Shokei no shima / Punishment Island
I love covers that give absolutely no clues about the movie. Like this one
Director: Shinoda Masahiro
Writers: Ishihara Shintaro, Takeda Taijun
Date: 1966
Genre: Drama
Description: Revenge, exile, flashback, juvenile delinquent, penal colony
Cast: Nitta Akira, Mikuni Rentaro, Iwashita Shima, Sato kei, Komatsu Hosei, Tonoyama Taiji
Crew of note: Music by Takemitsu Toru
Runtime: 88 mins.
Color: Color
Trivia: Shinoda and Iwashita got married in 1967 after this film was released.
summary
Saburou, a man with a mysterious past, is on his way back to Kojima Island to look for Otake, a man with whom he bears a grudge. Through a series of flashbacks we discover his connection with the island and the man he is looking for, and why he has returned after 2 decades. There he meets Matsue, a bully from his past, Kuroki, an old teacher and Aya, a beautiful girl he once knew, before finally finding Otake.
review
If you like jidaigeki and yakuza eiga like me, then you’ve definitely heard of Sadojima (Nichiren was a famous exile there) or Abashiri Prison (of Abashiri bangai-chi fame, starring Takakura Ken) or a host of other nameless prison islands. The Japanese seem to enjoy throwing criminals into exile, and they even have a word for it: Shimanagashi (literally, island exile). Kojima, featured in this movie, is a fictional penal island for juvenile delinquents.
They look so happy playing with a dead eel ;_;
It’s not hard to imagine why Saburou is returning to Kojima–the title is Punishment Island for cripe’s sake. And while it’s made clear from the very start that he’s there for some revengin’, it is the way Shinoda reveals Saburou’s tortured past through small, repetitive and overlapping flashbacks that makes this such a great movie. The plot develops slowly, almost painfully slow, as we feel Saburou’s escalating anxiety, almost a morbid excitement, that’s built up over years and years of waiting for the right time to come back. And once there, will he or won’t he?
The choice of having a totally anonymous actor in Nitta Akira to play the lead adds to the tension; his is a new face that we’ve never scene before, with strong, coarse features and an unknown past. The audience has nothing to recall about him even as an actor, and that mystery is a big part of what makes his character so compelling. His performance is chilling and intense; you can just imagine him being beaten and scarred as a child. Mikuni’s work as Otake is also brilliant as ever.
Take note of that crutch. It will surprise you near the end
Last but not the least, the movie is stunning–which is pretty obvious given it’s Shinoda. Iwashita on a cliff with an undulating background; the long take at the end with a kanon statue on the table; the grayed and filthy children on the rocky hills; Kojima in the background as Saburou looks on from a boat; the many long takes and long shots; the isolation in every frame. An island is just a pile of rocks and yet Shinoda makes it seem so much more. There may be no walls and the ocean may seem traverse-able (how is this not a word?), but Saburou’s island of Kojima has kept him imprisoned even after 20 years.
Kojima: a big big pile of rocks and murderin
conclusion
The way Shinoda stages scenes is a sight to behold. It is no exaggeration to say that the last major scene is one of Shinoda’s best, and perhaps it’s one of the earliest signs of his curiosity in using traditional performance art (Bunraku in Shinju: Ten no amijima; Kabuki in Buraikan; here just a stage play, and only really in the last scene) in his movies. This may not be the best place to start with Shinoda, but if you’ve seen his other films and enjoyed them, this will definitely be another blessing.
things to take note of
Amazing pictures of the island
The long shots
Isoooolaaaation
best moment
The last scene in the house and how amazing it is
why you should watch this
Another excellent Shinoda. That guy just never fails to impress me.
rating: 8.6
scorecard
Plot: C+
Cast: A
Cinematography: B+
Music: B
Entertainment: C+
similar movies, maybe:
Movies about islands and isolation? Uhm, Hadaka no shima / Naked Island?
some words some places 
2 comments
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12/31/2010 at 3:21 am
justine
have you seen Pale Flower ? its even better than Punkshment island…
01/02/2011 at 6:29 pm
M
I’ve seen Kawaita hana, but I don’t really consider it great. I think Shinoda was at his best between Ansatsu and… perhaps Hanaregoze Orin. Most of the films he made during the period (Shokei no shima, Shinju: Ten no amijima, Buraikan, and even Chinmoku and Kaseki no mori) are excellent.