The story of the forty-seven ronin of Ako avenging their fallen master is a significant historical event in Japanese history that has practically gone down as a legend. The events that transpired have frequently been retold in media, most notably in literature through the fictionalized accounts known as “Chushingura.” In addition, many retellings of the vengeful retainers' plot for revenge have been depicted in traditional theater and in cinema. Filmmakers that have directed their depictions include Kenji Mizoguchi, Kunio Watanabe, and Hiroshi Inagaki. Of the countless cinematic renditions, one of the more underrated and unique is Kon Ichikawa's “47 Ronin.”
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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
- 5/4/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan during the 1960s saw a surge in crime flicks. Examples include the stylish gangster features by Seijun Suzuki and the darkly comical underworld movies by Kihachi Okamoto. Yet, there were also slower pieced character study crime thrillers that took their time to develop their characters and create overwhelming suspense and atmosphere with powerful themes that made audiences think. Look no further than Akira Kurosawa’s terrific films “The Bad Sleep Well” and “High and Low.” Yet, Kurosawa wasn’t the only notable director to put out poignant noir tales. Right around this time, filmmaker Tomu Uchida had built quite a name for himself with the numerous jidaigeki pictures he made. Occasionally, Uchida would step away from cinematic depictions of feudal Japan to do something more unique in his filmography, such as his phenomenal crime epic, “A Fugitive from the Past.”
“A Fugitive from The Past” is screening...
“A Fugitive from The Past” is screening...
- 1/18/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including a series on first films featuring David Cronenberg’s Stereo, Kelly Reichardt’s River of Grass, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Identification Marks: None, Fatih Akın’s Short Sharp Shock, Panos Cosmatos’ Beyond the Black Rainbow, and, with Mubi’s theatrical release of her new film Alcarràs, Carla Simón’s Summer 1993.
Additional highlights include Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight starring Vicky Krieps, Sundance favorites with films from Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Tom Noonan, and Andrew Bujalski, plus works from Nicolas Roeg, Claude Chabrol, and Aftersun director Charlotte Wells.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 – Stereo, directed by David Cronenberg | First Films First
January 2 – Short Sharp Shock, directed by Fatih Akın | First Films First
January 3 – River of Grass, directed by Kelly Reichardt | First Films First
January 4 – Identification Marks: None, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | First Films...
Additional highlights include Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight starring Vicky Krieps, Sundance favorites with films from Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Tom Noonan, and Andrew Bujalski, plus works from Nicolas Roeg, Claude Chabrol, and Aftersun director Charlotte Wells.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 – Stereo, directed by David Cronenberg | First Films First
January 2 – Short Sharp Shock, directed by Fatih Akın | First Films First
January 3 – River of Grass, directed by Kelly Reichardt | First Films First
January 4 – Identification Marks: None, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | First Films...
- 12/19/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Japan during the 1960s saw a surge in crime flicks. Examples include the stylish gangster features by Seijun Suzuki and the darkly comical underworld movies by Kihachi Okamoto. Yet, there were also slower pieced character study crime thrillers that took their time to develop their characters and create overwhelming suspense and atmosphere with powerful themes that made audiences think. Look no further than Akira Kurosawa’s terrific films “The Bad Sleep Well” and “High and Low.” Yet, Kurosawa wasn’t the only notable director to put out poignant noir tales. Right around this time, filmmaker Tomu Uchida had built quite a name for himself with the numerous jidaigeki pictures he made. Occasionally, Uchida would step away from cinematic depictions of feudal Japan to do something more unique in his filmography, such as his phenomenal crime epic, “A Fugitive from the Past.”
on Amazon by clicking...
on Amazon by clicking...
- 9/14/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Arrow Video floors us with yet another well-curated Japanese masterpiece. For practical purposes, this disc might represent the Western premiere of Tomu Uchida’s three-hour ‘crime and punishment’ saga. Unfolding like a novel and filmed with an unusually gritty visual scheme called ‘the Toei W106 method,’ the story’s timeline is split between 1947 and 1957. It has a strong postwar social statement to make, but the overriding theme is one of spiritual Karma, and the function of guilt in imperfect humans. Several of the actors are just unforgettable, especially Rentarô Mikuni, Junzaburô Ban, and Ken Takakura.
