Japan: An Awakening of Consciousness
The film Branded to Kill elicited an uncomfortable aura throughout the entire movie. From start to finish I felt like I was immersed in the fanciful world created by filmmakers. This film reminded me of the popular television series The Twilight Zone, not just because of the black and white picture, but the way in which it stimulated deep thoughts that bring peculiar hallucinations to life.
A specific scene that evoked an eerie sentiment occurs in Misako’s apartment with the presence of dead butterflies covering the walls. I felt the butterflies symbolized a lust between the Hanada and Misako that would never be fulfilled. The decision to produce this film in black and white was highly beneficial for the effect of this scene. As butterflies are usually associated with vivid colors and liveliness, here they are staged as dead and colorless. In a sense, I believe this scene explains that primitive human desires ultimately lead to the demise of an individual when conscious thought is not applied to overcome them.
The last scene consists of Hanada eventually killing number one and while stumbling around the ring he excitedly proclaims that he is number one. In the same moment he shoots and kills Misako as she enters the gymnasium, before falling to his own death. Hanada had become such a slave to his desire, that he could not come to consciousness with the meaninglessness of the title as number one and realize that this label would not bring additional meaning to his life. Such strong desire caused him to lose his own life as well as someone he cared for. Reacting to primordial emotions without resorting to higher level thinking proves to be Hanada’s downfall and a reoccurring theme that applies to many characters throughout the film.
The unique style of this film forces us to question why these techniques are used. As a result of trying to understand the oddity of this film we must come to a conscious thought of the messages they convey, essentially forcing us into a state of consciousness. In the same way I think this movie compels the nation of Japan into a similar state of contemplation during a time of turmoil and conflict during the late 1960s. Both Branded to Kill and student leftist movements suggest a new way of thinking, an essential awakening of consciousness that diverges from mainstream notions.