Yakuza Eyga

In the era of silent cinema , films about bakuto , the forerunners of modern yakuza, have spread. Most often, the plots were dedicated to fictional or real historical characters, to noble lone robbers who came to the defense of peasants oppressed by the authorities. For example, at least 8 films were dedicated to the semi-legendary hero from the time of the Tokugawa clan Tyuji Kunisade from 1911 to 1935, including the trilogy “The Diary of Travel of Tyuji ” ^[2] . During World War II, Japanese cinema did not allow the production of paintings on such topics, as it was completely subordinated to the release of propaganda films . In 1948, Akira Kurosawa was the first to return to the topic with the film “ Drunken Angel ”. The occupation of Japan by the allied forces did not contribute to the development of national traditions and ideas in the cinema, but after its completion the then-young director Teruo Ishii made four films in the Noir style from 1958 to 1961 at the Shintoho studio: “The Secret Zone of the White Line”, “The Zone of the Black Line” , “Yellow Line Zone”, “Sex Line”, which became the first post-war attempt to show real, including criminal life in the blocks of Tokyo Asakusa and Ginza .

Mukokuseki akusyon ( Japanese 無国籍 ア ク シ ョ ン , literally - unlimited action or unlimited action ) is a subgenre of the yakuza eiga that originated at Nikkatsu (Nikkatsu) in the late 1950s, for which, according to the definition of film critic Ivan Denisov, the “new Japanese individualism and liberation from the bonds of traditionalism ” ^[1] . The directors in their films gradually became aware of their freedom, while returning to the national traditions of cinema, they freely and organically used the accumulated experience of criminal films in Europe and the USA. Another feature of the Akusen mukokuseki is the creation of not only gangster tapes, but also the so-called “ miso- westerns” (similar to “ spaghetti westerns ”). The most significant works of the subgenre were: “I am waiting” Koreyoshi Kurahara (1957), “ Rusty knife ” by Toshio Masuda (1958), “My passport is colt” by Takashi Nomura (1967), “Three seconds before the explosion” by Motoma Ida ( 1967). Separately, it is necessary to note Seijun Suzuki and his " Youth of the Beast " (1963, filmed essentially on the basis of the plot " Bloody Harvest " by Dashill Hammett ), " Tokyo Wanderer " (1966) and " Born to Kill " (1967). For this work, declared incomprehensible to the viewer, Suzuki was fired from Nikkatsu's studio ^[3] . Almost right there, Teruo Ishii took his place, he shot two films about the Yakuza women “ Friendly Killer ” (1969) and “ Tattooed Swordsman ” (1970), which made Meiko Kaji a star. Probably the main male actors in Mukusekeki Akusen are Akira Kobayashi and Jo Shishido . Many years later, in 2005, the latter compared the criminal films of the Nikkatsu studio to the related products of Toei ^[4] :

Ninkyo Eyga ( 仁 侠 映 画 Ninkyo: Eyga , literally a heroic film or a knight's film) - films of the Yakuza Eyga subgenre, produced mainly by Toei (Toei). In 1961, the aforementioned Shintoho studio went bankrupt, and Teruo Ishii moved to Toei , where he directed the crime comedy " Flower, Storm and Gang " with then-beginning actor Ken Takakura . The work of the actor and director was gaining popularity, the peak of which fell on the release of the 1965 film “ Prison of Abashiri ” (17 more sequels of this tape will be released in the next three years, nine of which will be shot by Teruo Ishii). These films formed the basis of the Ninkyo subgenre. It is characterized by the romanticization of the "noble" past of the Yakuza. Plots developed mainly at the beginning of the 20th century, and the confrontation took place between the "positive, disinterested" Yakuza and the "new" bandits - greedy villains. The desire to heroize the Yakuza did not appear by chance: the criminal business was actively involved in film production. The famous actor of this genre was Noboru Ando , in the past - the boss of the Ando-gumi crime family. Another actor - the undisputed leader, and even the personification of the genre, was Koji Tsuruta ^[5] . However, his commitment to the Ninkyo by some journalistic sources was attributed to coercion by real gangsters, in particular Kazuo Taoki ^[6] . Junko Fuji was most notable among actresses, especially after the Red Peony series. Film critic Ivan Denisov, considering the subgenre as a whole the most schematic and melodramatic of all Yakuza films , calls this cycle the most worthy of attention ^[1] .

Dzitsuroku eiga ( 実 録 映 画 , literally - a chronicle film, a chronicle) is another subgenre of the yakuza eiga that emerged in the early 1970s. Its distinctive feature was the creation of the image of the post-war yakuza as greedy and cruel gangsters who forgot the foundations and traditions of their “noble” predecessors in the name of profit. The founder of the direction was the director Kinji Fukasaku with his 5-episode film "Battles Without Honor and Pity" with the participation of Riot Sugawara . According to the browser Time Out ^[7] :

The release of the first film of the cycle coincided with a series of political upheavals in Japan: the bloody drama at the airport of Lod , the attempted coup d'etat Yukio Mishima and other actions of the nationalists formed their negative image among citizens. This situation ensured the success of the picture, openly rejecting nationalist idealism and criminal methods in politics and economics. According to the results of the XX century, it was recognized as one of the highest achievements of Japanese culture ^[1] . In the mid-1970s, Fukasaku developed the success of “Fighting” in the films “ Police Against Bandits ” (1975), “ Yakuza Cemetery ” (1976).

In the early 1980s, due to the widespread distribution of home videos, the production of Yakuza-eiga paintings began to decline. Directors and actors began to work in new genres. However, in 1989, a new director came to the cinema about gangsters - Takeshi Kitano . During the filming of The Cruel Police Officer , Kinji Fukasaku fell ill, and the lead actor, Kitano, took on the role of director. This was followed by the release of several more paintings about the yakuza: “ Boiling Point ”, “ Sonatina ”, “ Fireworks ”. With general extremely positive reviews about these tapes, critic Ivan Denisov notes their “slow rhythm and abuse of specific humor”, which does not allow them to compete with the past masterpieces of Yakuza-eig ^[1] . However, later released " Zatoychi " and " Lawlessness " are assessed as a worthy return to the best traditions of the genre.

• 1960 Yasuzo Masumura - “The Pounded Wolf ” ^{[8] [K 1]} (sometimes - “Fear of Death”)
• 1964 Masahiro Synod - “The Pale Flower ”
• 1971 Hideo Guos "Wolves"
• 1974 Sidney Pollack - The Yakuza
• 1989 Ridley Scott - Black Rain
• 1992 Judo Itami - “The Subtle Art of Extortion in Japanese ” ^{[K 2]} ( Eng. ミ ン ボ ー の 女 , Minbo)
• 1999, Takashi Miike - “ Alive or Dead: Year 2346 ”
• 2003 Takashi Miike - “ The Yakuza Horror Theater: Godzu ”

• Schilling, M. The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films. - Stone Bridge Press, 2003. - ISBN 1-880656-76-0 ..
• Wilentz, D. Yakuza Films at the Asia Society . - The Asia Society, 2008.

• Schroeder, Paul . Yakuza-Eiga: A Primer (inaccessible link) . Film Society of Lincoln Center .. Retrieved November 14, 2015. Archived November 17, 2015.