Viewed on DVD. Restoration = ten (10) stars; color photography = nine (9) stars; costumes and set designs = nine (9) stars; subtitles = three (3) stars; choreography/stunts = two (2) stars. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa's tale takes place when the age of the Samurai soldier class was just beginning (late 1100's). His film begins with rousing scenes (and a matching orchestral score!) that have the look (photographed in gorgeous color) and feel (great editing) of an epic film. Unfortunately, the excitement is fleeting (it lasts for just about one reel--less than 10 minutes): the photo play rapidly dissolves into stagy, melodramatic nonsense. The score is also down sized from an orchestra to a single Shamisen or Koto. Red-flag warnings that the best has come and is going/gone include: frequent voice-over expository (NEVER a good sign); limply choreographed sword fights (stunt extras make a big show of sword pointing, but rarely are shown to follow through); and a ridiculous chase scene (stunt performers are "shot off " their horses with arrows that only appear after the fact (when a "dead" rider is shown crumpled on the ground)). The performance of the lead actor (who has a pathological sex-object fixation) is pretty much limited to fuming facial expressions. While the lead actress (the sex object) pretty much plays a "dumb brunette." Neither appears to have received much guidance from the Director. Interior sets, costumes, and makeup add much to project an aura of period authenticity. Costuming includes the use of colored horse blankets to help the audience separate the good guys who used to be the bad guys from the bad guys posing as good guy who use to be the really bad guys (or was it the other way around?). All of whom, of course, are played by the same stunt actors. The scenario delivers a surprise ending which is tragic but nonetheless pretty dumb. Cinematography (narrow screen, color) and interior lighting are excellent. Subtitles are in great need of adult grammatical editing. They are usually too long, too complicated/abstract, and too short in their screen flash rates. (Constantly having to press the pause button on your player to read/check translations is a royal pain!) Great in several (mostly technical) respects, but not a great movie overall. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
Review of Gate of Hell
