Sunpu Den is a remake of AKATSUKI NO DASSO wrote by Kurosawa in 1950, then Seijun Suzuki approaches it more deeply than a dramatic romance that was his forerunner, whereby didn't show the sexual relationship at army's bro.thel, so Sunpu Den is too much daring for its period of time, by this the movie was hard beaten by the critics at release time, regarded as a cheap sexploitation, also Suzuki imposes a slight nihilism narrative to counteract the ruthlessness of the war, the plot is underpinned in the legendary Japanese inexorable honor code where no soldier shouln't go back alive if caught in enemy hands, such act is punished by death.
As Seijun Suzuki was a former soldier exposes some oddities carried out at wartime, it somewhat became more realistic from a vision whom stayed there and witnessed such real facts, as those soldiers refusing kill Mikami (Tamio Kawaji) in a desert area in a phony battle to conceal his guilty for being prisoner of war and some funny moments at Chinese's village when the squad returning from the front fight themselves by the best girls, actually as anti-war offering Suzuki imposes an overview less gloomy on the drama.
Oddly enough as B-production of Nikkatsu studio it overcame the bad reputation on sixties thru the times, today Sunpu Den earned several defenders and became a mandatory peace nowadays, many aspects assert such thing as the unusual cinematograph made by Suzuki's old acquaintance and partnership Kazue Nakatsuka, a must to see.
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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5.
