Celebrated Japanese director Seijun Suzuki dies at 93 - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Celebrated Japanese director Seijun Suzuki dies at 93

Los Angeles | ByPTI
Feb 23, 2017 12:24 PM IST

Seijun Suzuki, the celebrated Japanese director known for his films like Branded to Kill and The Bastard, passed away on February 13. He was 93 and died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Seijun Suzuki, a maverick director who was notoriously fired from the Nikkatsu studio for a film many consider his masterpiece, the 1967 actioner Branded to Kill, died in Tokyo on February 13 at age 93.

Japanese director Seijun Suzuki died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Japanese director Seijun Suzuki died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reported Variety.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

After failing to launch a directing career at Shochiku, Suzuki joined Nikkatsu in 1954, and made 40 films for the studio, mostly supporting pictures in double bills. With production designer Takeo Kimura and, beginning with 1963 film The Bastard, the two men together shaped the ‘Suzuki style’, with its surreal visuals, Kabuki-esque staging, bold colours and action that seemed to be unfolding in a dreamscape.

Suzuki was fired after the flop of Branded to Kill, which starred Joe Shishido as a hitman who finds himself caught in a bizarre life-or-death struggle with a higher ranked rival.

He won an out of court settlement, but was essentially banned from the industry for a decade.

In 1980 Suzuki began a comeback with Zigeunerweisen, a period ghost story that played at the Berlin Film Festival and was awarded four Japan Academy prizes. In 2001 he made Pistol Opera, a loose remake of Branded.

Among the directors influenced by his work were Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino. Jim Jarmusch featured references to Branded in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999).

Follow @htshowbiz for more

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Get more updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On