Manji [DVD]

Thank you!

Masumura's work is the cinematic equivalent of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories.His universe is populated with characters who live on the brink of despair and psychological breakdown.The dramatic intensity and visual panache of his movies makes him an undervaluated master of the new wave movement.MANJI and THE BLIND BEAST are masterpieces of underground cinema whose surreal intensity reminds me such masters as Ken Russel and David Lynch and should not be missed.

"Manji" is pure Junichiro Tanizaki. All of his favorite themes are on display: the modern, Westernized Japanese girl representing a moral void intent on servicing only her own interests to the destruction of others, the obsession with such a figure, going beyond sexuality to absolute slavish devotion, even the spanking. Tanizaki was an author with a definite viewpoint, and director Yasuzo Masumura has captured this viewpoint perfectly.The fulcrum in "Manji" is Mitsuko Tokumitsu, a woman of profound beauty and charisma who invites comparisons to Kanon, the Japanese Goddess of Compassion. She is every inch the modern girl, in Western suits and fashionable haircuts. Her lover, Sonoko Kakiuchi, is a traditional Japanese beauty, never seen out of a kimono and happily shunning her husband in favor of her Goddess. Sonoko's long suffering husband Kotaro senses something unusual about the friendship, but is so distanced from his wife he is unable to penetrate the mystery. As a blind to their lesbian trysts, Sonoko and Mitsuko create a wedding and a pregnancy for Mitsuko, to the unbalanced Eijiro Watanuki. But Eijiro is every bit as obsessed with Mitsuko as Sonoko, and is unwilling to be the side player, scheming to remove the obstacles to his desire. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that while Mitsuko may be a goddess, there is nothing about her resembling compassion, and that she is playing everyone against each other. And then it gets complicated.Tanizaki's stories always show a spiraling descent into the madness of obsession. The more powerful Mitsuko becomes, the more she manipulates and destroys the psyche and willpower of those who love her. All of them, Sonoko, Eijiro and even Kotaro become her toys, and she is a skilled puppeteer. There is only one possible conclusion to these events, and it is only a question of who will arrive there with whom.While Masumura has captured Tanizaki's themes perfectly, the acting in "Manji" borders on melodrama, and occasionally leaps off the deep end. This style of acting is typical of older Japanese films, but in "Manji" it can be difficult to decide if the actors are playing it for comedy or despair. Also, while the film deals with sexuality, it is by no means a skinflick, and there is no actual nudity. This tends to hamper the rawness of the conflicts, as seen in later Masumura films like "Blind Beast" where powerful sexual obsession is tackled head on.The Fantoma DVD for "Manji" is well put together, as are most Masumura Fantoma releases. There is a theatrical trailer, as well as cast and director notes.

This film was the second Masumura film that I saw. Like "Giants and Toys", the film feels broad for its first half. The acting feels a little bit overwrought, but by the end of the film, the character's plight actually resonates. The film is based on a Tanizaki novel, so while there is a bit of "erotic" content, it's not cheap or exploitative. The booklet contains an excellent essay with cultural background for the film and analysis by a film scholar that I found useful.For the record, Manji is the name of that swastika looking symbol on the front cover. (It has nothing to do with Nazism. It's a Buddhist symbol.) Recommended for fans of Japanese Cinema.