Film Review: Gate of Hell - Essay Example

Film Review: “Gate of Hell” Introduction: Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa, d director and pioneer of Japanese film, “Gate of Hell” was released in 1953. The storyline is based on a play by Kikuchi Kan, the famous Japanese author. Winner of two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume in 1955 along with a grand prize in Cannes, this is the first full-length feature film in Japan to use Technicolor. Originally released as “Jigokumon”, the film is set against the 12th century feudal Japan (the Heiji Disturbance of 1159) and tells the story of a courageous samurai Endoh Moritoh, who is to be rewarded with anything he desires.

When he expresses his desire to marry the lady of his life Lady Kesa, it is duly granted but only to his disappointment to find out the lady love as a married woman whose devotion for her husband is unshakable. In other words, this movie is set during a period immediately before the years described in The Tale of the Heike. Character portrayals: The character of Kiyomori, the head of the Taira clan is that of a fearless leader who continued to take his clan toward prosperity with considerable prudence.

Being criticized for his arrogance in the book of The Tale of the Heike, the film portrays his characterization with similar attitude. The character of Kiyomori is an embodiment of power mixed with arrogance. It is the powerful Kiyomori who successfully handled the rebellion by putting a firm end to it and contributed to the opulence of the Taira clan. At the same time, it is the arrogant Kiyomori who abused his power to humiliate Lady Kesa by approving Moritoh of marrying her despite the fact that Kiyomori was aware of Lady Kesa’s marital status.

It is interesting to note how Kiyomori’s character is portrayed as the powerful and suitable leader of the Taira clan and contrastingly arrogant when it comes to humiliating the honor of a lady. Shigemori is Kiyomori’s oldest son and heir. Being the son of the chieftain of the Taira clan, Shigemori shared the prosperity of his father. He was the Palace Minister and Major Captain of the Left. Shigemori’s role is mostly limited to the hard period of the Heiji Disturbance. McCullough talks about the brave portrayal of Shigemori, “Shigemori figures in history as a brave, effective military soldier” (p. 463). The warrior from the Taira clan, Shigemori is shown as the suitable successor of Kiyomori.

In a way, the characterization of the father-son duo symbolizes power and warriorship. Moritoh is the protagonist in the film, a samurai portraying the embodiment of true warriorship. The samurai’s courage is evidently showcased with his remarkable involvement in overthrowing the rebellion. However, he is denied of his reward as he is rejected by his lady love. In other words, the powerful samurai is portrayed as a desperate figure who is devoid of his desires. Watanabe Wataru, Lady Kesa’s husband is portrayed as a loyal husband who loves his wife with complete devotion.

He is weak as a warrior but comes up stronger as a husband with pure faith and love for his wife. In terms of Moritoh’s obsession for Lady Kesa, his feeling is somehow not consistent with the ethics he observes as a warrior. No doubt Moritoh is a prominent personification of power and true warriorship. He is acclaimed largely because of his brave and courageous display in the defeat of the rebellion. But this acclamation does not stand tall when it comes to his unworthy act of humiliation against Lady Kesa.

When deprived of the reward of his love, Moritoh almost forces and threatens Lady Kesa only to be rejected by the latter. Lady Kesa’s ultimate decision to remain loyal to her husband is inevitable as she is portrayed as a wife of complete devotion, love and respect to her husband. In a similar manner, Moritoh’s ultimate decision to adopt monkhood is inevitable because this is what is expected from a true samurai. A samurai as a true warrior is the embodiment of power, bravery and courage.

Moritoh has earned all these during his successful handling of the rebellion. But he almost lost it when he humiliated Lady Kesa and was rejected by her love. The film “Gate of Hell” is a symbolic representation of pride, honor and the code of the people involved. The film talks about courage and power on one hand and dejection and humiliation of moral values on the other. In other words, the main characters of this film remind audience of the misinterpretation as well as the absence of ethical values in the realm of power and courage.

Losing the true meaning of a samurai leads the protagonist to go through the gate of hell, in this case, the humiliation of that courage and honor, finally leading him through the path of monkhood or a complete abandonment of violence and warriorship. The film is considered as a landmark film for Japanese cinema. With its wonderful illustration of the 12th century feudal Japan, the film provides a remarkable contribution to our understanding of the culture and history of 12th century Japan, the conflicts and rebellions of the warrior clans, the clashes of power, and above all, a familiar sketch of the samurai culture, to some extent.

To conclude, “Gate of Hell” represents a compact picture of samurais, clashes of clans and their power, honor, courage and moral ethics of the people. References: Kinugasa, Teinosuke. “Gate of Hell”. (1953) McCullough, H. C. The Tale of the Heike. California: Stanford University Press, 1988.