Gate of Hell (1953)

7.1Not Rated88 minDirector: Teinosuke Kinugasa

1953 film by Teinosuke Kinugasa

Gate of Hell (Japanese: 地獄門, Hepburn: Jigokumon) is a 1953 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. It tells the story of a samurai (Kazuo Hasegawa) who tries to marry a woman (Machiko Kyō) he rescues, only to discover that she is already married. Filmed using Eastmancolor, Gate of Hell was Daiei Film's first color film and the first Japanese color film to be released outside Japan. It was digitally restored in 2011 by the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kadokawa Shoten Co., in cooperation with NHK. It was based on the play Kesa's Husband by Kan Kikuchi.

The film won Best Costume Design and Best Foreign Language Film at the 27th Academy Awards and the Grand Prize (the top prize of that year) at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Gate of Hell about?
Gate of Hell (1953) — In 1160, in the Heian Period, Lord Kiyomori travels with his court to another feud and his Castle Sanjo is invaded by two other lords, in a coup. The loyal samurai Moritoh Enda asks the court lady Kesa to pose of the lord's sister to create a diversion while the lord's real siste
Is Gate of Hell based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Gate of Hell scary?
Content rating: Not Rated. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.