User reviews

During WW II there were no Japanese films ever shown in the United States and this

was the first film presented to the American Public in 1954. It is outstanding in its color presentation of the country of Japan and the photography and character studies received great awards and acknowledgment The story involves a married woman, Machiko Kyo, (Lady Kesa), who is a very beautiful lady who is desired and lusted after by another man. This man does not care about her being married and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. However, there is more to the story, and it depicts conditions in Japanese households and their way of living and thinking. Machiko Kyo appeared in "The Teahouse of the August Moon",'56 and starred with Marlon Brando. This is a worthwhile film to watch and enjoy. A truly great Classic Film.

A samurai falls in love with a woman whose life he saves. He is offered a reward for his bravery, and he asks if he can be married to that woman. Unfortunately, she is already married and the samurai's request cannot be fulfilled. He is steadfast in his desire, and tries forcibly to take her from her husband. The elements of many cheap thrillers exist in that scenario. Gate of Hell doesn't do too much to distinguish itself, although it's certainly not a thriller. Basically, the whole film is an excuse for its admittedly great climactic sequence, where the samurai invades the home of the woman and her husband at night. I really like how this sequence ends, but there are some questions left unanswered - annoyingly so. The husband even asks them aloud, and there really isn't a satisfactory explanation. Other than that sequence, most of the rest of the film is kind of tedious. Fortunately, the absolutely beautiful cinematography - was this Japan's first film in color? - always manages to be impressive. The costume design actually won an Academy Award, a much deserved one, if I may say so myself. It also won an honorary Oscar for Best Foreign Film, the year before that category was made official. Furthermore, it was the first Japanese film to win the Palme D'Or at Cannes. 7/10.

In 1160, in the Heiji Era, Lord Kiyomori (Koreya Senda) travels with his court to the Temple of Itsukushima and his Sanjo Castle is invaded by two other lords, in a coup d'etat. The loyal samurai Moritoh Enda (Kazuo Hasegawa) asks the court lady Kesa (Machiko Kyô) to pose of the lord's sister to create a diversion while the lord's real sister and his father flee in the middle of the people.

Then Moritoh travels to meet Lord Kiyomon and fights with him to defeat the enemies and the coup fails. Lord Kiyomon rewards the warriors that helped him and when he asks Moritoh what he wishes, he requests to marry Kesa. The lord grants his wish but soon he learns that Kesa is married with Wataru Watanabe (Isao Yamagata), a samurai from the imperial guard. Moritoh harasses Kesa and threatens her, promising to kill her husband, her aunt and her if she does not marry him. Kesa's decision leads the trio to a tragic fate.

"Jigokumon" is a Japanese classic released in Brazil by the best Brazilian distributor on a totally restored version on DVD. The dramatic story of love, obsession and tragedy is developed in slow pace and has great performances and stunning cinematography with wonderful colors and camera angles. The tragic conclusion based on the code of honor of Moritoh that will live in disgrace is frustrating for Westerns that would prefer the conclusion with a decapitation or seppuku (harakiri) instead. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Portal do Inferno" ("Gate of the Hell")

In Gate of Hell, a samurai is rewarded for his courage with anything he desires, but what he desires is the wife of another samurai.

Gate of Hell was one of the most popular Japanese imports of the 1954-55 American film season and winner of two Academy Awards and the Cannes Grand Prize. I first saw it as a teenager and was captivated by its gorgeous color and beautiful cinematography.

According to Jasper Sharp of Japan Cult Cinema, "Still today the film looks as stunning as ever, with its opening battle scenes partially shrouded behind billowing veils and banners, and the majestic flight of the troops from the burning imperial palace providing some of the most remarkable images, as well such memorable set pieces as a horse race and Moritoh's tense night time confrontation with Wataru and Kesa at the film's climax".

Appearing around the same time Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), Kimisaburo Yoshimura's The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari, 1952), and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (Ugetsu Monogatari, 1953), Kinugasa's film is part of what is often termed The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema.

Adapted from a play by the twentieth century writer Kan Kikuchi, based on a story from the Heian period (794-1185) - the same era in which Rashomon and The Tale of Genji are set - Kinugasa's film opens in the midst of the spectacular battle of the Heiji War.

A revolt against the Emperor has been put down and Moritoh (Kasuo Hasegawa), a brave warrior is granted any wish he desires. Moritoh asks for the hand of Kesa (Machiko Kyo) but this request proves impossible to grant, since Lady Kesa is already married to Wataru (Isao Yamagata). Moritoh refuses to take no for an answer and becomes obsessed with obtaining Kesa as his wife, even if it means threatening the life of her husband to achieve his ends.