A Fugitive from the Past
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 183 min. / Street Date September 27, 2022 / Kiga kaikyô, Straits of Hunger / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburô Ban, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Akiko Kazami, Rin’ichi Yamamoto, Tadashi Suganuma.
Cinematography: Hanjirô Nakazawa
Special Effects: Sadao Uemura
Art Director: Mikio Mori...
A Fugitive from the Past
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 183 min. / Street Date September 27, 2022 / Kiga kaikyô, Straits of Hunger / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburô Ban, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Akiko Kazami, Rin’ichi Yamamoto, Tadashi Suganuma.
Cinematography: Hanjirô Nakazawa
Special Effects: Sadao Uemura
Art Director: Mikio Mori...
- 9/6/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Miyamoto Musashi has been solidified in history for his phenomenal skills as a swordsman. As such, he’s been depicted in cinema for decades. His story has been shown as a hopeful journey in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy” or as a Zen-seeking quest in Tomu Uchida’s five-part film series. The ronin would even be used as a symbol of patriotism in the propaganda feature “Miyamoto Musashi,” directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Yet, the famed warrior was far from perfect, and there was more to him besides his sword skills. He was also a human and one with imperfections for that matter. These complexities are showcased in Tai Kato’s gritty but human jidaigeki epic “Miyamoto Musashi.” An alternative title for the picture is “Sword of Fury.”
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
“Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple,” much like the first entry of “The Samurai Trilogy,” was a financial and critical success. A lot transpired storywise, and the ending teased for a great follow-up. It was time for Hiroshi Inagaki to wrap things up for Musashi Miyamoto. More stakes are to be raised, and loose ends are to be tied. Upon release, the third and final entry in Inagaki’s rendition of the famous swordsman would perform well like the previous two. Musashi would now face off against his greatest opponent, Sasaki Kojiro, in the enjoyable finale “Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.”
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Following his newfound wisdom and immense regret for his failed awkward romantic advances on Otsu, Musashi Miyamoto retires his sword and pursues the life of a reserved commoner. He has taken in a younger apprentice and grown a liking for woodcutting. However, the...
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Following his newfound wisdom and immense regret for his failed awkward romantic advances on Otsu, Musashi Miyamoto retires his sword and pursues the life of a reserved commoner. He has taken in a younger apprentice and grown a liking for woodcutting. However, the...
- 7/20/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto” was a critical and box office success. It was time to continue the narrative in the second entry of “The Samurai Trilogy.” Inagaki would raise more stakes, and much of Musashi’s history would be covered, albeit in a more theatrically romanticized way. Also, a major player in the narrative would be introduced, one that would participate in a significant event in the life of Musashi Miyamoto. So much content would be covered in the entertaining follow-up “Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple.”
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A majority of the cast from the previous returned, but some were recast here. Rentaro Mikuni was replaced in the part of Matahachi Honiden by Sachio Sakai. This change was likely due to Mikuni’s demanding schedule as he became more and more of a popular star in Japan. The renowned talent would work with...
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A majority of the cast from the previous returned, but some were recast here. Rentaro Mikuni was replaced in the part of Matahachi Honiden by Sachio Sakai. This change was likely due to Mikuni’s demanding schedule as he became more and more of a popular star in Japan. The renowned talent would work with...
- 7/15/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Although a favorite of American fans, the road movie is actually a genre that has many fans all over the world, and particularly in Asia, where the occasionally vast spaces provide a great source for such movies. At the same time the category has been used as a metaphor for various psychological, political, social, philosophical etc comments, a plethora of times, highlighting the richness of the particular cinematic approach. Here is a list of 30 of the greatest Asian road movies, in no particular order. Since we already have a list about taxi drivers, we decided to leave these movies out
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
- 3/22/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Tomu Uchida’s Mad Fox (1962) is currently available on Blu-ray From Arrow Academy
In stark contrast to the monochrome naturalism of his earlier masterwork Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, visionary master director Tomu Uchida took inspiration from Bunraku and kabuki theater for arguably his strangest and most lavishly cinematic film, The Mad Fox.
