Seijun Suzuki's "Branded to Kill" (1967) and "Pistol Opera" (2001)
Pistol Opera was a sequel to Branded to Kill produced in 1967. The two films were produced by Japanese director Seijun Suzuki. After the production of Branded to Kill, Seijun Suzuki was fired from the B-movie house Nikkatsu Studios. The two films showcase the stories of assassins through accurate use of cinematic techniques. What makes the films mesmerizing is the fact that the scenes come alive through the use of inventions, artful compositions, and eroticism. Pistol Opera was a sequel of Branded to Kill which employed new technologies like color to showcase an improvement in the story. This paper discusses the similarities and differences between Pistol Opera and Branded to Kill by comparing the cinematography, editing, and plot.
Similarities
Plot
One of the similarities between the two films is that they focus on the story of assassins. Pistol Opera and Branded to kill follow the story of a protagonist that is in the middle of an invisible competition between assassins. The assassins climb up the hierarchy ladder when they are suddenly set up against each other. They are forced to fight against each other in order to acquire the status of the first place. The entire storytelling in the plot is similar as it follows a close visual storytelling.
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Cinematic techniques
Various cinematic techniques in both films are both aimed at enhancing the nature of the films. The two films are similar because they have a striking visual appeal. While Branded to Kill was filmed in Black and White, the use of light and shadows enhanced the entire visual quality of the film. The visual appeal was also enhanced by the film noir technique. The visual quality of the film Pistol Opera was enhanced through the use of surreal colors with a mixture of pop-art. This created an overwhelmingly creative visual style that enhances the mood and the feel of the film.
Editing
Suzuki makes use of advanced editing technique to show continuity in the storyline and the characters of both films. The editing style of Branded to Kill makes use of jump cuts to enhance the narrative. It also makes use of sustained narrative in the cat-and-mouse chase at the final scene. Pistol Opera also makes use of jump cuts to introduce different characters who appear to be interconnected. The two films are separated into different segments that work into a series of experimental shots that tie the protagonist to the general outcome of the different scenes. These two editing techniques make the movie have an easy viewing experience.
Differences
Plot
Pistol Opera is a sequel to Branded to Kill because it focuses on the advancement of an assassin from rank No. 3 to No. 1. The plot of Branded to Kill follows the story of Hanada Goro, the No. 3 killer in the country. He is asked to drive an important man within the gangster organization to an undisclosed location in a mountain. On his way back, Hanada’s car breaks down in the heavy rain and he meets a mysterious woman, who offers him a job to kill an American investigator that is looking into a smuggling operation. Hanada fails to shoot the target because a butterfly lands on his muzzle. He kills many killers of the organization and eventually comes up against No. 1, the person that hired him in the first place. No. 1 adopts a curious strategy by moving to Hanada’s apartment to live with him. Hanada and No.1 later meet in a deserted boxing ring and he kills No.1 but also comes out fatal wounds and falls out of the ring.
Pistol Opera is an advancement of the characters of Branded to Kill. Instead of the original male characters, the film has a woman named Miyuki Minazuki who bears the name Stray Cat. She is ranked No. 3 in The Assassins Guild. Throughout the film, she attempts to overtake the highest ranking assassin that goes by the name of Hundred Eyes. Stray Cat goes throughout the city as she looks for Hundred Eyes. She comes across several other assassins like the wheelchair-bound Champ that was given the honorary ranking of No. 0. Stray Cat must also deal with personal issues such as an unusual relationship where she appears as an estranged daughter and an intensely sexual relationship with her female manager. Stray Cat ultimately wins and becomes the No. 1 assassin. However, the movie is quite clear that the status in the position is temporary and can disappear in any brief moment.
One difference between the plot of Branded to Kill and Pistol Opera is that Branded to Kill was considered hard and difficult to follow. Mitchell notes that Branded to Kill was difficult to follow compared to the sequel which made more sense 1 . This came as a relief for the viewers because it follows a plot that is easy to follow. The difficulty of the plot and the strangeness of the first movie caused Seijun Suzuki to be dismissed from the first studio and to become blacklisted.
Cinematic Techniques
Branded to Kill was shot in black and white in a wide frame. The initial plan of the film was to have it shot in color but financial strains and strategy saw it become shot in color. Even though it was shot in black and white, the film features a great visual quality because emphasized on the contrast between light and shadow. The wide frame nature of the film did not make it possible to produce a dynamic effect which Suzuki had initially desired. Instead, the movie relied heavily on spotlighting and chiaroscuro imagery to create suspense and excitement. Throughout the film, film grammar and conventional framing were disregarded in the place of spontaneous inspiration.
