Falconeer Review of Beautiful Girl Hunter

Beautiful Girl Hunter (1979)

Beautiful & disturbing 'pink' shocker

[9/10 · 28 November 2006]

Norifumi Suzuki, legendary director of 70's pink films has fashioned his most shocking and controversial film in "Star of David: Beauty Hunting". Dealing with every inflammatory subject conceivable; rape, incest, bestiality, necrophilia, but somehow the film never for a moment looks ugly, or cheap for that matter. Suzuki is a genius indeed to film such horrors and make them look stylish and elegant. The story is evil and hypnotic as well; the child of rape who grows up to inherit the twisted traits of his genetic father, a man who brutally raped his mother and destroyed so many lives as a result. For the woman is raped in front of her new husband, who grows to despise her, as in typical fashion for movies of this genre, the woman appears to enjoy being violated! She becomes pregnant as a result of the rape, and gives birth to a son, equally hated and abused by his surrogate dad. The boy is exposed to violence and sexual perversions at a young age, which adds to his already twisted psyche. And he is made familiar with death when his tortured mother eventually commits suicide. The seeds of hate have been planted, and at the age of 20 he inherits a sprawling estate, when his father dies in a mysterious boating accident. Now in a position of great wealth and power, he is able to live out his most depraved fantasies. Girls are kidnapped and taken to a bizarre torture chamber in the cellar of the house. But the story has deeper meanings behind all the excessive sex and torture. Symbolic attacks on capitalism, family 'values', and religion are all explored in an intelligent way. A famous pop singer is kidnapped and humiliated, and is less upset at being brutalized than she is of finding that her song has dropped from the charts. And a pious schoolgirl, a virgin, but secretly addicted to masturbation, is exposed, broken, and remodeled into a somehow healthier, happier person, when the constraints of society are lifted, and she can be a sexual person at last. Here is Suzuki's most adult oriented feature, a horrifying vision, but with very intelligent jet black comic overtones. I felt guilty for laughing when the whip is placed in the hand of the singers assistant, as she goes wild at finally having the upper hand in a society that dictates that she should be on a lower level, because of beauty standards, or money. She savagely beats the arrogant pop singer, and forces her to repeat, 'I am a dark pig!' Make no mistake about 'Star of David', as it is a film of superior quality and beauty. This is not 'Guts of a Virgin' type trash, and not nearly as sickening and juvenile. In fact there is really not much actual gore here at all, other than a gruesome stab to the heart scene, and a couple other short scenes. In fact, the blood draining scene in Suzuki's 'Terrifying Girls High School' is more extreme than what is shown here. And this lends yet another layer of class to this production. The real terror is of the psychological kind. Not to say this film is not loaded with disturbing imagery, the scene involving a German Shephard being especially offensive. Those familiar with Suzuki's work will recognize his unique style here; his masterful use of color and camera angles, as well as attention to detail. The final scenes in a flower garden are especially beautiful, and a sex scene at the films climax comes across as romantic, even though it involves a brother and sister! 'Star of David' is one of the most infamous 'pink films' of all time, and for good reason. Highly recommended to viewers with open minds, and for those looking to venture out of the main stream.