Nearly a decade after being fired by Nikkatsu Studios, Suzuki returned to the director’s chair with this titillating tale of a model who is groomed to become a professional golfer as a publicity stunt. When she turns out to be good at the sport, her success leads a deranged fan to hatch a blackmail scheme.
Director: Seijun Suzuki. AKA 悲愁物語 / A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness.
Writers: Ikki Kajiwara (story), Atsushi Yamatoya (screenplay).
Stars: Kyôko Enami, Yoshio Harada, Masumi Okada, Shûji Sano, Yoko Shiraki, Jô Shishido.
Cinematographer: Masaru Mori.
Composer: Keitaro Miho.
Oooh. This and Kagero-Za are probably my two favourite Suzuki films. This is just an astonishing work. The cat crash sequence is maybe the best to ever be staged in a motion picture.
Suzuki Seijun, you’re an absolute nutcase and I love you for it. A pretty golfer is trained up to be a model and a TV star. Cool. Then it suddenly becomes a Suzuki-ish take on Play Misty For Me with Stepford Wives vibes! A treat.