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1960s/1970s/1980s Japanese Genre Cinema - From Books and Magazine Articles (NSFW)

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  • #46
    Takuma, loving these translations.

    Norifumi Suzuki has a book? Or Seijun?

    If Norifumi, my God, I'm dying to know its contents. I wonder if he goes into detail about BEAUTIFUL GIRL HUNTER?

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    • #47
      Originally posted by AngelGuts View Post
      Takuma, loving these translations.

      Norifumi Suzuki has a book? Or Seijun?

      If Norifumi, my God, I'm dying to know its contents. I wonder if he goes into detail about BEAUTIFUL GIRL HUNTER?
      Norifumi. He's released a couple of books. I have Toei guerilla senki (2013), in which he covers his pinky violence and karate films + a few comedies. Not Star of David, I'm afraid.

      I've actually translated two stories from the book already:
      1) “The 16 Year Old Enchantress”
      2) “Japan's Humphrey Bogart stood in silence.”

      He also released another book about the Truck Yaro series but I don't have that one.

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      • #48
        Read your translations over again. Great information and lively writing. Thanks as always.

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        • #49
          How Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto Were Discovered

          Norifumi Suzuki recalls the casting of Hot Springs Earthworm Geisha (温泉みみず芸者) (1971) in his book Toei guerilla senki (東映ゲリラ戦記) (2013) (p. 11-14). My translation may not be entirely accurate.

          In spring 1971 Toei Kyoto producers Shigeru Okada and Kanji Amao assigned Norifumi Suzuki to direct Hot Springs Earthworm Geisha. The biggest problem turned out to be the casting. They had decided to look for fresh faces, but weren't finding anyone. Suzuki even went to a model club to interviewed applicants who would agree to appear nude in film, but none of them were quite what he was looking for. The release date was already set to July 3 and they were running out of time.

          “We had finished casting all the supporting roles, leaving only the heroine and her little sister. We then went location hunting around Toi Hot Springs [in Izu, Shizuoka] with the Kyoto staff. While the others were having a meal, I went to a book store with producer Amao to check out the latest gravure magazines. Back then the stores were full of magazines featuring semi-nude images of young women. Reiko Ike was in one of those magazines. “Hey, Elizabeth Taylor is here” [refers to Ike] I said. Amao replied “this girl looks pretty good, she's got sex appeal, and boobs too. Go to Tokyo right away to meet the publisher and find this girl! She's our goddess who appeared in this desperate time”.”

          “Ike was found soon enough. Producer Amao found another model, Miki Sugimoto, for the little sister role and brought them both to Kyoto. They were both complete amateurs who had been doing modelling as part time job and didn't belong to any agency. Miki Sugimoto's name was a stage name she had created by combining the names of models Miki Irie (入江美樹) and Ema Sugimoto (杉本エマ). Ike's real name was Reiko Ikeda. In her gravure photos the cameraman had always chosen an appropriate name for her, so she had been credited under a different name each time.”

          “Producer Amao immediately invented a story [for marketing purposes]. [According to this made-up story] Ike and Sugimoto were good friends hanging out at crime novel writer Masako Togawa's famous Aoi Heya club in Tokyo where they met producer Amao and director Suzuki, expressed their wish to become actresses, and got scouted. This story sounded like a fun idea, so I thought we could try this approach just this time.”


          Attached photo: Hot Springs Earthworm completion photo with cast and crew. June 28, 1971.
          Front middle from the left: Shin Furuya, Kanji Amao, Reiko Ike, Norifumi Suzuki, Miki Sugimoto.

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          • #50
            Originally posted by AngelGuts View Post
            If Norifumi, my God, I'm dying to know its contents. I wonder if he goes into detail about BEAUTIFUL GIRL HUNTER?
            Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but there was a commentary and interview with Norifumi Suzuki on the US DVD of BEAUTIFUL GIRL HUNTER and supposedly these extras will get ported over for the eventual BD release. There's an older German BD from Shock Ent. that had an interview with one of Nikkatsu's producers on that film and that was a lot of fun too. It's not an English friendly release, though.

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            • #51
              I do have that US DVD, but can't remember hearing that commentary.

              I have the German release, too, and, yes, not English friendly.

              Thanks for the effort you put into the translation of the HOT SPRINGS EARTHWORM GEISHA article. These are all gold!
              AngelGuts
              Senior Member
              Last edited by AngelGuts; 06-21-2020, 07:31 PM.

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              • #52
                Happy (real) birthday, Reiko Ike!


                Still from Hot Springs Earthworm Geisha (温泉みみず芸者) (1971).
                Takuma
                Senior Member
                Last edited by Takuma; 08-10-2023, 12:14 AM.

