Norifumi Suzuki's "School of the Holy Beast" is a masterpiece in it's own right. This film about a girls journey into depravity is one of the most erotic films I have ever seen. With each new scene, it gets more beautiful, like an exotic, poisonous flower opening to reveal it's center. Filled with breathtaking color and endless mystery, this is the first film i have seen featuring the amazing actress Yumi Takigawa. She plays her part of Maya with a delicate and subtle perfection rarely seen in this genre of film. Maya is a modern Japanese woman, who enters the "Sacred Heart", a convent shrouded in lies, hypocrisy and sexual power games. It seems as if everyone has something to hide. This film seems to be a direct attack on the Catholic church. The beginning of the film is a bit deceptive, as we are led to believe that there will not be much in the way of a real story here. But when we find out the reason why the beautiful Maya has entered this place, the tension begins to mount. To hear certain people referring to these films as trash, and exploitation, saddens me greatly, as it is so undeserved here. This film is top-notch in every way. The camera work, the editing, the beautiful, dreamlike cinematography, is far superior to anything coming out of Hollywood these days. Sadly, this style of film making is a thing of the past. We are fortunate however, with the advent of DVD technology, that these little-known 1970's masterpieces are again available. One of the classiest, and most elegant Japanese "pink" films ever made. I give this one the highest rating.
