Directed by Masahiro Shinoda • 1964 • Japan
Starring Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga
In this cool, seductive jewel of the Japanese New Wave, a yakuza, fresh out of prison, becomes entangled with a beautiful and enigmatic gambling addict; what at first seems a redemptive relationship ends up leading him further down the criminal path. Bewitchingly shot and edited, and laced with a fever-dream-like score by Toru Takemitsu, this gangster romance was a breakthrough for the idiosyncratic Masahiro Shinoda. The pitch-black PALE FLOWER (KAWAITA HANA) is an unforgettable excursion into the underworld.
The following interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith was recorded in 2020.
In the following interview, recorded in 2010, writer-director Masahiro Shinoda discusses the production of PALE FLOWER.
This selected-scene commentary features Peter Grilli, president of the Japan Society of Boston and coproducer of the 1994 documentary “Music for the Movies: Toru Takemitsu,” discussing Takemitsu’s score for PALE FLOWER.
