Underworld Beauty - Home Vision Entertainment (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1958
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Writer: Susumu Saji
Cast: Michitarô Mizushima, Mari Shiraki, Shinsuke Ashida, Tôru Abe, Hideaki Nitani, Setsuko Amamiya, Tomio Aoki, Shôki Fukae

Release Date: January 20th, 2004
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 5 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

"Miyamoto recovers the stolen diamonds he had stashed before getting pinched. When he returns to his old haunt to make good by a friend who took a bullet for him, he is diverted by the greedy boss Oyane and his insatiable taste for Miyamoto’s precious stones." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Underworld Beauty comes of a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4.3 GB

Though there is some minor print damage, it is most noticeable around the reel changes. The bulk of the source is in very good shape. The image looks crisp, black levels fare well, and compression is very good for a DVD. That said, there are moments where the contrast looks too bright.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Japanese, and removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, the action is mainly focused on the center channel, which more than gets the job done.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a filmography for Seijun Suzuki and a four page leaflet with an essay titled Beginning In The 1950s, The Yakuza Action Film written by Tastu Aoki.

Summary:

Seijun Suzuki worked at a furious pace, making forty-two films in a mere span of eleven years while working for the Nikkatsu Corporation. During these years, he primarily worked in the yakuza genre. Seijun Suzuki would, for the first time with his seventh film, Underworld Beauty, shoot a film in widescreen. 

Underworld Beauty opens with a title card that proceeds the main title that boldly announces "Seijun Suzuki’s Seventh Film", Quentin Tarantino would open Kill Bill in a similar way. In Underworld Beauty, Seijun Suzuki would showcase his western cinema influences with his use of film noir shadows and doo-wop-sounding music.

The narrative revolves around Miyamoto, a man who has just spent three years in prison. He is still in possession of the diamonds that he stole from a heist that led to his going to prison. Miyamoto tries to sell the diamonds and use the money to help a woman who was injured during the heist. From there, a series of double crosses and other betrayals unfold.

Underworld Beauty may not be as flamboyant or chaotic as Seijun Suzuki’s later films, but he still manages to come up with innovative and imaginative shots throughout. Wataro Nakao’s lush black-and-white photography is filled with all the film noir hallmarks, like playing with shadow and light. Every inch of every frame is filled with an amazing amount of style.

The acting is subdued for the most part, including Michitaro Mizushima's performance as Miyamoto, which at times is too one-dimensional as he spends most of the time brooding. Mari Shiraki's performance as Akiko is a more developed one as she transforms from the grieving sister into a femme fatale. 

That said, Underworld Beauty's screenplay is its weakest asset, as it follows the conventions of the film noir genre, playing things by the numbers. The score is one of the most bizarre that I have heard so far from a Suzuki film, and at times it feels oddly out of place when used in the film's noir settings. Also, the happy ending feels tacked on and out of place. Although Underworld Beauty may not contain all the flashy camera work his later work is renowned for, Suzuki, through his inventiveness, manages to show hints of things to come.

Underworld Beauty is a film that is begging for a Blu-ray release since this DVD looks dated by today's standards.

Written by Michael Den Boer