Amidst a mythically-depicted medieval Japan, a court astrologer foretells a great disturbance that threatens to split the realm in two. His bitter and treacherous wife conspires to have the astrologer killed, as well as their adopted daughter, Sakaki. The astrologer s master apprentice, Yasuna, who was in love with Sakaki, is driven mad with grief and escapes to the countryside. There, he encounters Sakaki s long-lost twin, Kuzunoha, and the pair meet a pack of ancient fox spirits in the woods, whose presence may be the key to restoring Yasuna s sanity, and in turn bringing peace to the fracturing nation.
In stark contrast to the monochrome naturalism of his earlier masterwork Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, visionary master director Tomu Uchida took inspiration from Bunraku and kabuki theater for arguably his strangest and most lavishly cinematic film, The Mad Fox.
Amidst a mythically-depicted medieval Japan, a court astrologer foretells a great disturbance that threatens to split the realm in two. His bitter and treacherous wife conspires to have the astrologer killed, as well as their adopted daughter, Sakaki. The astrologer s master apprentice, Yasuna, who was in love with Sakaki, is driven mad with grief and escapes to the countryside. There, he encounters Sakaki s long-lost twin, Kuzunoha, and the pair meet a pack of ancient fox spirits in the woods, whose presence may be the key to restoring Yasuna s sanity, and in turn bringing peace to the fracturing nation.
- 6/7/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji” is a significant entry in the filmography of Tomu Uchida, one of the most important figures of the Japanese pre-war cinema. The film signaled his return to cinema after spending a decade in Manchuria while it is also considered as both a harsh political statement and a tribute to Uchida’s friend, Sadao Yamanaka, a promising director who was killed in combat in Manchuria. Furthermore, the film is a rare case where shomin-geki is combined with chanbara, since Uchida uses the samurai setting to portray, realistically, the lives of the lower castes in Japan, through a production that functions much like a road movie.
Sakawa is a kind samurai who travels to Edo to present some valuable ceramics to his mother. He is attended by his two servants, Gonpachi, a proud and selfless samurai who functions as his spear bearer, and Genta,...
Sakawa is a kind samurai who travels to Edo to present some valuable ceramics to his mother. He is attended by his two servants, Gonpachi, a proud and selfless samurai who functions as his spear bearer, and Genta,...
- 9/5/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Tomu Uchida’s Bloody Spear At Mount Fuji (1955) will be available on Blu-ray September 4th from Arrow Academy
Praised by Japanese film critics and much admired by his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirô Ozu, Tomu Uchida nonetheless remains a little-known in the west. His 1955 masterpiece Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is an excellent entry point for the newcomer. Set during the Edo period, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a tragicomic road movie of sorts, following a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi (Chiezô Kataoka) – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution. Winner of a prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for supporting actor – and Kurosawa regular – Daisuke Katô, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a film deserving of much wider international recognition.
Bonus Materials High Definition Blu-ray...
Praised by Japanese film critics and much admired by his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirô Ozu, Tomu Uchida nonetheless remains a little-known in the west. His 1955 masterpiece Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is an excellent entry point for the newcomer. Set during the Edo period, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a tragicomic road movie of sorts, following a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi (Chiezô Kataoka) – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution. Winner of a prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for supporting actor – and Kurosawa regular – Daisuke Katô, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a film deserving of much wider international recognition.
Bonus Materials High Definition Blu-ray...
- 8/29/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 75th Venice International Film Festival has finally announced the line-up in a press conference in Rome, hosted by the President of the Biennale di Venezia Paolo Baratta and by the Director of the Cinema department Alberto Barbera.
The Venice International Film Festival has been welcoming in the past many Asian movies especially under the previous Director Marco Muller (2004-2011), a dedicated advocate and promoter of Asian Cinema, but this year the Asian presence is particularly poor. A bit surprising after the success in Cannes of Palme d’Or director Hirokazu Kore’eda with “Shoplifters” and Lee Chang-dong with “Burning”.
Only one film – Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto’s new movie “Zan” – is in the Official Competition and few more “usual suspects” are scattered in the other sections. Chinese director Tsai Ming-Liang – a regular of the festival – is in the Out of Competition Section with his “Ni De Lian“, where other...
The Venice International Film Festival has been welcoming in the past many Asian movies especially under the previous Director Marco Muller (2004-2011), a dedicated advocate and promoter of Asian Cinema, but this year the Asian presence is particularly poor. A bit surprising after the success in Cannes of Palme d’Or director Hirokazu Kore’eda with “Shoplifters” and Lee Chang-dong with “Burning”.
