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Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Book Review: Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Cinema (2008) by Jasper Sharp
Allow me to begin this review with a personal note. Among the plethora of books about (Asian) cinema I have read, this one is definitely one of the better ones, if not the best. The combination of research and context (just mentioning all the topics Jasper Sharp examines here would fill a small book), the quality of personal comments, the language, and the overall illustration of the Fab Press edition, which is filled with film stills, posters etc, including a rather impressive middle section as much as great front and back covers, are all top-notch, to the point that one would have to dig really deep to find any flaw in the book. Let us take things from the beginning though.
The book begins ideally, as Sharp starts his narration by dealing with the history of nudity on film, the differences between art and pornography, the differences between Western and Japanese pornography,...
The book begins ideally, as Sharp starts his narration by dealing with the history of nudity on film, the differences between art and pornography, the differences between Western and Japanese pornography,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The series Keiko Sato: Pinku Maverick starts on Mubi on March 3, 2021 in many countries.Above: Blue Film WomanThese films, “Pink Cinema,” are anything but easy to digest; women are violently abused and objectified, sex is often un-consensual or underaged, murder, torture, suicide and castration are commonplace, and incest is an assumed normality. It’s fair to say that the appeal of these films, for many modern-day audiences, is not necessarily clear. So why are these films being restored and rewatched now?The long-debated question “is pornography essentially harmful to women?” is brought to the fore in these films and lingers on each drawn-out sexual violence scene. Amia Srinivasan, reflecting on this question with reference to Nancy Bauer’s essay on pornography, notes that “to fully understand this question, we need to attend more carefully to the particularities of pornography and the role it plays not just in culture generally but...
- 3/9/2021
- MUBI
Three upcoming Japanese films from Third Window Films are now available for preorder.
Hanagatami
Out July 6th
In 2016, Nobuhiko Obayashi, the director of the cult Japanese film House (Hausu) was diagnosed with lung cancer and given only a few months to live. Despite not much time left, for what was supposed to be his final film he adapted Kazuo Dan’s 1937 novella Hanagatami, his passion project 40 years in the making.
In 1941, as Japan prepares its attack on Pearl Harbor, 16 year-old Toshihiko (Shunsuke Kubozuka) leaves his parents in Amsterdam and moves to the seaside town of Karatsu where his aunt Keiko (Takako Tokiwa) cares for his ailing cousin Mina (Honoka Yahagi). Immersed in the exquisite nature and phenomenal culture of Karatsu, Toshihiko befriends the beautiful, Apollo-like Ukai (Shinnosuke Mitsushima), the contemplative Kira (Keishi Nagatsuka), the ingenuous Akine (Hirona Yamazaki) and the brooding Chitose (Mugi Kadowaki) as they all contend with the war’s inescapable gravitational pull.
Hanagatami
Out July 6th
In 2016, Nobuhiko Obayashi, the director of the cult Japanese film House (Hausu) was diagnosed with lung cancer and given only a few months to live. Despite not much time left, for what was supposed to be his final film he adapted Kazuo Dan’s 1937 novella Hanagatami, his passion project 40 years in the making.
In 1941, as Japan prepares its attack on Pearl Harbor, 16 year-old Toshihiko (Shunsuke Kubozuka) leaves his parents in Amsterdam and moves to the seaside town of Karatsu where his aunt Keiko (Takako Tokiwa) cares for his ailing cousin Mina (Honoka Yahagi). Immersed in the exquisite nature and phenomenal culture of Karatsu, Toshihiko befriends the beautiful, Apollo-like Ukai (Shinnosuke Mitsushima), the contemplative Kira (Keishi Nagatsuka), the ingenuous Akine (Hirona Yamazaki) and the brooding Chitose (Mugi Kadowaki) as they all contend with the war’s inescapable gravitational pull.
- 6/16/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Winner of the Audience Award at the Skip City Film Festival 2019 and debut film of Sho Suzuki and Takashi Haga, “Me & My Brother’s Mistress” comes up with an unusual outline about female companionship and the questionable tradition of marriage.
