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Movie Going Madness in Japan

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  • Thank you so much for these observations, Takuma.

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    • There is an all night film festival called "Pig in the Bag" (Finnish idiom) in Finland. The idea is that they screen 4 films back to back, but they don't announce the program in advance. You don't know what you'll be seeing until the title hits the screen, and if you doze off at the wrong moment, you might never discover what you saw.

      Many moons ago, before the festival went 35mm, it started as an event to "select the best movie in the world", conducted by voting after a set of films had been screened. The film selection included movies like The Human Tornado, The Warrior and the Blind Swordsman, and Raiders of the Doomed Kingdom. Shogun Assassin won.

      The reason I'm telling this story is that a few weeks ago on Saturday night, when "Pig in the Bag" was once again held in Helsinki, Finland, I sat in a movie theatre in Tokyo watching Teruo Ishii movies screened in 35mm back to back all night! And all night I kept thinking, "this is a strong candidate for the best movie ever!" Maybe not "really", but under those circumstances, breathing that amazing atmosphere, watching movies like Horrors of Malformed Men, Inferno of Torture, and Bohachi Bushido at 4am on big screen from pristine prints... yeah! I mean, Fuck Yeah!

      The program was:
      22:30 Inferno of Torture (1969) (35mm)
      0:25 Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) (35mm)
      2:20 Porno jidaigeki: Bohachi Bushido (1973) (35mm)
      3:55 The Executioner 2: Karate Inferno (1974) (35mm)

      I attended the night with a good friend of mine, whom I got into quality cinema about 7 years ago when I met him in a Japanese university (I borrowed him the first 2 Tetsuo films, which he watched alone in a classroom!). By pure chance we were both wearing Hard Core Chocolate T-shirts... me The Return of the Street Fighter and he Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School.







      The night finished at 5:20 am, after which I headed to my capsule hotel for some sleep. There wasn't much time to sleep since Sex and Fury (1973) and Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (1974) were screening in 35mm in the same theatre the next day (well, technically speaking the same day). And then I needed to head to Cinema Vera for Shogoro Nishimura retrospective in the evening, but I have already covered that event before in this thread...

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      • Meiko Kaji Film Festival in Shin Bungeiza





        Full report in the Female Prisoner Scorpion thread:
        http://www.rockshockpop.com/forums/s...893#post172893

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        • While I was in Tokyo, I also found time to drop by in Jinbocho Theater for Japanese 1970s retrospective. I don't know how to translate the title (七〇年代の憂鬱 退廃と情熱の映画史) well but basically the focus was on socially aware films mirroring the new gloomier era.

          The program is quite excellent with titles like Tanaka's Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (1974), Kumashiro's Africa's Light (1975), Fukasaku's Cops vs. Thugs (1975), Terayama's The Boxer (1977), Hasegawa's The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979), and more, all in 35mm except Sachiko no sachi. I only had a chance to see two titles, Sadao Nakajima's Aesthetics of a Bullet (1973) (my second time in 35mm) and Toshiya Fujita's Did the Red Bird Escape (1975).



          Aesthetics of a Bullet is a well done tale of a miserable wanna-be gangster (Tsunehiko Watase) getting his change act big while he's actually just being used by big shots. It was an ATG film made by Toei director and cast, and feels exactly that. Also features fantastic theme song and Miki Sugimoto is a supporting role.

          Did the Red Bird Escape is a pretty fantastic "70s depression" zeitgeist about two small time goons (Yoshio Harada, Masaaki Daimon) and a girl (Kaori Momoi) living together and trying to make money with frauds and blackmails. The film is a bit of a slow burner, but the cast is great, Momoi spends half of the movie topless, cinematographer Tatsuo Suzuki does terric job and director Fujita was at his element with this kind of material. The 35mm print was so amazing it nearly blew my brain out.







          Other pics

          Africa's Light and The Boxer


          Ryoma Ansatsu and Cops. vs. Thugs


          Zeni geba, Take Care,Red Riding Hood, Sachiko no sachi


          Takuma
          Senior Member
          Last edited by Takuma; 06-26-2018, 03:53 AM.

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          • Originally posted by Takuma View Post
            While I was in Tokyo, I also found time to drop by in Jinbocho Theater for Japanese 1970s retrospective. I don't know how to translate the title (七〇年代の憂鬱 退廃と情熱の映画史) well but basically the focus was on socially aware films mirroring the new gloomier era.
            amazing program... cinema retrospectives are the best... sooner or later I hope to watch the Yoshio Harada/Kaori Momoi film as I am a fan of both...