This film held my interest but I found the plot predictable and the acting exaggerated (Moritoh looks more ridiculous than frightening). According to Sharp, "Kinugasa himself was fully aware of his picture's dramatic weaknesses, and blamed intervention from his producer, an under-developed script, and a rushed working schedule due to a release date fixed in advance".

Perhaps this could have been a truly great film, but, to me, it is simply a very good film that falls short.

Despite my love for Japanese films, I felt very underwhelmed by this picture. The plot was interesting (about a man who MUST have a married woman and demands her hand when he is offered ANY reward for his service to the Shogun), and the color cinematography is great BUT overall, the film felt a little too sterile--as if the actors were over-restrained in their performance. This is really a shame, as despite a great ending and an interesting premise, just doesn't elevate itself to greatness. I gave my videotape to a friend and asked his opinion and he, too, felt the film was a bit dull and sterile at times. This seemed to be an attempt to make a great film that just needed more polish to raise it above mediocrity.

I saw this last night on TCM, which, BTW, is a rare treasure in this medium called the "idiot box". Isn't it remarkable that this movie is 53 years old, and it still sparkles? What an accomplishment! It had the ingredients of a truly great film - complex characters that are developed fully and efficiently, great story-telling with attention to details, and good acting - a little stylized, but keep in mind that that impression might be due partially to Westerners unfamiliarity with Japanese culture, and partially to how the definition of "good acting" has evolved.

I love the film's nobility and moral rectitude. Those were the days when (and we were in a culture where) "doing the right thing" was the expected norm. It was seen in Moritoh's loyalty at the price of - at least it seems at the time - expediency, which was preceded by Kesa's unflinching sense of duty and willingness to lay down her own life. This is the beauty of Kesa's "soul" that Moritoh found out all-too-late he failed to see, which manifested itself as bookends in the plot, but is in fact the moral center of the movie. Such ideals are no longer frequently or fully embraced these days. Look at how we glorify criminals in shows like The Sopranos and Thief. I also liked how the plot falls together: Kesa's readiness to sacrifice herself at the outset of the story made her self-immolation at the end of the film ring true. The little details: remember the talk of chestnuts when Moritoh first saw Kesa with her aunt? We saw later on those very chestnuts hanging on the swaying trees during Moritoh's unfortunate night time visit. When Wataru and Kesa took what turned out to be their last walk in the garden under a full moon, it was all peace and serenity. The very same setting is transformed sinister and ominous just moments later, with the moon now hidden by clouds, as Moritoh slowly emerges out of the darkness in the background - a truly masterful and memorable scene in the history of cinema.

The theme of "folly" pervades the movie: we see a lot of it just from one character, Lord Kiyamori - and he's a top dog and a leader! His son had to advise him to act quickly to quash the uprising when we first see him. He then failed to reward Kesa, who is every bit as deserving as Moritoh of recognition. Even if you chalk that failure up to be culturally driven, we have his Jephthah-like stupidity and arrogance in giving Moritoh pretty much carte-blanche in his wish for a reward. What's more, we have his incessant and insensitive teasing - instrumental in precipitating the tragedy, in that it made the proud Moritoh all the more determined to have Kesa. Was Wataru cowardly, foolish, or both, when he "threw" the race? Lest you missed it, there's the cruel irony of Moritoh's comment after his brother's treachery resulted in his execution, "My brother was a foolish man". Well you proved to be no Solomon, Moritoh.

I thought it was a little frustrating to watch Kesa's helplessness when Moritoh blackmailed her. Surely there's another way out, woman! But I suppose that's part of the tragic theme: all the characters had strengths as well as tragic flaws. At the risk of second-guessing the director of a great movie, I felt that he could have kept the identity of the person in bed a secret until the moment of truth, but I'm sure I need to remind myself that this is not meant to be a thriller. I'd like to watch this movie again, maybe along with a movie it reminds me of: Kurosawa's Ran.

Supposedly the first Japanese film shown in the US after the war, this film was highly regarded by many critics and won a well-deserved Oscar for costume design.

It starts out as a war movie, but that is only a backdrop to what is really going to happen. In an uprising, Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyô) pretends to be royalty to fake out the rebels and allow the real queen to escape. She ends up in the home of Sir Moritoh (Kazuo Hasegawa) and is there until the rebellion is crushed.

Sir Moritoh asks for her hand as a reward for his service, but finds out she is married to Wataru (Isao Yamagata), the head of the palace guards.