“Me & My Brother’s Mistress” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
High schooler Yoko (Nanami Kasamatsu) and her brother Kenji (Satoshi Iwago) live together since their parents died nine years before. One night, Yoko sees Kenji, who is engaged and about to get married, with another girl named Mija (Yui Murata) out on a date. She decides to confront the mistress, but her intentions shift as she gets to know her better. Mija and Yoko become conspirators, planning to stop Kenji’s marriage.
Former Cinematographer Takashi Haga worked as an assistant on Masayuki Suo’s musical “Lady Maiko” (2014) and shot several movies such as “Mori, the Artist’s Habitat” (2018) and Marina Tsukada...
“Me & My Brother’s Mistress” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
High schooler Yoko (Nanami Kasamatsu) and her brother Kenji (Satoshi Iwago) live together since their parents died nine years before. One night, Yoko sees Kenji, who is engaged and about to get married, with another girl named Mija (Yui Murata) out on a date. She decides to confront the mistress, but her intentions shift as she gets to know her better. Mija and Yoko become conspirators, planning to stop Kenji’s marriage.
Former Cinematographer Takashi Haga worked as an assistant on Masayuki Suo’s musical “Lady Maiko” (2014) and shot several movies such as “Mori, the Artist’s Habitat” (2018) and Marina Tsukada...
- 6/15/2020
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Masayuki Suo is a director not afraid to touch on cultural taboos in his work, most notably with 1996’s breakthrough “Shall We Dance?”. There, he tackled a foreign influence in ballroom dancing, and its lack of acceptance as a respectable activity for a middle-aged salaryman. His earlier “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t”, however, looks at a more traditional Japanese activity, but how a younger generation embrace the foreign and see the past as taboo.
“Youth” is screening at Japan Society
Shuhei (Masahiro Motoki) is a slacker student, confident that he has no need to go to class or make any efforts, as his family connections have already landed him a job on graduation. There’s just one problem with this: he actually has to graduate. As such, he feels it’s about time he met with his professor, Anayama (Akira Emoto).
Anayama is something of a sumo wrestling buff; a lean man,...
“Youth” is screening at Japan Society
Shuhei (Masahiro Motoki) is a slacker student, confident that he has no need to go to class or make any efforts, as his family connections have already landed him a job on graduation. There’s just one problem with this: he actually has to graduate. As such, he feels it’s about time he met with his professor, Anayama (Akira Emoto).
Anayama is something of a sumo wrestling buff; a lean man,...
- 4/5/2020
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Can porn be art? This question seems to be contradicting itself. Art calls for our contemplation, while porn requires our bodily involvement. How can a film excite its viewers on these two fronts? Masayuki Suo’s pink film (“pinku eiga”; it refers Japanese softcore pornographic films produced since the sixties) “Abnormal Family” seems to be a rare beast that combines stylistic commitments with titillating imageries. Once studying film with Japan’s leading intellectual Shigehiko Hasumi, Suo’s film is a love (erotic?) letter to Ozu’s films.
Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters. The tradition must go on,...
Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters. The tradition must go on,...
- 4/1/2020
- by I-Lin Liu
- AsianMoviePulse
From April 10 to April 25 2020 Japan Society will present its new series which follows the topic of sports within the landscape of Japanese cinema.
“Like cinema, sports have been integral to the development of modern Japan since the late 19th century when the country opened its borders to the West. Intersecting these two major cultural forces is the multifaceted and ubiquitous sports film, a fluid genre that offers fascinating insight into issues related to Japanese national identity, gender roles and the clash between tradition and modernity. Organized in anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, this series celebrates the Japanese sports film in its myriad iterations—covering a wide range of athletic disciplines and filmmaking styles, from wartime Japan to the present—including classics, documentaries, anime and commercial crowd-pleasers.”
Screenings:
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t” by Masayuki Suo
“Sanshiro Sugata” by Akira Kurosawa
“I Will Buy You” by Masaki Kobayashi
“The Sword...
“Like cinema, sports have been integral to the development of modern Japan since the late 19th century when the country opened its borders to the West. Intersecting these two major cultural forces is the multifaceted and ubiquitous sports film, a fluid genre that offers fascinating insight into issues related to Japanese national identity, gender roles and the clash between tradition and modernity. Organized in anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, this series celebrates the Japanese sports film in its myriad iterations—covering a wide range of athletic disciplines and filmmaking styles, from wartime Japan to the present—including classics, documentaries, anime and commercial crowd-pleasers.”
