Flower & Snake
by Takashi Ishii
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DVD details
Actor: Aya Sugimoto, Kenichi Endo, Misaki Mori, Renji Ishibashi, Y?zabur? It?Director: Takashi Ishii
Brand: Media Blasters
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 115 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-31
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Tokyo Shock
DVD Reviews of Flower & Snake
DVD Review: Charm of woman who tightened loincloth
Summary: 5 Stars
Supervisor Takashi Ishii who has active career as cartoonist. He is splendidly expressing the world in Japan SM by an original taking a picture method and production.
It is wonderful that lead actress's Aya Sgimoto endures hard bondage play.
It is wonderful that the kimono that she wears is fantastic, and especially tightens all loincloths.
The loincloth is a traditional undergarment of Japan that tightens the small of one's back by the complicated process by using the cloth of the cotton of six feet or more.
It is an item often used by the SM play of Japan to see it curvaceously when the woman applies it though it is originally men's undergarments.
Aya tightens the loincloth of white, red, purple, and the Mameshibori pattern, and I can feel the tradition beauty and sexy in Japan in this movie.
I want you to be interested in you more about the loincloth of Japan.
DVD Review: An interesting journey into the world of japanese S & M.
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I enjoyed this movie very much. If you find the world of S & M and nude asian females appealing then you may want to check this one out.DVD Review: Decent movie -- *terrible* DVD!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I had seen director Takashi Ishii's "Freeze Me" and thought it was a good, dark revenge flick, so I decided to seek out other works from him. While I think "Flower & Snake" is little more than an excuse to slip nude, full-on S&M bondage scenes into the Japanese cineplex and pass it off as "art," it did have its moments.
Unfortunately, I missed a lot of those moments because the subtitles were horrendously jacked up at the beginning and end of the film. Entire passages of dialogue would blip on the screen for a split second, too fast to be read, then the last portion would finish up. So I would no idea what some characters were saying, only being able to read the tail end, ie:
- [Quick blip of subtitles.]
- [Character speaks dialogue, sometimes as long as five to seven seconds. Meanwhile, screen is completely blank.]
- [Character finishes speaking and last portion of subtitles comes on screen: "...can't trust him!"]
This happened at least 15 times throughout the film. I'm certain I missed several integral plot points because of this. For instance, I still don't know the full reason behind why the wealthy businessman in the film had to turn his wife over to the lecherous yakuza ganglord in the first place. Debt played a part in it, I know, but beyond that, I'm clueless.
What's even weirder is that I tried to freeze the single frame where the subtitles would pop up, but even that wouldn't work! My TV doesn't support closed-captioning, and who knows, it may be just my specific copy that has the malfunction, but if all the DVD copies of this film are like this, I recommend you steer clear of "Flower & Snake" until the problem is fixed -- or until you find a Japanese-speaking friend who can watch it with you and fill in the blanks.
DVD Review: The art of degradation
Summary: 5 Stars
"Flower and Snake" ("Hana to Hebi") is something of a phenomena in Japan, not unlike "The Story of O" or "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty." It was originally a series of cult novels by fetish-author Dan Oniroku, and there have been no less than ten versions filmed since the original 1974 version staring the bondage superstar Naomi Tani ("Wife to be Sacrificed"). This latest version, by horror auteur Takashi Ishii, famous as the writer of "Evil Dead Trap" and director of "Freeze Me" and "Angel Guts," is the first to tackle the story with a decent budget, and a cast of well-known actors.
Like most films of the genre, the story is just set up. A businessman finds himself owing an unpayable debt to a local ganglord, who demands the man's wife as payment. His wife, Shizuko, is a famous and beautiful tango dancer, with an immaculate dancer's body and a strong spirit. The man acquiesces, as the ganglord is over 90 years old, and he assumes he will be unable to do anything too terrible to his wife. Of course he is wrong, and the poor girl begins her trip to hell. In a carnival of fetishism, familiar to anyone who has seen "Eyes Wide Shut" or other films in this style, Shizuko is sexually tortured and exhibited to a club of like-minded individuals, while the old boss watches on TV. Eventually her strong spirit is broken.
Ishii has taken this familiar story, and attempted to make something akin to art from the degradation. The scenarios involving Shizuko are dreamlike, and she fades from one episode to another. The camera follows her hazy perceptions, while still taking a voyeurs approach, placing the viewer as one of the audiences enjoying Shizuko's descent.
Most of the success of this version of "Flower and Snake" comes from Ishii's unique vision as a director, and the power of the lead, Aya Sugimoto playing Shizuko. She is an incredibly strong lead, with a beautiful body and a powerful face. While not quite a household name, she is probably best known for playing Queen Beryl in "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon." The rest of the cast is equally strong. Renji Ishibashi ("One missed call") puts in a disturbing turn as the ganglord, and Takashi Miike regular Kenichi Endo ("Happiness of the Katakuris," "Visitor Q") is equally repulsive as the ganglord's lieutenant.
There is some concern that the Media Blaster's DVD release of "Flower and Snake" has been edited, but this isn't so. Both the Japanese release and the US release have a running time of 115 minutes, and I have seen both versions and can say that no obvious cuts have been made. The story is murky, and especially the last part of the film, where Shizuko begins to lose her perspective on time and space. For a DVD release of this genre, it is really well done, with a "Making of..." feature as well as cast interviews, with actress Sugimoto explaining why she decided to make this kind of film. If you like the genre, it is a masterpiece. If you don't, then you will probably won't like "Flower and Snake."
DVD Review: Would have been 5 stars BUT...
Summary: 3 Stars
Media Blasters edited the movie badly. The first part of the story starts off quite well and flows smoothly. When it gets to the second part you can see obvious cuts with the visuals as well as the subtitling. One of the characters (Kyoko) disappears completely and is never heard of again. Where the first part is easily followed the second part is nothing but jumbled and confusing imagery more fitting a music video than a work by Takashi Ishii. If Media Blasters releases an UNCUT version I's gladly buy it to see Mr. Ishii's true work. This current version is a bad hack job and an insult to Mr. Ishii and his talent.
Description of Flower & Snake
Wealthy business owner Mt. Toyama's wife Shizuko is an international tango dancer. Her relationship with her workaholic husband has become estranged, and her nights are plagued with sexual fantasies. Shizuko, beautiful and desirable exuding a strong intellect polished by her international experience, becomes the object of Mr.Ippei Tashiro, a 95 years old man known as the "Showa Prince of Darkness." who arranges for a gang leader to kidnap and confine Shizuko for his pleasure. Midori No Hibi-Wrong Hand Man, Volume 2 (eps 6-9)General DVDs
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