Branded to Kill also makes use of Film Noir technique. The technique is used to emphasize the strong contrast between light and shadow. The technique follows the work of German Expressionist directors. For instance, there is an extremely long shot where drunken Hanada goes to the streets at night. The atmosphere clearly showcases the visual atmosphere that is similar to German Expressionist films 2 . Apart from the Film Noir technique, the film makes use of the conventional James Bond films. It was also set apart from other films through the use of gothic art and an unusual atonal score. Suzuki made use of a wide variety of techniques and had a keen focus on the different ways that he could make the film as interesting as possible.
Suzuki makes use of color and shadow in Pistol Opera to create sequences that are gorgeous and thrilling. For instance, he makes use of a dreamy netherworld that has reflecting pools of amber. The final showdown is filled with bold color and is striking. The visual style is also quite apparent through the use of color combinations and a unique mixture of pop-art and surrealism. This creates an exuberant and wonderful atmosphere which was unheard of right from the beginning 3 .
The use of various cinematic techniques in Pistol Opera makes it quite entertaining. Suzuki pushes various visual styles to the extreme and creates a world in the film that can stand on its own. There are surrealistic colors and characters appear and disappear seamlessly as they disobey the laws of physics. Most of the techniques used in Pistol Opera appear that Suzuki implements all the ideas that were not used in Branded to kill. Some of the scenes are shot on static cameras and handmade expressionists sets.
The film Pistol Opera also makes use of static poses which make the story to unravel in a form that is more of a ballet than opera. Rosenbaum notes that the movements of actors and the camera and cuts are synchronized through the use of pop music to make it appear more of a ballet. 4 The action shifts from industrial, rural, and urban locations that are used to resemble the ancient Greek or Roman drama. This is different from Branded to Kill which focuses most of its story in Tokyo in the late 1960s. The film thus makes use of film noir to enhance the bright side and dark sides of the city.
Editing
The editing style of Branded to Kill abandoned continuity and favored abstract jumps in space and time to make the film more interesting. The only sustained narrative sequence in the whole film was in the cat-and-mouse game at the final scene. It involved two hitmen that were in the Boxing Stadium. However, this scene is filled with breaks as the characters experience hallucinations.
The film is filled with jump-cuts between the narratives like that of a long film. The film carefully omits various instances such as scene-setting, an explanation of the characters, and does not offer an explication of the hitman Hanada and his tactics or working methods. All these details are assumed to be given which assumes that the viewer knows the general items. Additionally, the film makes use of dramatic camera movements to give a fractured narrative. The first on-screen relationship between Hanada and his newly-wed wife is constructed through close-ups of the emotionless face of Hanada’s wife.
Pistol Opera editing is different because it makes use of a large cast of characters that appear to be interconnected but are uniquely created as separate characters. Each moment in the film serves as a separate segment which works as a series of experimental shots that tie the protagonist to the outcome of every scene. The use of these editing techniques makes the movie to have a viewing experience that is easy to follow.
The use of Pop Art visuals and random brutality at the early stages of the scenes remind one of chaos where everyone is hunting each other and it doesn’t appear as though it matters about the person that could wind up dead. The tone of the story changes as it turns darker, Stray Cat becomes haunted at almost every stage of her adventures by a little girl. The little girl frequently begs to be taught how to kill but Stray Cat refuses to commit the crime.
In conclusion, Pistol Opera and Branded to Kill share a lot of similarities and differences in their plot, cinematic techniques, and editing techniques. One of the most apparent similarities is in the plot. The plot of the film focuses on the story of assassins and how they try to rise through the ranks of assassins. While Branded to Kill was considered a success, its plot was difficult to follow compared to Pistol Opera. The cinematic techniques of the two films enhanced the visual appeal of the films. Pistol Opera made use color to enhance the visual appeal while Branded to Kill was written in black and white. Some of the editing techniques that were used include jump cuts and mixing of the scenes to build up the story and characters.
References
Chute, David. "Branded to Thrill." Film Comment 28, no. 1 (1992): 20.
Daisuke, Miyao. "Dark Visions of Japanese Film Noir. Suzuki Seijun’s Branded to Kill (1967)." Phillips Alastair, Stringer Julian (a cura di), Japanese Cinema: Texts and Contexts, Routledge, London-New York (2007): 193-204.
Mitchell, Elvis. “Climbing the Assassin Career Ladder.” New York Times, 2003.
Rosenbaum, Jonathan. “Pistol Opera; Bullet Ballet”, 2003.
1 Elvis Mitchell, Climbing the Assassin Career Ladder , (New York Times, 2003).
2 Miyao Daisuke, "Dark Visions of Japanese Film Noir. Suzuki Seijun’s Branded to Kill (1967)." ( New York , 2007), 197.
3 David Chute, "Branded to Thrill," (1992) , 20.
4 Jonathan Rosenbaum, “Pistol Opera; Bullet Ballet”, (2003).
