Movie Going Madness in Japan

[Takuma]

Teruo Ishii Retrospective: Part 2/3

Hot Springs Giesha


King of the Ring: The World of Glory (1957)


Queen Bee and the School for Dragons (1960)






Queen Bee and the School for Dragons (1960)


Abashiri Prison 3: Saga of Homesickess (1965)




Original scripts for Love, the Sun and The Gang, Boss wo taose, Love & Crime...




Ishii items for sale. Oh and those soundtracks are playing in the lobby around the clock... as usual!

[Takuma]

Teruo Ishii Retrospective: Part 1/3

I had a change to visit Laputa Asagaya's ongoing Teruo Ishii retrospective (石井輝男 ã‚ング・オブ・カルトの猛襲) (Nov. 19～Jan. 25) a couple of times. The retrospective contains 38 movies, all in 35mm. The get a better idea of the scope of this retrospective, that's 264 Ishii screenings (66 days x 4 screenings a day) in total!

The program contained movies from Ishii's Shintoho years like King of the Ring: The World of Glory (リングの王者 栄光の世界) (1957), Broken Blossoms (戦場のなでしこ) (1959) and Queen Bee and the School for Dragons (女王蜂と大å¦ã®ç«œ) (1960), Shochiku movies such as Japan's Zero Zone: Night Watch (日本ゼãƒåœ°å¸¯ 夜を狙え) (1966) and The Great Villain's Strategy (1966) (大悪党作戦), the Nikkatsu film Rising Dragon's Iron Flesh (昇り竜 鉄火肌) (1969) and of course loads of Toei movies like The Flower, the Storm, and the Gang (花と嵐とギャング) (1961), Boss's Ruin (親分を倒せ) (1963), Abashiri Prison (網走番外地) (1965), Inferno of Torture (徳川いれずみ師 責め地獄) (1969), Red Silk Gambler (緋ぢりめん博徒) (1972) and Great Jailbreak (大脱獄) (1975). Horrors of Malformed Men (江戸川乱æ©å…¨é›† 恐怖奇形人間) (1969) screened throughout Christmas, lol!

There were quite a few guests as well. Teruo Yoshida (吉田輝雄) attended Hot Springs Geisha (温泉あんま芸者) (1968) on Dec. 3, Shunya Ito was at the Mist and Shadows (伊藤俊也) (1961) screening on Dec. 15, Makoto Naito (内藤誠) in Abashiri Prison 3: Saga of Homesickness (網走番外地 望郷篇) (1966) on Jan. 11, and Eizō Yamagiwa (山際永三) at Sexy Line (セクシー地帯)(1961) on Jan. 13.

Laputa Asagaya (on the left)


Tattoed Ambush and Hot Springs Geisha


A poster for Toei Adult Film triple feature with History of the Shogun's Harem, 謝国権「愛」より (秘)性と生活 and Two Bitches.




Right: King of the Ring: The World of Glory


Red Silk Gambler (1972) and Gang vs. G-Men: Safecracker Gang (1963)






Gang vs. G-Men: Safecracker Gang (1963) and Rising Dragon's Iron Flesh (1969)


Love and Crime between Target of Roses (Toho New Action retro / late show) and Sazae-san (Chiemi Eri retro / morning show),

[Takuma]

Busy start for 2020 in Tokyo

A 15 film Tetsuya Watari retrospective is starting in Jimbocho tomorrow:
https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/jinboch...am/watari.html

And Shin bungeiza will be remembering Tatsuo Umemiya (R.I.P.) next month with a 22 film series:
http://www.shin-bungeiza.com/program.html

Laputa Asagaya screens the three Hanzo the Razor films next month as well
http://www.laputa-jp.com/laputa/prog...nzo_the_razor/

And Laputa hasn't even finished their Teruo Ishii and Toho New Action retros, which started last November, yet...

[Takuma]

@takuma, you ever see a mid-80's delinquent youth/rock n' roll flick put out by Toei called MAJORAN? Worth watching?

Yes, and yes! It's a small gem. Actually I think I rated it too low a few years ago. I've re-watched the ending like a dozen times since then.

Majoran (é”女卵) (Japan, 1984) [TV] - 3.5/5
Exciting delinquent girl drama is in equal parts a youth film and a blazing gangster movie set to "live" music í  la Walter Hill's Streets of Fire. First timer Yuko Watanabe stars as an Osaka bad girl who's introduced to the world of indie rock bands by a friendly biker gay hanging out in a small a rock bar. The film was cast with open auditions, most of the sukeban girls being obvious real delinquents with wonderfully coarse Osaka dialects. The film is also packed with 80s heavy metal bands and rock stars with mind blowing names (Mad Rocker, Jesus, Christ etc.). What sets Majoran apart from Streets of Fire is how it's rooted in reality unlike Hill's pop culture fantasy. There's a wonderfully touching scene at the end - spoiler warning I guess - where the heroine, disappointed by her ex-boyfriend who's relocated to Tokyo and cut his rock star hair in preparation for salaryman life, lets him know just what she thinks of him. She then rides back to Osaka on a night bus alone. The world changes and friends grow adults, but a couple of rebels will never give up. Well, they will eventually, but the film ends before that, on a high note on the streets of Osaka, on a motorcycle, with director Seiji Izumi cross cutting to a gig by heavy metal girl band Majoran as the credits roll.