This is the real story: a fool in love with another man's wife who will not give up his pursuit. I imagine that a lot of us can see ourselves in Moritoh. Cue Elvis, the King, singing "Fools Fall in Love." Lady Kesa is forced in the end to don disguise once again to save her love in this tragic tale.

Not only were the costumes beautiful, but the cinematography was outstanding also.

'Gate of Hell' is a story about loyalties. All those who transgress their loyalties, and are beaten or unmasked, are sent to 'Hell' through its 'Gate'. In this movie, the loyalty operates at the social (clan) as well as at the personal level. Rival subjects of the emperor break loyalties by fighting each other for a privileged position at the court. On the other hand, unrestrained passion and sexual harassment of wives of other clan members are also considered as an unacceptable conduct. One of the participants of the yearly 'ceremony of conciliation' among the clans is simply thrown out of the ceremony for his aggressive behavior. Finally, there is also the loyalty of a wife to her husband.

Teinosuke Kinugasa's movie shines through its magical mix of color and light, with dark scenes for unrestrained passion and light ones for beauty and self-sacrifice: every frame of every shot is simply a formidable Japanese print. It shines also through the masterful directing and the restraint acting of its main female character. Ultimately, it shines through its treatment of such almighty important themes as the battle between 'good and evil' / 'war and peace' resulting in 'life or death' for its protagonists.

While Carl Theodor Dreyer's 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' was a pioneering feature film because of its camera movements and bold focalizing, while Dziga Vertov's 'Man with a Movie Camera' was a pioneering movie because of its brilliant shooting angles, its split screens and its rhythmic 'one by one frame' editing, Teinosuke Kinugasa's 'Gate of Hell' is a pioneering movie because of his magnificent play with light and color, turning it into a grandiose spectacle. He shot an eternal masterpiece. A must see.

The castle is being attacked, so married lady-in-waiting Machiko Kyô pretends to be the chatelaine. But low-class samurai Kazuo Hasegawa develops a yen for her. After a great deed, he is offered his choice of rewards, and not knowing the situation asks for her. As others laugh at him for his lack of savoir-faire, his desires grow stronger.

This is and was an acclaimed film, winning the Best Foreign Movie Oscar. I can understand why. The recent restoration shows off the fine photography and Eastmancolor to good effect. Yet I find it peculiarly bloodless. Part of it is due to this being one of those old stories that everyone knows, so it is relatively underplayed in the midst of a society drama during the rise of the Samurai class in the 12th century. This is not aided by the formal compositions of cinematographer Kôhei Sugiyama and the extreme Dutch angles director Teinosuke Kinugasa employed so often in his career. It's as if no one really cares, but they're pretending to, and Kingusa is straining to put some life into the movie.

Kingusa started off playing female roles. By 1922, he had switched to directing. He made the transition to sound in the 1930s, directing more than 125 movies through 1966, then retired. He died in 1982, aged 86.

I saw this film in 1970 or 1971 in New York and have remembered it ever since. We came in late to a double feature and didn't see the title--I have been unsure of it all these years. It features impressive battle scenes, a heart-wrenching love story and beautiful cinematography. It is also the first film I ever saw that depicted medieval Japanese culture in all its glory. The beautifully photographed compound of the shogun is, by itself, worth the price of admission. There are many interior shots, showing beautiful rooms with sliding screens that figure in the plot. Now I would dearly love to see Gate of Hell again, but apparently it is not available on DVD. Criterion, here is a worthy quest for you!!

Female impersonator and actor turned film director, Teinosuke Kinugasa began in the silent era and made more than 120 films with Jigokumon aka: Gate of Hell being is his best known in the west. Based upon a play, it indeed appears rather theatrical to a modern viewer and, to me, seemed more like the sub plot of a Shakespearean play rather than a stand alone tale. Beginning as a period battle epic this soon becomes a simple drama of unrequited love, mistaken identity and personal tragedy. It looks fantastic and particularly bearing in mind this was made in the early 50s the colours and staging are most impressive. I would have liked at least a glimpse of the castle but we have to make do with the titular gate and the admitedly glorious costumes.

In 1159, during an attempted coup, one of the court's ladies in waiting disguises herself as the lord's wife, and a loyal samurai conveys her from the city. This diversion allows the royal family to escape. After the coup fails, the samurai asks his lord to let him marry the woman as his reward.

This film is notable for its being in color, one of the first movies in Japan to be this way. It also happens to be a pretty decent samurai story. Thanks to some fine folks, Criterion was able to release a cleaned up version in 2011. One wonders if they could go back and improve it even more in 2016 with those fancy 4K scans.

