Customer Reviews

The Sun's Burial [VHS]

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Oshima Nagisa has become one of Japan's premiere directors and The Sun's Burial is one of his earliest and strongest films. The movie centers on a woman named Hanako who a prostitute and cutthroat entrepreneur trying to survive the Kawagasaki slum of post-war Osaka. Oshima shows, without pretention, the heart of the slum and the gangs that control it. One of the gangs is a right-wing group lead by a man known only as The Agitator and another gang is lead by a man named Shin. Both of their storylines are tied together through the character of Hanako who schemes and manipulates both of them for simple survival.

Another key character is a member of Shin's gang, Takeshi, who repeatedly tries to escape from the gang and eventually becomes involved with Hanako. Oshima uses him as an innocent, someone to show how jaded and harsh Hanako has become in order to make a living in such a place. Oshima's cinematography also magnifies that harshness. Considered shocking at the time, his camera captures violence perfectly, not only in actions but in color as well. Throughout, the film displays beautiful shades of yellows in sand, oranges and reds in fire to emphasize a setting sun and the consequent rise of a new Japan in its place. As one might expect, The Sun's Burial heads towards a destructive finish that emphasizes the theme the title suggests: not only the burial of the sun, an image associated with traditional Japan, but the consequent rise of a new Japan in its place.

Even if you're not a follower of Japanese cinema, don't rule The Sun's Burial out. The film has as much depth as the rich colors it displays and should appeal to any fan of solid storytelling and detailed characters. Although not as brutal as some films found today, it was among the most challenging of its time and can be appreciated just as much, if not more, today.

This is a really good film once you get used to the charcters and understand a little about Oshima. There are definitely no heroes here. But you come to admire Hanako's tenacious struggle to survive in the changing underworld of Osaka. What sticks with you afterwards is the incredible beauty of the shots which always seem to take place at dawn or dusk when the sky looks incredible. Combined with the bleak industrial landscape of the city, its haunting.

This is my second favorite Oshima film, my favorite being Death By Hanging which I can't find on video for the life of me. That one will blow your mind.

Bought the VHS version as there is no DVD currently available. Quality is good with English subtitles. Small gang in poor area all fighting for survival and all trying to take over the blood donation racket which preys on dock workers looking for drinking. Alot of comedy, a little gang action and worth the time to watch it.