History Creator / SeijunSuzuki

Notable films by Seijun Suzuki

Suzuki earned his reputation on the 40 B-movies, mostly {{Yakuza}} Films, that he made for Nikatsu between 1956 and 1967. Growing bored with the generic mobster, delinquent, and girl-in-trouble fare that the studio gave him to direct, Suzuki started experimenting with lighting, color, and editing, focusing on the visuals and paring the script down to the absolute minimum necessary to carry the story, and sometimes [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible even less]]. His increasingly surreal style drew the ire of the studio, which resorted to cutting his budgets in an attempt to rein him in, which only led to Suzuki becoming even ''more'' creative, and ultimately forced him to film his magnum opus ''Branded to Kill'' in black and white. Fed up, the studio fired him in 1967 shortly after ''Branded to Kill'' was released, on the grounds that his films "made no money and made no sense." Suzuki successfully sued for breach of contract but was blacklisted for a decade as a result, forcing him to turn to acting and screenwriting to make a living.

* ''Film/PistolOpera'' (2001)

Japanese Auteur Seijun Suzuki was a filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter who was perhaps best considered the [[Creator/AkiraKurosawa anti-Kurosawa]]. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, and nihilistic RuleOfCool sensibilities

Japanese Auteur Seijun Suzuki is a filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter who is perhaps best considered the [[Creator/AkiraKurosawa anti-Kurosawa]]. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, and nihilistic RuleOfCool sensibilities

Suzuki remained largely unknown outside of Japan until a series of theatrical retrospectives in the mid 1980s, home video releases of key films in the late 1990s and tributes by such acclaimed filmmakers as Creator/JimJarmusch, Creator/TakeshiKitano, Wong Kar-wai and Creator/QuentinTarantino signaled his international discovery. Suzuki has continued making films, albeit sporadically. Nowadays he is more commonly recognized as an actor for his numerous roles in Japanese films and television.

* ''Film/PistolOpera'' (2001)

Suzuki earned his reputation on the 40 B-movies, mostly {{Yakuza}} Films, that he made for Nikatsu between 1956 and 1967. Growing bored with the generic mobster, delinquent, and girl-in-trouble fare that the studio gave him to direct, Suzuki started experimenting with lighting, color, and editing, focusing on the visuals and paring the script down to the absolute minimum necessary to carry the story, and sometimes even less. His increasingly surreal style drew the ire of the studio, which resorted to cutting his budgets in an attempt to rein him in, which only led to Suzuki becoming even ''more'' creative, and ultimately forced him to film his magnum opus ''Branded to Kill'' in black and white. Fed up, the studio fired him in 1967 shortly after ''Branded to Kill'' was released, on the grounds that his films "made no money and made no sense." Suzuki successfully sued for breach of contract but was blacklisted for a decade as a result, forcing him to turn to acting and screenwriting to make a living.

* ''Kanto Wanderer'' (1963)
* ''Gate Of Flesh'' (1964)
* ''Fighting Elegy'' (1966)
* ''Tokyo Drifter'' (1966)
* ''Branded to Kill'' (1967)
* ''Pistol Opera'' (2001)

Suzuki remained largely unknown outside of Japan until a series of theatrical retrospectives in the mid 1980s, home video releases of key films in the late 1990s and tributes by such acclaimed filmmakers as Jim Jarmusch, Takeshi Kitano, Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino signaled his international discovery. Suzuki has continued making films, albeit sporadically. Nowadays he is more commonly recognized as an actor for his numerous roles in Japanese films and television.

Japanese Auteur Seijun Suzuki is a filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter that's perhaps best considered as the [[AkiraKurosawa anti-Kurosawa]]. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, and nihilistic RuleOfCool sensibilities