In 1159, during an attempted coup, one of the court's ladies in waiting disguises herself as the lord's wife, and a loyal samurai conveys her from the city. This diversion allows the royal family to escape. After the coup fails, the samurai asks his lord to let him marry the woman as his reward. The lord grants the request and then discovers she is already married to one of the ruling family's lieges. The samurai clings to his desire, importuning her to leave her husband, then challenging the husband to release her.
Filmed using Eastmancolor, Gate of Hell was Daiei Film's first color film and the first Japanese color film to be released outside Japan. In its native country, critics weren't too impressed by it, but at the 1954 Cannes Film festival it won the grand prize award. The use of colors is absolutely mesmerizing, with exceptionally bright kimonos and other small details which lights up beautifully in the moonlight. A love triangle where there's little hope of a happy ending. A sparkling gem from the old days of Japanese cinema.
Genre: Drama/History/Romance
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