Away from a studio's constraints, Suzuki shows what he can do on his own, and very beautiful and strange it is too. A precursor of David Lynch's recent work, we are shown a series of unexplained and inexplicable events which may or may not be "real" within the film's terms. it has faults- it's leisurely and too long, to make up for years making ninety-minute B-movies, perhaps, though the scenes are so beautiful it's impossible to say which aren't necessary and an important character, Aeoki's wife Taeko, seems incomprehensible rather than mysterious, but it shows Suzuki didn't need the bonds of studio discipline to fight against. A film about the first encounters of Japan and Europe- especially culturally- it's hard to say what is traditionally Japanese, what from the book, what Suzuki's contribution and every comment I make is tentative.
First of all, there's the contrast between Aochi, professor of German (a culture with its own supernatural literature, which may be referred to here), and the vagabond Nakasago: except at home Aochi always wears European dress- suits and ties, polished shoes, overcoats and hats; he is clean-shaven with a carefully trimmed moustache and and well-cut hair. At the same time, he looks constricted and distorted by them. Nakasago is his exact opposite- traditionally dressed and dishevelled with uncut hair and beard, (apparently) open in behaviour and speech, but he was once a colleague of Aochi's and presumably dressed like him then. Their first encounter is unreal- no matter how deferential the society, a policeman wouldn't just release the suspect in a possible murder case just on the word of a strange professor. Indeed, Aochi's very presence at the scene is mysterious.
As well as the possibility that they are doppelgangers there is something eerie about the route between the two men's houses- grottos cut from stone and mysterious tunnels divide them- which suggests it may be a journey to the afterlife or another world. Koine suggests she may be a fox- an animal that has magic powers and can take human form in Japanese folklore- and she seems to age less than the other characters in the course of the film. It may be the way Suzuki cuts or hir refusal to use extras but things happen without visible cause in Nakasago's house. Equally, there's the contrast between and among the women- Koine and Sano, traditional Japanese "types"- are they different people- either in "reality" or the dream-world of the film or the same person pretending to be two people?- and Taeko and her sister- there's some kind of mystery about the relationship of those two, and just what is the disease that slowly and elegantly kills Shuko while others die of definite and specified causes? Does her death cure Taeko of her allergies? What is the meaning- is there a meaning?- of the cod roe she hides- or says she hides- in a cupboard for Aochi? Who is the child Toyojiro's father? Aochi may suspect Nakasaya and his wife or having sex but in the film's reality he and Sono definitely seem to have sex. What is the connexion of the two groups of three blind beggars with the central plot and why the references to European art in their scenes? They are obviously non-realistic scenes- the girls' instrument has no soundholes so would not make a noise in reality- but who dreams them at any point in the film? What is the significance of the Zigeunerweisen- an obvious and banal explanation of the film would be that it is a reverie and fantasy inspired by Sarate's gypsy music.
It's interesting to speculate on these questions- and others- but I don't think there are answers- certainly not clear-cut answers- and I don't think there are meant to be. There's a dream-logic to the film which works beautifully and all we need to do is sit back and watch these strange and beautiful scenes and the incidental music- entirely percussive: bells, drums, scratchers, gongs, which makes its own strange connexions between the scenes. We can look for meanings- humans can't not look for meanings- but they can't be certain.
First of all, there's the contrast between Aochi, professor of German (a culture with its own supernatural literature, which may be referred to here), and the vagabond Nakasago: except at home Aochi always wears European dress- suits and ties, polished shoes, overcoats and hats; he is clean-shaven with a carefully trimmed moustache and and well-cut hair. At the same time, he looks constricted and distorted by them. Nakasago is his exact opposite- traditionally dressed and dishevelled with uncut hair and beard, (apparently) open in behaviour and speech, but he was once a colleague of Aochi's and presumably dressed like him then. Their first encounter is unreal- no matter how deferential the society, a policeman wouldn't just release the suspect in a possible murder case just on the word of a strange professor. Indeed, Aochi's very presence at the scene is mysterious.
As well as the possibility that they are doppelgangers there is something eerie about the route between the two men's houses- grottos cut from stone and mysterious tunnels divide them- which suggests it may be a journey to the afterlife or another world. Koine suggests she may be a fox- an animal that has magic powers and can take human form in Japanese folklore- and she seems to age less than the other characters in the course of the film. It may be the way Suzuki cuts or hir refusal to use extras but things happen without visible cause in Nakasago's house. Equally, there's the contrast between and among the women- Koine and Sano, traditional Japanese "types"- are they different people- either in "reality" or the dream-world of the film or the same person pretending to be two people?- and Taeko and her sister- there's some kind of mystery about the relationship of those two, and just what is the disease that slowly and elegantly kills Shuko while others die of definite and specified causes? Does her death cure Taeko of her allergies? What is the meaning- is there a meaning?- of the cod roe she hides- or says she hides- in a cupboard for Aochi? Who is the child Toyojiro's father? Aochi may suspect Nakasaya and his wife or having sex but in the film's reality he and Sono definitely seem to have sex. What is the connexion of the two groups of three blind beggars with the central plot and why the references to European art in their scenes? They are obviously non-realistic scenes- the girls' instrument has no soundholes so would not make a noise in reality- but who dreams them at any point in the film? What is the significance of the Zigeunerweisen- an obvious and banal explanation of the film would be that it is a reverie and fantasy inspired by Sarate's gypsy music.
It's interesting to speculate on these questions- and others- but I don't think there are answers- certainly not clear-cut answers- and I don't think there are meant to be. There's a dream-logic to the film which works beautifully and all we need to do is sit back and watch these strange and beautiful scenes and the incidental music- entirely percussive: bells, drums, scratchers, gongs, which makes its own strange connexions between the scenes. We can look for meanings- humans can't not look for meanings- but they can't be certain.