Structure of Hate / 黒い画集 第二話 寒流 / Kuroi gashu dainibu: Kanryu (1961)
Obscure Japanese Film #178
Ryo IkebeOkino (Ryo Ikebe) is ahard-working Tokyo bank employee who is entrusted with a promotion to manager ofthe Ikebukuro branch by his boss, Kuwayama (Akihiko Hirata). However, Okino isdisliked by his wife (Michiko Araki) and two children because he’s so focusedon his work that he largely ignores them. Soon after starting his new job, he’sapproached for a bank loan by restaurant owner Nami (Michiyo Aratama) and amutual attraction soon leads to an affair. As such a relationship with acustomer of the bank could cost Okino his job, he must be especially careful tokeep it a secret – something that becomes increasingly difficult when Kuwayamameets Nami and decides to pursue her himself. Then Okino begins to wonder ifNami has just been using him for her financial benefit…
Michiyo AratamaThe Japanese title ofthis Toho production translates as ‘Black Art Book Episode 2: Cold Current’ as‘Cold Current’ was the title of Seicho Matsumoto’s story first serialised inthe Weekly Asahi in 1959 before beingincluded in the collection Black Art Book2, published later that year.* Harenchi Gakuen helpfully explains onFilmarks.com that, ‘The cold current refers to the side streams and those whohave been demoted.’ This makes perfect sense as Okino certainly finds himselfsidelined in this film version by screenwriter Tokuhei Wakao and director HideoSuzuki. Unfortunately, the original story is not available in English, butapparently the ending was changed significantly. It’s a little different fromyour typical Seicho Matsumoto tale – there’s not even a murder – and the plotwent off in directions I failed to anticipate, but did enjoy, culminating in ahighly unusual ending in which we are deliberately kept in the dark aboutexactly what happened.
Akihiko HirataIt’s a refreshinglyunsentimental film which takes a pretty dim view of human nature. Having saidthat, the two main characters are not entirely despicable. It’s common in Japanfor men to put work before family as Okino does here, and although Nami is thebusiness-minded, pragmatic type, she’s put in a difficult position withwhich it’s hard not to sympathise, while it’s also clear that their relationshipbegins to trouble her conscience. In this role, the underrated Michiyo Aratamadelivers the film’s best performance and it’s good to see her show what shecould do when given a meatier part than the typical ‘nice girl’ roles she’sbetter-known for in films such as TheHuman Condition.
Jun Hamamura
Seiji MiyaguchiThe film has somewonderful cameos by familiar faces such as Jun Hamamura as a doctor who lookslike he could use some of his own medicine, Seiji Miyaguchi as a privatedetective who looks like he hasn’t had a client for years, Tetsuro Tanba as ayakuza boss and, best of all, Takashi Shimura as a shark-like banking bigwigwho exudes an aura of self-confidence and power and is appropriately trailedeverywhere by his silent, pilot-fish-like mistress (Machiko Kitagawa).
Tetsuro Tanba and friends
Takashi ShimuraThis is the only filmI’ve seen so far by director Hideo Suzuki (1916-2002), who worked as a contractdirector first for Daiei (1947-52), then Shintoho (1953) and finally Toho(1954-67) before finishing his career in TV. Although he is said to have had alimited amount of choice in the films he was assigned to direct and he worked in avariety of genres, he is apparently highly regarded by some for his thrillersand suspense movies, and on the evidence of Structureof Hate, I, for one, am keen to see more, especially as there’s more tothis film than mere suspense. It’s also a portrait of a sick society in whichpeople have become foolishly obsessed with position and material wealth whileforgetting what’s really important in life.
Michiyo Aratama*Toho had made Black Art Book: An Employee’s Confession aka The Lost Alibi the previous year and Black Art Book: A Certain Disaster aka Death on the Mountain earlier in 1961. Structure of Hate was the final entry inthe series.
Thanks to A.K.
