Fighting Elegy – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #269 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

February 14, 2010 by Dennis Amith 

Seijun Suzuki’s masterpiece not about yakuza but about Japanese 1930′s youth gangs in a comedy/action film that is just entertaining and fun!  Definitely recommended!

Image courtesy of © 1996 Nikkatsu Corporation © 2005 The Criterion Collection. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Fighting Elegy – The Criterion Collection #269

DURATION: 86 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Monaural, 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio, 16:9 Widescreen

COMPANY: Janus Films/The Criterion Collection

RELEASED: 2005

Based on the Novel by Takashi Suzuki

Directed by Seijun Suzuki

Written by Kaneto Shindo

Produced by Kazu Otsuka

Music by Naozumi Yamamoto

Cinematography by Kenji Hagiwara

Edited by Masami Tanji

Production Design by Takeo Kimura

Art Direction by Takeo Kimura

Starring:

Hideki Takahashi as Kiroku Nanbu

Junko Asano as Michiko

Yusuke Kawazu as Suppon “Turtle”

Chikako Miyagi as Yoshino Nanbu

Seijiro Onda as Kiroku’s Father

Isao Tamagawa as Principal

Hiroshi Midorigawa as Ikki Kita

Chikako Miyagi as Yoshino Nabu

Mitsuo Kataoka as Takuan

Keisuke Noro as Kaneda

High schooler Kiroku Nanbu yearns for the prim, Catholic Michiko, but her only desire is to reform Kiroku’s sinful tendencies. Hormones raging, Kiroku channels his unsatisfied lust into the only outlet available: savage, crazed violence. Fighting Elegy (Kenka Erejii) is a unique masterpiece in the diverse career of Seijun Suzuki, combining the director’s signature bravura visual style with a brilliantly focused satire of machismo and fascism.

“Fighting Elegy (Kenka Elegy), the masterpiece of director Seijun Suzuki known for his many B-movies for Japan’s oldest major movie studio, Nikkatsu Company from 1956-1967.

Known for creating Yakuza films which include his popular 1963 film “Youth of the Beast” (Yaju no Seishun), the 1966 film “Tokyo Drifter (Tokyo Nagaremono) and the 1967 film “Branded to Kill” (Koroshi no Rakuin), despite his films not being big box office hits, he was known for creating films with striking compositions, hallucinatory images, flamboyant colors which were among his most well-known traits as a filmmaker.

“Fighting Elegy” is much different from his other three masterpiece films as this film was about rival gangs which would be the pre-cursor to Japan’s Yankii culture, in black and white and would bring together humor and violence altogether in one film.  The film was adapted from a novel by Takashi Suzuki courtesy of filmmaker Kaneto Shindo.

The film revolves around the character of Kiroku Nanbu (played by Hideki Takahashi), a teenager who lives in a boardinghouse and now a practicing Catholic and attends a military middle school in Okayama during the mid-1930′s.  Kiroku is in love with his landlord’s daughter Michiko, a talented pianist.

But although Kiroku tries to make it to mass and be there for Michiko, he is also involved with the local gang known as the OSMS. Having trained in fighting and has quick reflexes, he’s not very good at expressing how he feels and also has a problem with containing his love for Michiko.  In fact, each time he thinks of her, he literally gets a hard on and feels that he needs to masturbate.

Torn by wanting to be by Michiko’s side, unfortunately his gang doesn’t appreciate such things.  They have strict rules which involve becoming a rebel, getting into trouble and not having any girlfriends.  Despite having a father who doesn’t want for him to get into any trouble, Kiroku is so far into the gang and rebellious lifestyle that he seems he wants to create as much trouble as possible, although Michiko does what she can to stop him.

The film is broken down to two arcs.  The first half, being a blend of comedy and violence features Hideki trying his best to be a tough guy and gang member of OSMS but also having feelings for Michiko to a second half in which he moves to Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima where he goes on to create his own gang and trying to get used to his new living area.

Will Hideki find love with Michiko or will he continue to get deeper into a life of violence?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Fighting Elegy – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #269″ is resented in black and white (2:35:1 aspect ratio).  Fora film that is 45-years-old, the film looks very good courtesy of the new, restored high-definition digital transfer from Criterion.  According to Criterion, the HD digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm print struck from the original camera negative.  Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.

The soundtrack is in monaural and was mastered at 24-bit from the optical print track and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.  The soundtrack is Dolby Digital 1.0 but for those with modern home theater receivers can easily select stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Surprisingly, for a Criterion Collection DVD release from 2005, there are no special features included with this release but the original theatrical trailer (2:34) and a three-page essay by Tony Rayns (filmmaker, critic and festival programmer).

Also a two page note on Ikki Kita, the radical political thinker who wrote “An Outline of a Plan for the Reconstruction of Japan” in 1919 about his socialist views and providing land for farmers and equal profits for workers and their bosses.  He became a hero for young military officers who came from poor families especially during a time of Japan’s poor economy and having come off a devastating earthquake, the stock market crash of 1929 and eventually in Feb. 1936, over a thousand soldiers took to Tokyo and executed government officials.

Why is there a mention of Ikki Kita in this insert?  It’s because Kita plays a significant role in the end of “Fighting Elegy” and also was to play more of a role in the sequel which was not made because director Seijun Suzuki was fired by Nikkatsu in 1967.

“Fighting Elegy” is definitely a quirky but fun and action-packed Nikkatsu film by director Seijun Suzuki.  Sure, its different from his yakuza hits but I really enjoyed how Suzuki created a film about Japanese youth, especially ones that deal with the territorial youthful gangs and as mentioned, the precursor to today’s yankii gangs.

The film does away with the guns and the strippers and features fist fighting and whatever weapons these gangs created.  But what an interesting way to feature the film’s protagonist by somewhat making him a compassionate and violent Catholic man going through a sexual time of his life and using comedy to feature his masturbating tendencies.  You’re definitely not going to see this type of character anywhere but “Fighting Elegy”.  So, one can expect comedy and action in this film.

But I have to really give a thumbs up to the cinematography and the editing.  Crazy camera angles and weather conditions which Suzuki pulled of despite the film being created with such a low budget.  Plenty of memorable scenes from the gang war to the various areas of where Kiroku is getting in a fight.  May it be in a chicken farm or a field full of weeds.  This is Suzuki at his prime but trying to capture that Japanese mid-’30s flair through its characters and rebellious political and social beliefs of the Japanese people during that time.

Personally, “Fighting Elegy” may not be the first Suzuki film that fans who want to learn about Suzuki’s work should see until they see “Tokyo Drifter” or “Branded to Kill” first but nevertheless, this film is just entertaining, quirky but fun throughout.

Overall, “Fighting Elegy” is an enjoyable film but for a Criterion Collection release, I was surprised by its lack of special features.  Something I would expect to see from a 1998 release, not in 2005.  But nevertheless, this is the only way to catch this film and the picture quality on the DVD is just awesome!  Overall, “Fighting Elegy” is definitely recommended!