Only one film – Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto’s new movie “Zan” – is in the Official Competition and few more “usual suspects” are scattered in the other sections. Chinese director Tsai Ming-Liang – a regular of the festival – is in the Out of Competition Section with his “Ni De Lian“, where other...
- 7/31/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Non-FictionThe programme for the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Tsai Ming-liang, Frederick Wiseman, Sergei Loznitsa, Olivier Assayas, the Coen Brothers, and many more.COMPETITIONFirst Man (Damien Chazelle)The Mountain (Rick Alverson)Non-Fiction (Olivier Assayas)The Sisters Brothers (Jacques Audiard)The Ballad of Buster ScruggsVox Lux (Brady Corbet)Roma (Alfonso Cuarón)22 July (Paul Greengrass)Suspiria (Luca Guadagnino)Werk ohne autor (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)The Nightingale (Jennifer Kent)The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)Peterloo (Mike Leigh)Capri-revolution (Mario Martone)What You Gonna Do When the World's On Fire? (Roberto Minervini)Sunset (László Nemes)Frères ennemis (David Oeloffen)Where Life is Born (Carlos Reygadas)At Eternity's Gate (Julian Schnabel)Acusada (Gonzalo Tobal)Killing (Shinya Tsukamoto)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesThe Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles)They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (Morgan Neville)L'amica geniale (Saverio Costanzo)Il diario di angela - noi...
- 7/25/2018
- MUBI
Praised by Japanese film critics and much admired by his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirô Ozu, Tomu Uchida nonetheless remains a little-known in the west. His 1955 masterpiece Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is an excellent entry point for the newcomer.
Set during the Edo period, “Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji” is a tragicomic road movie of sorts, following a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi (Chiezô Kataoka) – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution.
Winner of a prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for supporting actor – and Kurosawa regular – Daisuke Katô, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a film deserving of much wider international recognition.
Special Edition Contents
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed mono audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Brand-new audio commentary...
Set during the Edo period, “Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji” is a tragicomic road movie of sorts, following a samurai, his two servants – including spear-carrier Genpachi (Chiezô Kataoka) – and the various people they meet on their journey, including a policeman in pursuit of a thief, a young child and a woman who is to be sold into prostitution.
Winner of a prestigious Blue Ribbon Award for supporting actor – and Kurosawa regular – Daisuke Katô, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji is a film deserving of much wider international recognition.
Special Edition Contents
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed mono audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles
Brand-new audio commentary...
- 6/9/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
A Fugitive from the PastFilm history is full of holes, but some are filled in more reluctantly than others. Consider, for example, the strange case of Tomu Uchida (1898-1970). In his home country Japan, he is considered a canonized master. In the West, he was mostly a name without any practical meaning, at least until a (still slimmed-down) touring series in the wake of Tokyo FilmEx’s 2004 13-film-retrospective made the rounds for a few years, e.g. to International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2005 and New York’s BAMcinématek in 2008, allowing for the first time the appreciation of a sizable selection from Uchida’s rich and diverse body of work, with emphasis on his fascinating post-war period.Although Uchida is discussed in standard texts on Japanese cinema—especially his realistic classic Tsuchi (Earth, 1939)—and individual films appear time and again in other contexts (back then he was even in competition in...
- 11/8/2016
- MUBI
Japanese studio Toei has launched a major digital restoration programme of its extensive library, starting with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor And Humanity, which is screening in Cannes Classics next month.
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
- 4/30/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Japanese studio Toei has launched a major digital restoration programme of its extensive library, starting with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor And Humanity, which is screening in Cannes Classics next month.
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
- 4/29/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Branded to Kill is among the Nikkatsu films to be screened.
The BFI will showcase a month long London film festival tribute to Japan's legendary Nikkatsu Studios during the month of June. Below is press release information:
The oldest of Japan’s film studios, Nikkatsu was established in 1912 as the Japan Cinematograph Company (Nippon katsudo shashin kaisha). Home to ‘father of Japanese cinema’ Shozo Makino, it fostered early directors like Kenji Mizoguchi, Daisuke Ito and Tomu Uchida, until restructuring of the industry by the wartime government in 1942 saw its production facilities hived off to form the new Daiei Corporation, with Nikkatsu surviving only in an exhibition capacity.