[vincent_z]

Impressive

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

I care. ^_^
But you are doing it incorrectly. ;)
You should use the forum software's "list" function, and put each studio's titles in its own specific color.

[47lab]

@takuma, you ever see a mid-80's delinquent youth/rock n' roll flick put out by Toei called MAJORAN? It was directed by Seiji Izumi but he goes by Akiyoshi Kimata in this one. There is a Toei TVRip going around with English subs. Worth watching? Seems like an interesting look into the early Japanese metal scene.

[Jason C]

I care and I'm super jealous.

[Takuma]

Last weekend Red Peony Gamber 6: Oryu Returns (1970) became the 100th Toei film I see in 35mm (no. 101 was Teruo Ishii's History of the Shogun's Harem from a mind-blowingly beautiful print).

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)
Violent Street (1963)

Theatre of Life: Hishakaku (1963)
Two Bitches (1964)
Theater of Life - New Hishakaku Story (1964)
Dragon`s Life (1964)
Blind Monk Swordsman (1964)
Tale of Meiji Era Chivalry: Third Generation Boss (1965)
Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness (1965)
Abashiri Prison: Northern Territories (1966)
Tokijiro Kutsukake: Lone Yakuza (1966)
The Secret of the Urn (1966)

Game of Chance (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)
The Fake Game (Ikasama bakuchi (1968))
Army Intelligence 33 (1968)
Ninja's Mark (Shinobi no manji) (1968)
History of the Shogun's Harem (1968)

Hot Springs Massage Geisha (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) (twice)
Red Peony Gambler 4 (1969)
Killer's Black List (1970)
Bloodstained Clan Honor (1970)
Prisoner's Black List (1970)

Red Peony Gambler 6 (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) (twice)
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)
Crazed Beast (1976)
Violent Panic: The Big Crash (1976)
Karate for Life (1977)

Hokuriku Proxy War (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)

Rising Dragon's Iron Flesh
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)
The Decoy (Datsugokushu) (1957)
Mothra (1961)
Gorath (1962)
Kwaidan (1964)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (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)
Attack on the Sun (1970)
The Creature Called Man (1970)
Attack in the Sun (1970)
City of Beasts (1970)
Lake of Dracula (1971)

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
Trail of Blood (1972)
The Target of Roses (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Babycart to Hades (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Babycart in Peril (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)
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974)
Failed Youth (1974)
Africa's Light (1975)
Domyaku retto (1975)
Tonda Couple (1980)

Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (1985)

Shintoho
King of the Ring: The World of Glory (1957)
Queen Bee and the School for Dragons (1960)

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)
Japan's Zero Zone: Night Watch (1966)
Black Lizard (1968)
Flower and Dragon (1973)
Minato no Yoko, Yohohama, Yokosuka (1975)

Hatakko junjo (1978)
Fall Guy (1982)
Village of Doom (1983)
Shanghai Rhapsody (1984)
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)
Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (1979)
Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (1981)
Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983)
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)
The War of the 16 Year Olds (1973)
Utamaro's World (1977)
Tokyo Daijishin Magnitude 8.1 (1980) (16mm)
Ryuji (1983)
The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor (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)
Pink Salon Hospital: No Pants Nurses (1997)
Hana-Bi (1997)

April Story (1998)
Japanese Hell (1999)

updated Jan. 11, 2020

[Takuma]

Last weekend Red Peony Gamber 6: Oryu Returns (1970) became the 100th Toei film I see in 35mm (no. 101 was Teruo Ishii's History of the Shogun's Harem from a mind-blowingly beautiful print).

I caught Red Peony Gambler 6 together with part 4 at Shin bungeiza's Tai Kato mini-retrospective (10 films). This was the third Kato retro held in Tokyo over the past three years, following far bigger retros at Shin Bungeiza and National Film Archive in 2016. Says something about how respected he has become.

There was actually a TV crew interviewing viewers (read: old men) but I managed to escape them.









Upcoming program





The real reason I was in town was Laputa Asagaya's Toho New Action and Teruo Ishii retrospectives, but I will get back to those next year after my second visit to both.

[47lab]

Sorry for the late reply... yes it's a good film similar in tone to the other toho films, but not as good as "Failed Youth" ... It's a melodrama mostly shot in interiors that Kumashiro imbues with his trademark quirkiness. The musical comment is nice. Unfortunately the great Kaori Momoi has only a small role and Meika Seri makes a brief, intense (and rare?) non-sexy appearance as a nurse. Drags a bit at times but it's still worthy if you liked Kumashiro's other Toho films... well if then you need to catch a plane only for this movie, well I don't know if it's THAT good...