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            • I found this photo and I thought to share it with you on this great thread: movie going in Japan circa 1974

              Click image for larger version

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              Maybe Takuma can identify the film on the huge poster on the right?
              tetrapak
              Senior Member
              Last edited by tetrapak; 09-01-2018, 05:58 AM.

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              • Originally posted by tetrapak View Post
                Maybe Takuma can identify the film on the huge poster on the right?
                That's Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (仁義なき戦い 頂上作戦). It opened as a double feature with Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown on Jan. 15, 1974.

                Amazing photo!

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                • Originally posted by Takuma View Post
                  That's Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (仁義なき戦い 頂上作戦). It opened as a double feature with Girl Boss: Diamond Showdown on Jan. 15, 1974.

                  Amazing photo!
                  thanks for your help!

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                  • I finally got to see Taifu Club in 35mm at National Film Archive! Was absolutely amazing of course. Fine print too, as always with Film Archive (formerly Film Center). Nice, since the old Pioneer dvd (which I must have watched at least 10 times) isn't all that great. Toei is streaming a new digital version but that's too dark and vertically cropped I think, the 35mm was 1.66:1 more or less judging by the eye.



                    For the record (not that anyone cares), here's a list of Japanese films from 1954-1999 that I've seen in 35mm.

                    Toei
                    Seven Bullets (Nanatsu no dangan) (1959)
                    Nagurikomi kantai (1960)
                    Police Department Story 12 (1960)
                    The Big Gamblers of the Amazon (1961)
                    Funky Hat Detective (1961)
                    The Proud Challenge (1962)
                    Niniroku jiken: Dasshutsu (1962)
                    Four Sisters (Sanroku) (1962) (16mm)
                    Castle of Owls (1963)
                    Theatre of Life: Hishakaku (1963)
                    Two Bitches (1964)
                    Tale of Meiji Era Chivalry: Third Generation Boss (1965)
                    Game of Chance (1966)
                    Abashiri Prison: Northern Territories (1966)
                    Kamikaze Man: Duel at Noon (1966)
                    Four and a Half Mats (Yojí´han monogatari: Shí´fu shino) (1966)
                    The Chivalrous Life (Kyokotsu ichidai) (1967)
                    Red Peony Gambler (1968)
                    Red Peony Gambler 2 (1968)
                    Ikasama bakuchi (1968)
                    Army Intelligence 33 (1968)
                    Ninja's Mark (Shinobi no manji) (1968)
                    Memoir of Japanese Assassins (1969)
                    Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) (thrice)
                    Inferno of Torture (1969) (thrice)
                    Orgies of Edo (1969)
                    Love and Crime (1969)
                    Killer's Black List (1970)
                    Prisoner's Black List (1970)
                    Red Peony Gambler 7 (1971)
                    Onsen Mimizu Geisha (1971)
                    Onsen Suppon Geisha (1972)
                    Cold Wind Monjiro 2 (1972)
                    Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion (1972)
                    Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972)
                    Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973)
                    Female Prisoner Scorpion: Grudge Song (1973)
                    Female Yakuza Tale (1973)
                    Girl Boss: Escape from Reform School (1973)
                    True Account of Ginza Tortures (1973)
                    Bodyguard Kiba (1973)
                    Criminal Woman: Killing Melody (1973)
                    Sex and Fury (1973)
                    Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (1973) (twice)
                    Account of the Ando Gang: Killer Younger Brother (1974)
                    Third Generation Boss (1974)
                    Oh Wonderful Utamaro (1974)
                    Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (1974) (twice)
                    Jeans Blues: No Tomorrow (1974)
                    School of the Holy Beast (1974)
                    Military Comfort Woman (Jyí»gun ianfu) (1974)
                    The Street Fighter (1974)
                    The Executioner 2: Karate Inferno (1974) (twice)
                    13 Steps of Maki (1975)
                    The Defensive Power of Aikido (1975)
                    Gambling Den Heist (1975)
                    Graveyard of Honor (1975)
                    Shitakari Hanjirí´: (Maruhi) kannon o sagase (1975)
                    The Story of a Nymphomaniac (1975)
                    Bullet Train (1975)
                    Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope (1975) (thrice)
                    Karate Bullfighter (1975)
                    The Great Chase (1975)
                    Truck Yaro (1975)
                    Rugby Yaro (1975)
                    Kigeki Tokudashi: Himo tengoku (1975)
                    A Haunted Turkish Bathhouse (Bakeneko Toruko furo) (1975)
                    Cops vs. Thugs (1975) (twice)
                    Yakuza Graveyard (1976)
                    Okinawa Yakuza War (1976)
                    Jitsuroku gaiden: Osaka dengeki sakusen (1976) (twice)
                    Jail Breakers (1976)
                    Karate Warriors (1976)
                    Which is Stronger: Karate or the Tiger (1976)
                    Noboru Ando's Filthy Escape into Sex (1976)
                    Karate for Life (1977)
                    Okinawa 10 Year War (1978)
                    Tenshi no yokubo (1979)
                    Shogun's Ninja (1980)
                    Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
                    The Young Ramblers (Taiyo no kizuato) (1981)
                    Roaring Fire (1981) (twice)
                    Onimasa (1982)
                    Leave it to Kotaro (1984)
                    Dolls of Shogun's Harem (1986)
                    Sukeban Deka: Counter-Attack of the Kazama Sisters (1988)
                    Kyohansha (1999)