Regardless, for fans of the samurai film, it is important to remember two things: not all samurai films are Kurosawa, and not all samurai are completely honorable.

It has been over 40 years (!) since I first saw this film, and I still see it, whenever I can. In my opinion, not only is it a masterpiece, but its use of colour may well be the the best of any film ever made.

When you think it took half a century for the greatest ambassador of Japanese cinema to settle with color, you might regard that choice with unfair suspicion and Teinosuke Kinugasa's "Gate of Hell" might strike as a rather conventional production for its time.

Indeed, its sweeping epic opening is painted with such a flamboyant palette of colors that a cynical mind would keep a certain distance, even believing that the feast to the eyes is only a fig leaf for a rather simplistic plot or the commercial ambition of a good Technicolor Japanese export (the film was photographed by Eastman cameras). But that would be a misjudgment despite the very fact that it was the first Japanese film in color released internationally and earning the country its first Great Prize at Cannes.

Sure, there is no denial of Kurosawa's importance on the field of cinematic conventions, but there's no doubt either that "Gate of Hell" is a marvelously crafted film, with still frames that have the astonishingly authentic look of medieval paintings and an opening showing rebellious soldiers attacking a castle, running so fast at the panic-stricken inhabitants the screen had the blurriness of Robert Capa's Normandy pictures... who could also be indifferent to the aerial shot of horsemen escaping the castle and running below green foliage; a single shot that has the 'clear line' delicacy and sense of detail of the Great Wave of Kanagawa? Kingasa also gratifies us with a spellbinding horse race that would turn sport cameramen green jealous, even the background seems in a hurry to keep track on them.

Such images can't be the product of luck or technical mastery alone, it is obvious despite its short runtime that this is a movie that took time to be made to offer us such a dazzling and vibrant imagery. As for the plot, well, it it simple, it tells basically a triangular love, a loyal Samurai Moritoh Eda (Kazuo Hasegawa) has a love at first sight with a court lady named Kesa (Mashiko Kyo) who was escorted out of the castle to pass as the King's sister (a device that would remind Kurosawa fans of "Kagemusha"). Eda's loyalty pays off and you can see his eyes burning for the young and vulnerable lady-in-waiting; unbeknownst to him, she's already married to an imperial guard Samurai Wataru Watanebe (Isao Yamagata) and so the only wish he asked as a reward couldn't be fulfilled and it doesn't take a Japanese historian to know what marriage duties meant at the time.

But strangely enough, that doesn't stop Eda, who for a reason that escapes even the viewer, can't resign to himself to forget the beautiful woman. It would be easier for us to accept his passion was she married to an abuser but her husband is a rather patient and reasonable man played by the most serene and badass of the seven samurai (the sword expert). If the plot is simple, we're puzzled by the status of the protagonist, who slowly descends to villainous territories in this film, once the backstory of the rebellion reveals itself to be just a foil for us, a sort of McGuffin, it's just as if we were fooled by the director himself who made us expect some Japanese swashbuckler in the great Jidageiki tradition. But this is a love story or maybe a story of love and tragedy.

And at the center of this collision between passion and reason, there's Kesa, the lady from "Rashomon" who lives in the convenient quietness of a woman abandoning herself to her duty and can't understand why she would inspire such passion. Does she love her husband? It's rather irrelevant at that time where hierarchy extended to marital conventions. Does she hate Eda? She would though but does she? Kyo plays that woman with a performance that might be too subtle. Her mouth is so tiny it barely hints at what she thinks and she remains a mystery, but there's something about her, in the way she plucks these chords, in her relative abandonment that makes her so passive and yet she's ironically the most active character, because reason stops .... And passion blinds ..... The way the film ends is puzzling but reveals the true nature of "Gate of Hell", something deeper that what it shows first, or what it might tell through some unnecessary expository dialogues here and there.

I read reviewers complaining about the slow opening, it is true but that's the paradox of a film whose epic opening doesn't prepare you for its introspective conclusion, nor for its complex range of emotions. A film with such an action-packed opening you might not see the ending coming, it's not a twist, it's a little more.

"Gate of Hell" might feel dated by our standards, not "original" enough for those who enjoy Kurosawa film but there's passion in it and if you don't get it from the main character, you might get it at least for the efforts put to make one of the first masterpieces in color in Japan. It might not be re-watchable, but one movie lover can't refuse such a film.

Wow! What an awesome movie. The leading lady was gorgeous, the shots were magnificent, the music was fantastic, and overall, this was a great movie.

Although it is in Japanese, and I saw it with subtitles, it is still the best movie I have seen all year.