In 1954, Nikkatsu resumed production, rising phoenix-like under the guidance of studio head Kyusaku Hori to carve out a unique identity in the highly competitive market of the postwar Golden Age. Its breakthrough came with the 1956 double whammy of Takumi Furukawa’s Season of...
The BFI will showcase a month long London film festival tribute to Japan's legendary Nikkatsu Studios during the month of June. Below is press release information:
The oldest of Japan’s film studios, Nikkatsu was established in 1912 as the Japan Cinematograph Company (Nippon katsudo shashin kaisha). Home to ‘father of Japanese cinema’ Shozo Makino, it fostered early directors like Kenji Mizoguchi, Daisuke Ito and Tomu Uchida, until restructuring of the industry by the wartime government in 1942 saw its production facilities hived off to form the new Daiei Corporation, with Nikkatsu surviving only in an exhibition capacity.
In 1954, Nikkatsu resumed production, rising phoenix-like under the guidance of studio head Kyusaku Hori to carve out a unique identity in the highly competitive market of the postwar Golden Age. Its breakthrough came with the 1956 double whammy of Takumi Furukawa’s Season of...
- 5/21/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
This year's New York Film Festival seems to have fulfilled its brief so well you have to wonder what the programmers will come up with for its 50th anniversary edition next year. 2012 will also mark Richard Peña's 25th year as programming director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and chairman of the Nyff selection committee — and, as he's just announced, his last. "It's been a terrific ride," he told the New York Times' Larry Rohter on Saturday, "but I've had other interests, and it got to the point where I got to thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my working life. It's a good thing for me personally, and also for the organization, because change is good, and it will be good for the organization to have fresh eyes and ideas and new ways of doing things."
For now, though, the 49th edition.
For now, though, the 49th edition.
- 10/17/2011
- MUBI
Velvet Bullets and Steel Kisses: Celebrating the Nikkatsu Centennial was a sidebar at this year's New York Film Festival that Dan Sallitt, writing a couple of weeks ago, found "so exciting that it threatens to overshadow the main slate: a retrospective of the Japanese studio Nikkatsu, whose opportunistic shifts of focus always seemed to open doors for some of Japan's most creative filmmakers. Compare film magazine Kinema Junpo's 1999 and 2009 lists of all-time greatest Japanese films to the Lincoln Center series schedule, and count the overlaps." Last year in the Notebook, Dan reviewed one of the 37 films in the series, Tomu Uchida's Earth (1939).
"The sidebar is peppered with nearly impossible to see rediscoveries," notes Steve Dollar at GreenCine Daily: "early silent films like 1927's A Diary of Chuji's Travels and harshly realistic World War II dramas like Mud and Soldiers. Shot on location in China in 1939, the latter film blends...
"The sidebar is peppered with nearly impossible to see rediscoveries," notes Steve Dollar at GreenCine Daily: "early silent films like 1927's A Diary of Chuji's Travels and harshly realistic World War II dramas like Mud and Soldiers. Shot on location in China in 1939, the latter film blends...
- 10/16/2011
- MUBI
Has another photo existed with so many great filmmakers in one shot? This was taken in 1936 on the occation of the creation of the Japan Film Directors Society.
Front row, from left:
Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982)
Yoshinobu Ikeda (1892-1973)
Sadao Yamanaka (1909-1938)
Mansaku Itami (1900-1946)
Heinosuke Gosho (1902-1981)
Minoru Murata (1894-1937)
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1900-1976)
Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956)
Second row, from left:
Tomotaka Tasaka (1902-1974)
Yasujiro Shimazu (1897-1945)
Hiroshi Shimizu (1903-1966)
Yutaka Abe (1895-1977)
Kiyohiko Ushihara (1897-1985)
Kajiro Yamamoto (1902-1974)
Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963)
Tomu Uchida (1898-1970)
Third row, from left:
Mikio Naruse (1905-1969)
Kintaro Inoue (1901-1954)
(Via Vermillion and One Nights.)...