                    Nikkatsu
                    The Burmese Harp (1956)
                    Pigs and Battleships (1961)
                    The Gambling Monk (1963)
                    Wandering Gun - Jail-Break Blues (Kenju mushuku datsugoku no blues) (1965)
                    Carmen from Kawachi (1966)
                    Tokyo Streetfighting (1967)
                    Asia-Pol Secret Service (1967)
                    Diamond of the Andes (Sekido wo kakeru otoko) (1968)
                    Biographies of Killers (1969)
                    Yakuza Native Ground (1969)
                    Anego (1969)
                    Women's Police (1969)
                    Kyoka retsuden shumei tobaku (1969)
                    Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970) (twice)
                    Shinjuku Outlaw: Buttobase (1970)
                    Melody of Rebellion (1970)
                    Wet Sand in August (1971)
                    Virgin Blues (1974)
                    Monster Woman '88 (1988)

                    Nikkatsu: Roman Porno
                    Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market (1972)
                    Trap of Lust (1973)
                    Delinquent Girl: Alleycat In Heat (1973)
                    (Maruhi) Jorí´ Zankoku Iro-jigoku (1973)
                    Modern Prostitution: Lust Under Uniform (1974)
                    Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (1974)
                    Love Doll Report: An Adult Toy (1975)
                    Woman in the Honmoku Brothel (1975)
                    A Woman Called Sada Abe (1975)
                    Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip (1975)
                    True Story of a Woman In Jail: Sex Hell (1975)
                    Assault! Jack the Ripper (1976)
                    Runa's Confession: Men Crawling All Over Me (1976)
                    Watcher in the Attic (1976)
                    Female Delinquent: A Docu-Drama (1977)
                    Secret Honeymoon: Rape Train (1977)
                    Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture (1977)
                    Girl's Pleasure: Man Hunting (1977)
                    Young Beast: Secret Pleasures (1978)
                    Rape and Death of a Housewife (1978) (twice)
                    Angel Guts: Red Classroom (1979)
                    Star of David: Hunting Beautiful Girls (1979) (twice)
                    Red Violation (1980) (twice)
                    Rape Ceremony (1980)
                    Rolling on the Road (1981)
                    Hakuchu no onna gari (1984)
                    Love Hotel (1985)

                    Toho
                    Seven Samurai (1954)
                    Car 33 Doesn't Answer (1955)
                    Rodan (1956)
                    Bullet Terror (1957)
                    Gorath (1962)
                    Kwaidan (1964)
                    Blood and Diamonds (1964)
                    International Secret Police: A Keg of Powder (1964)
                    International Secret Police: Key of Keys (1965)
                    Professional Killer (1968)
                    Goyokin (1969)
                    Too Young to Die (1969)
                    The Creature Called Man (1970)
                    City of Beasts (1970)
                    Lake of Dracula (1971)
                    Trail of Blood (1972)
                    Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
                    Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
                    Lone Wolf & Cub: Babycart in the Land of Demons (1973)
                    The Blossom and the Sword (1973)
                    Did the Red Bird Escape? (1973)
                    Beast Hunt (Yajyu gari) (1973)
                    Lady Snowblood (1973)
                    Lady Snowblood 2 (1974)
                    Demon Spies (1974)
                    Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974)
                    Africa's Light (1975)
                    Domyaku retto (1975)
                    Tonda Couple (1980)
                    Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (1985)

