Pale Flower
Directed by: Masahiro Shinoda
Written by: Ataru Baba, Masahiro Shinoda
Starring: Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki

I have practically no experience with Japanese New Wave filmmaking but it’s clear that the influence of Pale Flower has seeped its way through the landscape of modern crime films (Jim Jarmusch’s filmography comes to mind). After my first viewing I found Masahiro Shinoda’s film to be as mysterious as it is cool with it’s stark black and white photography, inspired visuals and complex characterizations. It also left me realizing that it might take a second viewing to totally grasp the subtleties of Pale Flower.

The film stars Ryo Ikebe as Muraki, a Yakuza gangster fresh out of prison. Having been put away for murdering a member of a rival gang, he quickly realizes upon his release that the two factions have since called a truce, leaving him to adjust to the changes. During this time, Muraki frequents an illegal gambling parlour and meets Saeko, a woman addicted to the thrill of betting large sums of money — and often losing. She looks to Muraki to introduce her to a game with bigger bets and higher stakes, and he obliges. From there they engage in a mutually destructive relationship as Muraki attempts to keep up with Saeko’s ever increasing need for danger. Eventually she catches the eye of a mysterious man who introduces her to drugs. Meanwhile, Muraki is caught up in another hit for his Yakuza clan leaders. He uses the opportunity to offer Saeko the ultimate thrill; to watch him murder a rival gang leader.

Maybe it’s my limited knowledge in Japanese cinema (and Japanese culture) that left me a little confused by Pale Flower’s esoteric filmmaking. While there’s definitely a basic plot line and a couple of archetypical characters — the just-out-of-prison criminal and the obsessed-with-danger femme fatale — I still felt like I was really missing out on subtle themes and subtextual commentary that could stand out as particularly brilliant to those more attune such things. As a crime story, it still delivers with some great cinematography, characterizations and a look at the inner-workings of the Yakuza. Shinoda pays great attention to the structure of the criminal organization, adding a procedural element that I’ve always loved in gangster films. There’s also the story of the ex-con emerging from prison, forced to acclimatize to a changed criminal landscape while resisting the urge to indulge in the same crimes that had them sent away in the first place. It’s a familiar plot that has popped up in numerous films over the years, including a couple of which I’ve recently watched; Fernando Di Leo’s 1972 crime film Milano Calibro 9 (Caliber 9) features a similar basic concept, and more recently Brian De Palma’s ‘Carlito’s Way’ deals with similar themes.

A huge chunk of the film is based around underground gambling, with extended sequences dedicated to various members of the Yakuza playing some sort of Japanese card/tile game. Watching the film for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel totally lost as I have zero idea how this game actually works and remained totally dependant upon music cues and crowd reactions to figure out exactly what was happening. After listening to some of the selected scene commentary by film scholar Peter Grilli, it turns out the game is likely unfamiliar to Japanese viewers as well. Apparently it’s a game likely played within Yakuza circles and the audience isn’t expected to be able to follow along. In fact, much of the film is fairly ambiguous, leaving many unanswered questions. The film definitely puts a lot of faith in its audience to realize which questions are important and worth pursuing, and which ones are better left unanswered (or not asked). I think a familiarity with the history of this sub-genre of filmmaking will help viewers fully appreciate the nuances Masahiro Shinoda has injected into Pale Flower. Having said that, there is a basic gangster story at the heart of the film and Shinoda delivers it masterfully with the use of some striking visuals and a feverish, avant-garde jazz score by Toru Takemitsu and Yuji Takahashi.

The blu ray captures the black and white The supplemental materials are a little light on this release, consisting only of a new video interview with director Masahiro Shinoda, the original theatrical trailer, and selected-scene audio commentary by film scholar Peter Grilli, producer of Music for the Movies: Toru Takemitsu. I’ve never really understood the point of selected-scene commentaries as it’s usually expected that a commentary track will run the entire length of a film. After all, there are tons of movies that get full commentary tracks that really don’t need them, so it’s a bit disappointing to see a film like Pale Flower receiving such minimal analysis. Still, I suppose it makes sense considering the fact that Peter Grilli is commenting specifically on Toru Takemitsu’s score, which might not require feature length treatment. Having said that, it would’ve been nice to see the gaps in the film filled with some thoughts by another film historian who could speak to the other elements of the film. — Jay C.

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