WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY

WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY / WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY 2: SHE-CAT GAMBER: While Kurosawa translated the clichés of the American Western quite successfully in a number of his samurai films, director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi lifts his inspiration wholesale from the Italian Westerns of Sergio Leone. Drifting into town with the same icy aloofness of Clint Eastwood’s “Man With No Name,” Nami (Meiko Kaji) becomes enmeshed in a local prostitution/gambling ring with rival mobsters fighting for control. A dangerous outsider with a criminal past, Nami eventually takes sides and takes down the bad guys; first with a pool cue...then with a sword. She-Cat Gambler follows a similar formula but adds an element of revenge and the kung-fu stylings of Sonny Chiba (Street Fighter). Both films unfold with a very deliberate sense of impending tragedy that defies and - depending on your tastes - confounds expectations. Be prepared for 80-minutes of foreplay with one marvelously bloody climax. Yamaguchi paints the Ginza underworld in dripping neon lights and beautiful cityscapes – a fascinating visual contrast – and milks Kaji’s elegantly severe features for every ounce of screen time. Both films are a far cry from the more overtly exploitive Pinky Violence films, serving as a bridge between Kurosawa and the next wave of post-censorship cinema to come. Synapse Films DVDs are beautiful enough to hang on your wall, with reversible sleeves revealing the original Japanese artwork. The transfers themselves are as close to hi-def as you can get without going Blu, each with removable subtitles, lengthy interviews with Yamaguchi and a trailer/still gallery.