                    Shochiku
                    Harakiri (1962)
                    Tokyo Bay (Tokyo wan) (1962)
                    The Shape of Night (1964)
                    Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)
                    Cash Calls Hell (1966)
                    Secret Agent 101: Bodyguard Murder (1966)
                    Black Lizard (1968)
                    Flower and Dragon (1973)
                    Minato no Yoko, Yohohama, Yokosuka (1975)
                    Hatakko junjo (1978)
                    Fall Guy (1982)
                    Village of Doom (1983)
                    Busu (1987)
                    Ready to Shoot (1990)

                    Daiei
                    Wrath of Daimajin (1966)
                    Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
                    Certain Killer, A (1967)
                    Secret Report from a Woman's Prison (1968) (16mm)
                    Yokai Monsters (1968)
                    Devil's Temple (1969)
                    Sleepy Eyes of Death 13: The Full Moon Swordsman (1969)
                    Sleepy Eyes of Death 14: Fylfot Swordplay (1969)
                    Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)
                    Decapitation Island (1970)
                    Way In, Way Out (Koukousei bancho) (1971)

                    Kadokawa
                    G.I. Samurai (1979)
                    Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981)
                    Tragedy of W (1984)
                    The Island Closest to Heaven (1984)

                    ATG
                    Aesthetics of a Bullet (1973) (twice)
                    Preparation for the Festival (1975)
                    Distant Thunder (1981)
                    Mermaid Legend (1984)
                    Taifu Club (1985)

                    Anime
                    Nausicaí¤ of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
                    Akira (1988) (thrice)
                    My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
                    Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
                    Ocean Waves (1993)
                    Spriggan (1998)
                    Perfect Blue (1998)

                    Others
                    The Embryo Hunts in Secret (1966)
                    Akamoru: The Dark, Wild Yearning (Chi ha taiyo yori akai) (1966)
                    Dark Story of a Sex Crime: Phantom Killer (Aru torima no kokugaku: Gendai sei hanzai ankokuhen) (1969)
                    Nihon no Sex jyudan: Hihashi nihon hen (1971)
                    Utamaro's World (1977)
                    Tokyo Daijishin Magnitude 8.1 (1980) (16mm)
                    Ryuji (1983)
                    Reibyo densetsu (1983) (16mm)
                    Evil Dead Trap (1988) (twice)
                    Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
                    Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom? (1993)
                    Fried Dragon Fish (1993)
                    A Night in Nude (1993)
                    Tokyo Fist (1995)
                    Picnic (1996)
                    Swallowtail Butterfly (1996)
                    Hana-Bi (1997)
                    April Story (1998)
                    Japanese Hell (1999)

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                    • Superb listing of 35mm films seen, Takuma.

                      Would love to see TAIFU CLUB on 35mm.

                      Did you get around to watching the DVD of Wakamatsu's THE RAPEMAN (DARK STORY OF A JAPANESE RAPIST #2)?

                      As MERMAID LEGEND was recently released on Blu, perhaps TAIFU is coming to Blu also?

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                      • Originally posted by AngelGuts View Post
                        Superb listing of 35mm films seen, Takuma.
                        Thanks.

                        Originally posted by AngelGuts View Post
                        Did you get around to watching the DVD of Wakamatsu's THE RAPEMAN (DARK STORY OF A JAPANESE RAPIST #2)?
                        I did. But I was too afraid to publicly admit I didn't really warm up to it

                        Originally posted by AngelGuts View Post
                        As MERMAID LEGEND was recently released on Blu, perhaps TAIFU is coming to Blu also?
                        I wouldn't be so sure. If Toei now has the rights, then not likely. That's really a shame.

                        Someone should drop Criterion a mail.

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                        • No problem, Takuma. No shame in not warming up to the Wakamatsu film. :-)

                          I'll drop Criterion a mail about TAIFU -- not that I hold any sway with them.

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                          • Went to rent some dvds from Tsutaya (Japan's biggest rental store chain) today and this caught my eye.



                            The Rapeman 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7... the whole series that is.

                            God bless Japan

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                            • Those Japanese DVD and CD rental shops are nice but nothing beats HK's Blu Ray copy shops.

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                              • Very nice to see those RAPEMAN dvds on the shelf. All pretty good transfers, too.

                                YOu have an opinion on this series, Takuma?

                                I found it very well written, and surprisingly emotional at times with its focus on Rapeman's alter ego schoolteacher and his relationship with his Uncle. Great score, too, and well made on Beta-SP. Didn't warm to the EDO RAPEMAN films, though.

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