Front row, from left:
Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982)
Yoshinobu Ikeda (1892-1973)
Sadao Yamanaka (1909-1938)
Mansaku Itami (1900-1946)
Heinosuke Gosho (1902-1981)
Minoru Murata (1894-1937)
Shigeyoshi Suzuki (1900-1976)
Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956)
Second row, from left:
Tomotaka Tasaka (1902-1974)
Yasujiro Shimazu (1897-1945)
Hiroshi Shimizu (1903-1966)
Yutaka Abe (1895-1977)
Kiyohiko Ushihara (1897-1985)
Kajiro Yamamoto (1902-1974)
Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963)
Tomu Uchida (1898-1970)
Third row, from left:
Mikio Naruse (1905-1969)
Kintaro Inoue (1901-1954)
(Via Vermillion and One Nights.)...
- 9/25/2011
- MUBI
With 2010 only a week over, it already feels like best-of and top-ten lists have been pouring in for months, and we’re already tired of them: the ranking, the exclusions (and inclusions), the rules and the qualifiers. Some people got to see films at festivals, others only catch movies on video; and the ability for us, or any publication, to come up with a system to fairly determine who saw what when and what they thought was the best seems an impossible feat. That doesn’t stop most people from doing it, but we liked the fantasy double features we did last year and for our 3rd Writers Poll we thought we'd do it again.
I asked our contributors to pick a single new film they saw in 2010—in theaters or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they saw in 2010 to create a unique double feature.
I asked our contributors to pick a single new film they saw in 2010—in theaters or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they saw in 2010 to create a unique double feature.
- 1/10/2011
- MUBI
Video of the day. First Full Trailer for David Fincher's "The Social Network"
Video of the day. New Film by Kenneth Anger
Image of the day. Marilyn Monroe
Miriam Bale
The Game
David Cairns
The Forgotten: The Filth
The Forgotten: Lady Killer
The Forgotten: Dance of Death
The Forgotten: One Way Street
The Forgotten: Swift Boat Veterans
Doug Cummings
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival Shifts Direction
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Independence Day"
Movie Poster of the Week: The Movie Posters of Norman Rockwell
Movie Poster of the Week: "Life During Wartime"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Betty Blue"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Summer Holiday"
Doug Dibbern
Jimmy Stewart: Angel of Death
Philippe Garrel
Quote of the day
Leo Goldsmith
Robert Flaherty Seminar 2010, Part 2: Work Forces
S. Hahn
Telling Pictures
Darren Hughes
The Details: "Les rendez-vous d'Anna" (Akerman, 1978)
Daniel Kasman
Image of the Day.
Video of the day. New Film by Kenneth Anger
Image of the day. Marilyn Monroe
Miriam Bale
The Game
David Cairns
The Forgotten: The Filth
The Forgotten: Lady Killer
The Forgotten: Dance of Death
The Forgotten: One Way Street
The Forgotten: Swift Boat Veterans
Doug Cummings
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival Shifts Direction
Adrian Curry
Movie Poster of the Week: "Independence Day"
Movie Poster of the Week: The Movie Posters of Norman Rockwell
Movie Poster of the Week: "Life During Wartime"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Betty Blue"
Movie Poster of the Week: "Summer Holiday"
Doug Dibbern
Jimmy Stewart: Angel of Death
Philippe Garrel
Quote of the day
Leo Goldsmith
Robert Flaherty Seminar 2010, Part 2: Work Forces
S. Hahn
Telling Pictures
Darren Hughes
The Details: "Les rendez-vous d'Anna" (Akerman, 1978)
Daniel Kasman
Image of the Day.
- 8/1/2010
- MUBI
Tomu Uchida first caught my attention during a massive, memorable retrospective of Japanese cinema at the Sherman Theater in Van Nuys, CA in 1980. A quick search of standard reference books revealed that Uchida's official classic was 1939's Earth, a quasi-documentary account of the lives of peasant farmers, shot over the course of a year to capture the changing seasons. No complete prints of the film are believed to exist, and in any case Uchida's reputation in 1980 was too low to generate much demand. For the next thirty years, my assumption that I'd never see Earth remained intact. But I woke up one morning last week to learn that a version had been made available online, with homemade English subtitles; and twelve hours later, Danny Kasman and I were watching it, astonished to be living in such exciting technological times.
Uchida had a broken-backed career. He began directing in the 20s...
Uchida had a broken-backed career. He began directing in the 20s...
- 7/3/2010
- MUBI
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