This movie totally held my attention, and delivered everything I could have wanted, but not in the way that I expected. Wow! Easy to see why this movie won an Oscar for best foreign film. I would say that it is as good as any movie I have ever seen. I loved it.

If you are looking for something different from a film, give this one a look. You will not be disappointed.

Desert-Buddha

Great find at my public library: eye-poppingly gorgeous restored print of Kinogasa Teinosuke's 1953 "Gate of Hell (Jigoku Mon)" out in Criterion edition, UPC: 7-15515- 10451-7

Has everything visually that drew me to classic Japanese cinema when I was a kid. The color and pattern sense of 12th century clothing and home décor and the use of light and shadow one was more likely to see in a b&w film than in most Technicolor films of the early 1950's.

The story is based on a contemporary historical account of the Heiji Rebellion of 1160 and its aftermath, intertwining images from a picture scroll depicting the rebellion with the live action of the movie. The plot centers on the lives of three people caught up in what would have been a love triangle if the lady in question had agreed to it. Instead, she is the victim of Travis Bickel-like stalker who won't take "no" for an answer.

May not be for all tastes: not as much chambara (sword fighting) as some people like in their jidaigeki (historical dramas), and a little over the top on the melodrama, but still worth seeing, especially from the technical standpoint of benchmarking a great job of color film restoration. Not garish, but jaw-droppingly accurate.

Being a fan of the "Samurai" genre, I was taken in by this film. I actually found this video at the local library. The visuals are wonderful, sword-play is very realistic, acting is excellent. The plot comes on strong, but becomes very predictable by the end. Still, worth checking out.

Gate of Hell (Japanese: Jigokumon) (1953) Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa 7/10

Jidaigeki film, Gorgeous costumes, set design, Lyrical koto. Stubborn man seeks married girl. A testament to honor.

Tanka, literally "short poem", is a form of poetry consisting of five lines, unrhymed, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview

Some thirty years ago, I was lucky enough to see this film in Paris. We left the theatre well past midnight and we were marvelling at the intensity of the movie. Black and white version, Japanese with subtitles. Uneasy, one would say. Yet, it gave us and still gives me so many years later a wonderful feeling of beauty. Roughly following the script of the French novel 'Princesse of Cleves', it describes the tragedy of being faithful to one's oath. Married and intending to stay true to her husband, the heroine refuses the loving entreaties of the samurai who saved her life. Realizing that she will stay with her husband though she may have only feelings of friendship toward said spouse,the hero decides to 'free' her by killing said husband. Naturally, this being a Stoicism tragedy: The husband discovers belatedly his wife really loves/loved him, the samurai discovers too late that been faithful comes with a price etc etc...

It is beauty, pure beauty. Such a change from nowadays ridiculous re-writings like some coming blockbusters.

Tinasuke Kinugasa's colorful Gate of Hell is a feast for the eyes depicting samurais competing for the same woman. Featuring a stunning opening of a palace under siege by revolting Samurai it soon dilutes into more wordplay and less swordplay, the pace picking up sparingly over the rest of the picture.

Peasant girl Kesa (Mashiko Kyo) volunteers to masquerade as "her majesty" during a coup to take them off the trail of the actual ruler. A lower class Samuria Morito (Kazua Hazegawa) charged with her care, treats her poorly during the escape. They meet later after the rebellion has been put down with her being elevated and it turns out married after he makes a request to the ruling monk to convey his intentions. It does not stop him however in his pursuit.

It cannot be repeated enough how colorful this film explodes on the screen with the incredible wall of fabric, costume and regalia displayed in "Gates." It simply mesmerizes at times but not enough to get past the love sick homicidal dimwittedness and long winded desires of the dog kicking brute Morita. The bland response to the film's climactic moment resulting in civil discussion simply betrays the code and implies a certain misogyny. There is no other way to color it.

I didn't know much about "Gate of Hell" before I watched it other than that it won an honorary foreign film Oscar in 1954 before there was a competitive international category and that it also won the award for color costume design at a time when it was rare for foreign films to be recognized in technical categories. It might have just been a matter of bad timing, therefore, that I wasn't in to it. I had just watched the Ridley Scott film "The Last Duel" earlier in the same weekend, and the two films share a lot of the same plot points and themes. I think I just wasn't in the mood for another story about aggressive and toxic men going after each other over a woman who's given very little say in what happens to her.

The film is rather famous for its stunning color, deservedly so. If the Academy was going to recognize it for its costume design, it should have done the same for the art direction. It's a slowly paced film. It felt sluggish to me, but again, in a different mood, maybe I would have found the pacing suspenseful rather than slow.

Grade: B.