Seijun Suzuki
Born: Japan, 1923.
Stylish director who broke the boundaries in Japanese genre films. In the 1950s, he became a contract director for the then-downtrodden genre-driven Nikkatsu Studios. There, he defined each of his assignments, be they yakuza (gangster), soft-core porno, or other genre type, with strong visuals and outlandish narratives that reflected his perceived tension between mu (nothingness) and keren (artifice). Although by the 1960s he had developed a following, he was let go from the studio in 1967, on the grounds of making “incomprehensible and unprofitable films.” Supported by critics and filmmakers, he eventually won a settlement. However, his career did not rebound for over a decade.
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