​Off-beat noir defies 1950s stereotypes

Sam Fuller’s “House of Bamboo” seems to be pretty much under the radar of many film fans, but is interesting and unusual on several levels, as a social commentary and twisting the film noir “rules” by being shot in color and CinemaScope with stereo sound, as well as for reversing a number of traditional roles expected in the genre. It received a very good Blu-ray release last summer.

Samuel Fuller was an independent-minded, often-perverse maverick filmmaker, noted for some raw-edged noir thrillers and gritty war films, who also directed a number of major films for Hollywood studios. In 1954 when 20th Century Fox wanted to do a color and CinemaScope remake of “The Street with No Name,” a 1948 noir about an FBI agent infiltrating a criminal gang, and also asked if Fuller would like to direct the first major Hollywood film to shoot in Japan, he jumped at the chance to do both at once, resulting in “House of Bamboo,” released in 1955.

He combined the crime elements with a strong wartime influence and a number of envelope-pushing themes in the subtext. He heavily rewrote the story to have a gang of unsavory American ex-soldiers pulling major heists and running rackets in present-day (1954) Tokyo, and added an interracial couple with one of the gang members forced to hide his marriage to a Japanese girl (Shirley Yamaguchi) from the gang, and hide his gang membership from her.

Even more daring is the never-discussed yet dramatically implicit homosexual relationship between the cultured but ruthless crime boss (Robert Ryan) and his violent number one henchman (Cameron Mitchell). This develops into a quirky, off-beat, and bitter triangle, a struggle for both power and friendship, once the new guy (Robert Stack) joins the gang and quickly becomes the boss’s new favorite even though he ostensibly is living with the girl to protect her after her husband is killed on a job (in reality she is more interested in protecting him).

Fuller and Ryan never explained this plot point to Stack, however, so both he and his character would appear confused and uncomfortable with some of the things Ryan does in his performance. This aspect of the plot makes for interesting comparison to other noir films like “The Chase” and “Gilda” (both 1946 and released to Blu-ray this year), which have somewhat similar disguised male relationships between a crime boss and a trusted subordinate.

A large part of the film contrasts the attitudes of the Americans and their culture with traditional Japanese culture, something Fuller admired greatly, including Japanese cinema. The visual style of “House of Bamboo” very much calls to mind major Japanese filmmakers of the period, especially Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu.

The film was shot on location at a time Japan was still struggling to rebuild its economy and serves as a time capsule for that brief period after the war before the country rapidly became a major force in international commerce.

It’s a film that works on multiple layers and rewards repeated viewings. The basic crime melodrama is fine as it is, dramatizing intricate heists and intra-gang tension, an unusual romantic angle and racial elements, all climaxing in a dramatic shootout in a rooftop children’s playground.

But there is far more subtext going on beneath the surface of the gangster plot, with the constant culture clashes, national and gender identity issues, themes of personal loyalty vs. duty vs. personal code vs. pragmatic survival, and plenty of visual symbolism to intensify it all, aided by the masterful use of color, lighting, and widescreen composition by Fuller and cinematographer Joe MacDonald. Numerous long takes with elaborate crane dolly movements provide additional dramatic impact.

Other notable stars in the cast are DeForest Kelly and Harry Carey, Jr. as gang members, and Sessue Hayakawa as a Japanese police inspector.

Two years later Fuller would also explore racial tensions, social hypocrisy, and the bitter effects of war in his underrated, lower-budget “China Gate” (1957), also made for Fox but this time with studio sets standing in for Vietnam. The larger budget and location photography of “House of Bamboo” give it a more polished look than “China Gate” or some of Fuller’s impressive but rougher-edged lower-budget independent productions like “Shock Corridor” (1963) and “The Naked Kiss” (1964). These three films are also available on good Blu-ray editions.

The 2.55:1 HD transfer Twilight Time got from Fox for the Blu-ray is generally excellent. The picture is sometimes slightly contrasty and/or softish but mostly very sharp and clear with well-defined colors. The stereo sound is also nice to hear, remixed from the original 4.0 magnetic analog tracks to play back through 5.1 audio systems using DTS-HD MA encoding. Bonus features include Twilight Times’ usual illustrated booklet with a gushing but informative essay by Julie Kirgo and an isolated music track of Leigh Harline’s score.

Unexpectedly the disc has two good audio commentaries (Twilight Time personnel Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, and film noir experts Alain Silver and James Ursini) with some overlap in info but slightly different approaches. Kirgo and Redman discuss mostly the actors and characterizations, especially Robert Ryan and Robert Stack, as well as producer Buddy Adler and conditions in postwar Japan.

Silver and Ursini talk about Fuller’s style and the style of Japanese filmmakers, spending a lot of time analyzing how the shot framing and camera movements help convey plot information and character relationships, including material that would not otherwise get past the censors.

There are also two brief silent Movietone newsreels and a trailer (all standard-definition).

HOUSE OF BAMBOO on Blu-ray – Movie: A- / Video: A / Audio: A / Extras: B+