David Hudson for Fandor Keyframe;

Seijun Suzuki passed away in a Tokyo hospital on February 13. He was 93. In the Hollywood Reporter, Gavin J. Blair notes that his death was announced today by Nikkatsu, “the studio that famously fired him in 1967 after 12 years and 40 films, for what is now seen as his masterpiece Branded to Kill. The film was made in black and white as a punishment for his work on Tokyo Drifter—now also considered a classic—the year before. Both films were intended by Nikkatsu to be straightforward, B-movie yakuza gangster flicks, but Suzuki’s experimental style, unconventional narrative flow and comedy touches were too much for the studio bosses. Suzuki sued for unfair dismissal and found himself shunned by the industry and unable to direct for a decade.”

SEIJUN SUZUKI, 1923 – 2017

Tags: Film, Directing