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Absolutely brilliant

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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.

Gate of Hell was the first Japanese color film to be released outside Japan (it ISN'T the first Japanese color movie as some say it is, that'd be Keisuke Kinoshita's Carmen Comes Home), and it certainly shows that Kinugasa wanted to portray Japanese culture in the most colorful of lights. The eye-catching color of this film is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of it. Some scenes look so fresh and tidy that they look like they're much more recent than 1953 (especially the outdoor scenes). Whether it's the stunning, painting-like portrayal of nature or the flashy clothes of the characters, the color work is an eye treat and some shots you could even hang on the wall because they're so beautiful.Some may say that the plot is predictable, but I had no problems with it. It's set up as a Greek tragedy and it's obvious that someone is going to die tragically in the end (according to some viewers, it may be a very loose adaptation of the story of Lucretia), but it never gets predictable and some parts manage to be very suspenseful, such as the horse race between the two rival samurai, or the final confrontation between Morito and Wataru, when Morito decides to live a life of sorrow.The movie has only one drawback, and that is the scene when Kesa is introduced and we hear this cartoonish angel-harp sound effect, which lasts only for two seconds but is kinda goofy. Still, it's a very minor thing. The main theme is very catchy and epic-sounding, and, while we're talking about music, the scenes when Kesa plays the koto are also very well-done.Unfortunately, Gate of Hell is not that well known and it's sad that people aren't that familiar with it as they are with the works of, say, Kurosawa. Kinugasa's masterwork definitely needs more love.

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.

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.