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                • #53
                  All the sources I've read says Reiko Ike's date of birth is 25th May 1953, but here it says 25th June??

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                  • #54
                    Originally posted by Richardrli View Post
                    All the sources I've read says Reiko Ike's date of birth is 25th May 1953, but here it says 25th June??
                    25th June, 1954 actually.

                    1953 is used in English language sources and a few Japanese mainstream sites, like Wikipedia. But Japanese film books, liner notes and even men's magazines dating back to the early 70s suggest 1954. And of course Suzuki himself has written about in in his book.
                    Takuma
                    Senior Member
                    Last edited by Takuma; 08-10-2023, 12:16 AM.

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                    • #55
                      But that just seems a dumb thing to do? Why create all this unnecessary discrepancy and confusion? And is this just the tip of the iceberg, how many other actors have a false date of birth recorded for whatever reason?

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                      • #56
                        Director Suzuki recalls the casting of Girl Boss Blues: Queen Bee's Counterattack (女番長ブルース 牝蜂の逆襲) (1971) in his book Toei guerilla senki (東映ゲリラ戦記) (2013) (p.29). My translation may not be entirely accurate.

                        “I could see why producer Amao cast Yukie Kagawa as Reiko's rival in the film. In a way, Reiko was what Kagawa had been 4 years earlier. Kagawa had debuted in the Teruo Ishii gang. Then now came Ike, a complete amateur who had become a leading actress overnight at the age of 16. We wanted to create a rivalry between this ecstatic newcomer and an older actress who knew the world wasn't such a sweet place after all.”

                        “Ike had the kind of vanity and self-love that it was obvious she wouldn't let go of her leading actress status once she had obtained it. But she would feel nervous because of Kagawa being there. That tension lasted till the end of the filming.”


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                        • #57
                          Good Stuff. Much appreciated Takuma.

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                          • #58
                            Reiko Ike Quits Toei: The Aftermath

                            Director Suzuki explains in his book Toei guerilla senki (東映ゲリラ戦記) (2013) (p. 58-60) what happened after Reiko Ike suddenly quit Toei in spring 1972, which left their next movie Tokugawa Sex Ban: Lustful Lord (徳川セックス禁止令 色情大名) without a star. The following story took places in late March, 1972. Tokugawa Sex Ban was set to open at the end of April. I've abbreviated / omitted parts in the translation because the full story goes on for several pages. For background, please see my older 'Reiko Ike quits / Humphrey Bogart stood in silence' post.

                            “Reiko Ike did not have a contract with Toei. We only had a verbal agreement with her parents, and she had been under “producer Amao's custody”, so she was free to leave. We were informed by her record company that it was not only her own, but especially her parents' wish that she would not appear nude anymore.”

                            “But who should replace Ike in Tokugawa Sex Ban? There was no time to scout a new actress. We got together with producer Amao and screenwriter Kakefuda and narrowed it down to two candidates: Yayoi Watanabe and Miki Sugimoto. “

                            “I was pretty much decided on Watanabe. She could act and she had a bright personality and a beautiful smile. I had always thought I'd use her for a big role some day. She was a small, typical Japanese girl with transistor glamour - such a word existed back then - [note: 1959 buzzword referring to a woman with a small body build] and would make a great contrast with the tall Sandra Julien. Watanabe was sweet, unlike the dark delinquent girl like Sugimoto.”

                            “Then I asked Kakefuda, who had sat silently all this time, what he thought?”.

                            “”I really want to see Sugimoto in the role” Kakefuda said. Kakefuda continued “I'm ok with either one, but favouring safe over a sense of adventure? That's unlike you, director Suzuki…””

                            “”That's right, director Suzuki without an adventurous spirit has no charm…” producer Amao added.”

                            “… and the stream just kept flowing towards Sugimoto.”

                            ““Let's show some professional spirit and get this film done” producer Amao said. “Let's promote Miki to a new leading lady. Runaway Ike will be surprised, too! “”




                            [Watanabe still via Fuck Yeah! Meiko Kaji! https://fuckyeahmeikokaji.tumblr.com.../185684532421]

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                            • #59
                              Good choice using Miki :)

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                              • #60
                                Originally posted by Jason C View Post
                                Good choice using Miki :)
                                Yeah, I think so. I like Watanabe, but I don't really see her as (having the charisma of) a leading lady. That being said, I could be wrong because she was versatile to the point of becoming almost unrecognizable. Sometimes it's hard to believe the light-headed bimbo in Violent Panic: The Big Crash, the sweet co-prisoner in Female Prisoner Scorpion, the tragic prostitute in Beast Stable and the wolf girl in Wolfguy were all played by the same actress.


                                - https://fuckyeahmeikokaji.tumblr.com/image/133214920338



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