I agree with your assessment. It failed to captivate me and I think part of that had to do with Kusakari, whom I readily admit is not one of my fave actors. I also saw this flick for the first time earlier this year as 2019 is the year of Kumashiro and a lot of his works are making their way to the usual sites via custom subs and rips. I will also recommend the DVDRip over the more readily available TVRip for quality (known by the alternate title, LOVE IN A SMALL ROOM).

[Takuma]

Yumiko Katayama update!

She was telling some great stories about Toei and how she got into Inferno of Torture, where she plays the first girl tattoeed by both Asao Koike and Teruo Yoshida. She said she joined Toei via Toei's new faces competition (like Sonny Chiba and Ken Takakura before her). Toei brought the screenplay to her but she refused it on basis of the nudity and its extreme nature. The film later went into production with a different actress, who however quit in the middle of filming because she couldn't take it! Meanwhile Katayama had agreed to do a bikini shoot for Heibon Punch, but it turned out a nude photo shoot! She used a fake name, but Toei found out said now she has no excuse not to do (replace the missing actress in) Inferno of Torture.

Finally got this! Feb 10, 1969 issue!







No wonder Toei spotted her photos. The name she used was å¡” えいå/ To Eiko (= Toei-ko = Toei-girl))

(there's a few more photos in the magazine but I feel I shouldn't post them all. Fans ought the hunt down the magazine by themselves).

[tetrapak]

Thanks.

Well, there are other Kumashiro movies as well, and a 60s Detective Movie series at Shin bungeiza at the same time. But I think I can only afford one more Tokyo trip this year, and maybe another one early next year, and I'm thinking about going for the Toho New Action series at Laputa. Dying to see Attack on the Sun (1970) and The Target of Roses (1972) by Kiyoshi Nishimura. And maybe Bullet Wound as well. The others I've seen.

The whole program is pretty damn great:

very cool! those Toho films have all great posters and I am sure they are terrific...I think most (all?) have never been seen in the west. Also I hope to see the complete program and chirashi of the Kumashiro retro soon...

EDIT: I found the program http://www.cinemavera.com/preview.php ... well too bad you don't go. All those kumashiro posters all together on display at Cinema Vera will be surely great...

[Takuma]

Thanks.

Well, there are other Kumashiro movies as well, and a 60s Detective Movie series at Shin bungeiza at the same time. But I think I can only afford one more Tokyo trip this year, and maybe another one early next year, and I'm thinking about going for the Toho New Action series at Laputa. Dying to see Attack on the Sun (1970) and The Target of Roses (1972) by Kiyoshi Nishimura. And maybe Bullet Wound as well. The others I've seen.

The whole program is pretty damn great:

11/09(土)～11/15(金)　「狙撃」(Sun Above, Death Below) (Hideichi Nagahara, 1968)
11/16(土)～11/25(月)　「弾痕」(Bullet Wound) (Hideichi Nagahara, 1969)
11/26(火)～12/02(月)　「白昼の襲撃」(Attack on the Sun) (Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1970)
12/03(火)～12/12(木)　「豹（ジャガー）は走った」( The Creature Called Man) ()Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1970)
12/13(金)～12/19(木)　「野獣都市」(City of Beasts) (Jun Fukuda, 1970)
12/20(金)～12/26(木)　「ヘアピン・サーカス」 (Hairpin Circus) (Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1972)
1/06(月)～1/12(日)　「薔薇の標的」(Target of Roses) (Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1972)
1/13(月)～1/19(日)　「野獣狩り」(Beast Hunt) (Eizo Sugawa, 1973)









Hairpin Circus


The Creature Called Man

[tetrapak]

Have you seen Invitation of Lust (櫛の火) (1975)? I'm wondering how does it compare to Failed Youth and Africa's Light? It's in Cinema Vera's Kumashiro retro next month, but I don't know if I can afford to go so soon again... especially with Laputa's Toho New Action series coming up later this year...

Sorry for the late reply... yes it's a good film similar in tone to the other toho films, but not as good as "Failed Youth" ... It's a melodrama mostly shot in interiors that Kumashiro imbues with his trademark quirkiness. The musical comment is nice. Unfortunately the great Kaori Momoi has only a small role and Meika Seri makes a brief, intense (and rare?) non-sexy appearance as a nurse. Drags a bit at times but it's still worthy if you liked Kumashiro's other Toho films... well if then you need to catch a plane only for this movie, well I don't know if it's THAT good...

[Takuma]

it's also interesting that many Kumashiro rp films have been released in the west and he is probably THE rp director more widely known outside Japan but his (IMO superior) non-rp films are virtually unknown in foreign markets...

Have you seen Invitation of Lust (櫛の火) (1975)? I'm wondering how does it compare to Failed Youth and Africa's Light? It's in Cinema Vera's Kumashiro retro next month, but I don't know if I can afford to go so soon again... especially with Laputa's Toho New Action series coming up later this year...