Maizie, Rachael, Johnny, George and Tom. irezumi Maizie, Rachael, Johnny, George and Tom.

Beginning sequence An Enigma code - There sequence opens to a close up shot of a woman upon the floor whilst a lantern is being yielded near her face. At this point, we do not know who the characters are or why they are present. From the performance of the female character, it is inferred that she has been abducted. There collection of intimate close ups throw the audience into the action, making an intense and claustrophobic atmosphere. The longshot of the enigma approaching the tied up woman. This shows that she is in control of the enigma, as she is positioned below him. A sense of vulnerability is created as the woman cannot escape. This shows a weakness in the character.

Beginning sequence Non-diegetic opening music over plays as she gets the tattoo. This sounds creepy and sinister and suggests the strength and the power of the spider which is being created. Mid-shot of couple. The interesting, compressed framing creates a form of entrapment, as if the couple are oppressed by society for being together.

Beginning sequence The long shot upon the bridge looks like part of a theatrical set, making the scene appear quite artificial. The green foggy lighting also contributes to this as it looks unrealistic, however it helps to reinforce the gothic mood. Lighting: Low key, high contrast. Connotations of the Gothic Horror genre. Highlights the ghostly atmosphere, suggesting that all is not what it seems. Otsuya says ‘elegant like a geisha’ followed by a gong sound. This is significant as it foreshadows how she actually becomes a geisha. Shinsuke says “I will do as you say” This suggests he is very quickly manipulated, and that he’ll do anything for the women he loves.

Middle sequence

End sequence Pathetic fallacy, when the spider is shown on the woman’s back and when the spider is stabbed, lightening strikes and we heard thunder which echo’s. When the spider is shown, the whole spider fits in the shot, so we can see all of it. Men seek revenge though violence whereas she seeks revenge though manipulating men, its like she has become the spider and all the men are the fly's around her which are he pray. Even when she is dead she is still surrounded by men. Once she was dead the blood was dripping into the tattoo artists mouth, does this show that the spiders energy/life is going back to the creator and that the spider lives on and the blood is passed. Only weak men beat women. As its one of the new wave film its a lot more graphic in that we see a lot more blood and violence.

End Sequence continued The music/sounds represents the mood as in the feel of the music is spooky and creates a supernatural atmospheric feel for the audience and creates suspense between characters. The women use their prostitution status as an advantage to get the men they want, and to get the men to kill others to have her. This also adds on from the supernatural elements as it is as if the men become possessed in a sense of they are willing to do anything such as kill, just for one woman. When the man looks at the spider tattoo he has created on the woman, he says he feels as if he has done the killing, because he was the artist of the work. This insinuates that he is evil and has a supernatural sense about himself. In the end sequence Shinsuke’s face as half light and half dark this represents his split personality. When he was beating her it was like he was beating the spider and not her this was due to him repeatedly hitting her on the back, afterwards she is fine and it is like the spider has been damaged and not the woman.

Micro focus on: Mise-en-scene Red kimono - through-out the film. Connotes lust, danger and passion. Even from the opening sequence, Otsuya is presented to be a promiscuous character. The tattoo - The spider represents ownership and control. Creates the supernatural presence in the film - it holds a possession over her, making her the centre of it’s web. Gothic Horror iconography - The opening sequence upon the bridge, green fog is shown below the characters, creating a ghostly atmosphere. In the same longshot, the diegetic bell extends the eery atmosphere and is present when a significant piece of dialogue is said. Blood - The closing sequence exhibits a more up-close and personal view of gore.

Themes Female Mistreatment. Revenge. Beyond redemption. Immoral vs moral. Abuse. Male greed / desire.

Representation Women - Victims of circumstance / men acts in their favour when using their bodies to overpower men. For example: Otsuya’s body was used in opening sequence when she was forcibly tattooed, yet later in the film, she uses it to her advantage to get money off of the samurai. Women continued - Uses her body to seek revenge on men. She uses her manipulation to criticise / blame men for their actions. For example: Otsuya blames Tobeki for being the way she is. Men - Weak minded and easily controlled. They are weak and manipulated by women by their love and lust. Negative representation of all male characters - perhaps this is a wider social political message. Samurai - Lacks morals and uses money and wealth for their sexual needs. Paranormal - Symbolised in the tattoo upon her back. The spider takes on its own form as Otsuya and it is suggested that it’s powers make her seek revenge upon those who abused her. It also makes her a manipulative character, as the spider acts as it’s own character, controlling those around her, such as her boyfriend to kill.

Messages and values Money can corrupt peoples morals. “Honestly no longer pays”. Women are mistreated and punished for not following family. Perhaps a traditional message, presented more in the earlier Golden Age films. This goes against the message of “Good wife, Wise mother”. women who are dishonourable are punished

Production context New wave film. In colour - shows more character development. The shift from middle age women to a younger audience led to the film having to use more sexually explicit scenes. The director uses female characters to be the central protagonists - suggests a shift in female empowerment. Unlike the earlier Golden Age films, Irezumi does not exhibit a moral message that the protagonist has to learn from.