home. The film opens with the police and forensic team meticulously probing for clues; multiple people with potential motives are quickly identified. The investigation considers many angles, who was involved, and who was responsible? Was it the secretary who was also his mistress? The unfaithful wife? An angry son disgusted by his father’s immoral lifestyle? “To the public, he was the president of Fujiyama Foods. To me, he was a money-mad womaniser,” claims the murdered tycoon’s son.
The seemingly straightforward case for Public Prosecutor Kido becomes a tangled web. He is under immense pressure for he has been promised a promotion if a court room conviction can be secured.
Prosecutor Kido is up against Yamamuro a slick defense lawyer who will coerce his witnesses to say whatever it takes for him to win the case… The eventual discovery of the murderer was not the hard part, the true challenge for Kido lies in the prosecution of the culprit…
As the story concludes the court building pillars are framed into view, their monumental upright presence a contrast to the film’s many flawed characters, citizens regarded and respected as pillars of Japanese society…
Masumura’s direction of the camera is striking as always. Shot in wide screen black and white by Yoshihisa Nakagawa who masterly confines the action within the wide screen frame, which cleverly emphasises the claustrophobia of Japanese organisations and society. With great characterizations the fast-paced story is an entertaining treat.
My 25th Yasuzô Masumura film, the maverick director, a sought after favourite for outstanding top rating Classic Japanese Cinema…
Kuro no hôkokusho aka Black Statement Book or The Black Report (1963) is a tale of murder, infidelity, lies, theft and the pursuit of justice.
Kakimoto president of the Fujiyama Food corporation is found murdered in his home. The film opens with the police and forensic team meticulously probing for clues; multiple people with potential motives are quickly identified. The investigation considers many angles, who was involved, and who was responsible? Was it the secretary who was also his mistress? The unfaithful wife? An angry son disgusted by his father’s immoral lifestyle? “To the public, he was the president of Fujiyama Foods. To me, he was a money-mad womaniser,” claims the murdered tycoon’s son.
The seemingly straightforward case for Public Prosecutor Kido becomes a tangled web. He is under immense pressure for he has been promised a promotion if a court room conviction can be secured.
Prosecutor Kido is up against Yamamuro a slick defense lawyer who will coerce his witnesses to say whatever it takes for him to win the case… The eventual discovery of the murderer was not the hard part, the true challenge for Kido lies in the prosecution of the culprit…
As the story concludes the court building pillars are framed into view, their monumental upright presence a contrast to the film’s many flawed characters, citizens regarded and respected as pillars of Japanese society…
Masumura’s direction of the camera is striking as always. Shot in wide screen black and white by Yoshihisa Nakagawa who masterly confines the action within the wide screen frame, which cleverly emphasises the claustrophobia of Japanese organisations and society. With great characterizations the fast-paced story is an entertaining treat.
My 25th Yasuzô Masumura film, the maverick director, a sought after favourite for outstanding top rating Classic Japanese Cinema…