The Shape of Night (1964) Poster

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6/10
Yoru No Henrin
BandSAboutMovies14 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Yoshie Nomoto (Miyuki Kuwano) is a young and naive woman from the countryside who has come to the big city and fallen for Eiji Kitami (Mikijiro Hira), a young gangster who pushes her into a life of ill repute. But when we first meet her, she's already been living this life for some time and despite Hiroshi Fujii (Keisuke Sonoi) thinking he can save her from it, it seems like she's trapped forever.

Directed by Noburo Nakamura, The Shape of Night is a gorgeous film, one that is filled with the most lush colors and a filmmaking style that makes the heart sing. Speaking of the heart, this proves that love can't stop an unhappy ending, but such is how it works sometimes in the movies.

Yoshie loves Eiji, no matter how harsh the life he has led her into. There's a harrowing scene where his bosses take advantage of her and he must watch. It's not an easy scene to sit through, which is something one can say for the drama of this entire film.
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9/10
A Rediscovered Classic
Video_Store_Dirtbag25 April 2024
With brilliant colors and a poetic tone, Noboru Nakamura's The Shape of Night tells the story of a young woman, played by the mesmerizingly beautiful Miyuki Kuwano, who falls for a handsome yakuza whose boses force her into a life of prostitution. Doomed lovers in a neon city, the pair become trapped in a spiral towards unescapable tragedy.

Filled with melancholy blues and violent reds, the gorgeous cinematography is a stark contrast to the brutal images on screen.

Like the work of Wong Kar-Wai (which this film has been compared), The Shape of Night is like a visual poem. A lyrical and tragic journey with an ending that hits hard. If you enjoy WKW's work, check this out.

The HD transfer on the Radiance Films disc is excellent.
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