by Frank Calvillo
There have been a great many films made after the film noir boom which seemed to be forever searching for their former genre, while more times than not seeming just a bit out of place in the era of the conservative ’50s.
One such exception which managed to proudly display its noir-like trappings, despite being a ’50s Hollywood film, was Samuel Fuller’s 1955 crime drama House of Bamboo.
Set in post-war Tokyo, House of Bamboo follows an American Army Investigator named Eddie Spanier (Robert Stack) who, upon the death of another American, arrives in Tokyo to uncover the connection between the dead man and a U.S. crime syndicate terrorizing the city. Along with the dead man’s wife Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi) as an ally, Eddie attempts to bring down the syndicate by winning over its main boss Sandy (Robert Ryan).
Admittedly, House of Bamboo is more heavy on visuals than it is on plot, though there is certainly plenty of that to sustain an entire film. However, this was the ’50s, Cinemascope was in its prime, and with in films such as this, it was never more alive.
If anyone wanted a crash course on what made Cinemascope one of the greatest innovations in film history, they need look no further than House of Bamboo. Every shot of this film is drenched in such striking colors of all shades, that many times it becomes easy to forget what’s happening in a scene as a result of being distracted by such stunning visuals. While the tone of the film is completely devoid of any kind of beauty or light, Fuller ensures that every frame of House of Bamboo contains the kind of eye-popping richness only found in the movies.
It should also be pointed out, however, that House of Bamboo was also an unexpected love letter to Japan. The film was made at a time when Tokyo, and the country in general, were still in recovery phase from the war, and as a result the post-war city proves to be an excellent sort of noirish backdrop in the tradition of San Francisco and Los Angeles. In spite of its current condition, Fuller takes great pains to show the essence of Tokyo, displaying the beauty of its architecture as well as well as the warmth of its people and the overall resilience as a nation.
Although House of Bamboo has an undeniable noir DNA (the film is actually a remake of an earlier genre entry titled Street With No Name), it would be unfair to say that the film was made for a bygone era. The fact of the matter is, House of Bamboo was made at just the right time. Set against the backdrop of a country in repair, the environment proved just right for a tale of crime and greed such as this. Likewise, House of Bamboo’s set of characters prove just the type of American opportunistic muscle who tried to move into vulnerable territory in post-war climate.
Though he’s most often thought of as a supporting character actor, Stack proved with House of Bamboo that he was equally capable of being a dynamic leading man. His work throughout House of Bamboo is perhaps some of the best of his career, with steady confidence masking a deep intensity. He’s equally matched by Ryan, who turns in a such a cool, calm turn as perhaps one of the suavest crime bosses in noir history. However, neither man can hold the audience’s attention quite like when Yamaguchi is on the screen. The actress is so luminous and radiant in a role that goes beyond the typical Japanese female stereotype, it’s literally impossible not to be transfixed by her.
Fuller made a career out of highlighting the harshness of reality against the beauty of life with his films usually moving back and forth between tales of crime and war. It’s a fitting contrast then that he should direct a film so seeped in the throes of corruption, yet full of such unexpected richness and beauty.
The Package
Aside from the trailer and newsreel footage, two commentaries accompany the release.
The first, by Twilight Time’s own Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, really explores the film’s origins and the benefits of the Cinemascope process. For a while, the commentary becomes a little too much of a love fest for Ryan, but there are great theories concerning the film’s homoerotic subtext and Fuller’s overall approach to directing House of Bamboo.
The second commentary, led by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini, is more academic, yet is also packed with information regarding the film’s homosexual subtext as well as its standing as a Fuller film and its place in the film noir canon.
The Lowdown
House of Bamboo celebrates the power of Cinemascope and the beauty of Tokyo in a sharply acted post-noir entry.