Screenings:
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t” by Masayuki Suo
“Sanshiro Sugata” by Akira Kurosawa
“I Will Buy You” by Masaki Kobayashi
“The Sword...
- 2/14/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Once known for its popular gang and other action films that had legions of mostly male fans, Toei today has a diverse line-up in a variety of genres. To this edition of Tiffcom the company has brought several new titles, including “Mio’s Recipe for You” a drama about a young female chef in the feudal era, who is determined to fuse the cuisines of Kyoto and Edo (the old name for Tokyo). The director is Haruki Kadokawa, a hit-making veteran producer and director going back to the 1970s.
Also new is “Machi no Ueda,” the latest film by Rikiya Imaizumi, a director who has acquired a cult following for movies about the romantic tribulations of the urban young. His hero is a young man working at a second-hand clothing stores in Shimokitazawa, a trendy Tokyo suburb, when his humdrum existence is upset by the offer of a film role...
Also new is “Machi no Ueda,” the latest film by Rikiya Imaizumi, a director who has acquired a cult following for movies about the romantic tribulations of the urban young. His hero is a young man working at a second-hand clothing stores in Shimokitazawa, a trendy Tokyo suburb, when his humdrum existence is upset by the offer of a film role...
- 10/24/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Competition to screen 14 titles including the world premieres of Japanese films Tezuka’s Barbara and A Beloved Wife.
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) has announced the full line-up for its 32nd edition, including the 14 titles selected for its International Competition.
In addition to previously announced Japanese titles Tezuka’s Barbara from Macoto Tezka and Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife, the competition will screen five other world premieres including Chinese director Wang Rui’s Chaogtu With Sarula, Food For A Funeral from Turkey’s Reis Celik and Uncle from Danish director Frelle Petersen.
Asia premieres in this section include Jayro...
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) has announced the full line-up for its 32nd edition, including the 14 titles selected for its International Competition.
In addition to previously announced Japanese titles Tezuka’s Barbara from Macoto Tezka and Shin Adachi’s A Beloved Wife, the competition will screen five other world premieres including Chinese director Wang Rui’s Chaogtu With Sarula, Food For A Funeral from Turkey’s Reis Celik and Uncle from Danish director Frelle Petersen.
Asia premieres in this section include Jayro...
- 9/26/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo International Film Festival will this year give over most of its competition section to films from outside East Asia. This contrasts to previous editions with a strong presence from the region.
The festival, which will hold its 32nd edition next month, announced its lineup Thursday. Of the 14 announced films for competition, only two – Wang Rui’s “Chaogtu With Sarula” (China) and Paul Soriano’s ”Mananita” (Philippines) – are from East Asia.
Korean films are noticeably absent this year, a situation that may reflect the acute political tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.
Others in the competition are Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” which both screened at Toronto. The competition also includes Saeid Rustai’s “Just 6.5,” Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona,” Nunzia De Stefano’s “Nevia” and Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals,” which were all pickups from Venice.
The two Japanese films in the competition...
The festival, which will hold its 32nd edition next month, announced its lineup Thursday. Of the 14 announced films for competition, only two – Wang Rui’s “Chaogtu With Sarula” (China) and Paul Soriano’s ”Mananita” (Philippines) – are from East Asia.
Korean films are noticeably absent this year, a situation that may reflect the acute political tensions between Tokyo and Seoul.
Others in the competition are Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Atlantis” and Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s “Disco,” which both screened at Toronto. The competition also includes Saeid Rustai’s “Just 6.5,” Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona,” Nunzia De Stefano’s “Nevia” and Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals,” which were all pickups from Venice.
The two Japanese films in the competition...
- 9/26/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Two Japanese films, “Tezuka’s Barbara” and “A Beloved Wife” have been selected for the main competition section of next month’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
The festival will reveal the remainder of the competition and the bulk of its other selections later this month. To date the Japanese festival has only revealed its opening film a gala screening of Japanese film “Talking The Pictures,” directed by Masayuki Suo, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as its closing event.
“Barbara” is an adult-oriented fantasy tale, directed by Makoto Tezka who adapts his father Osamu Tezka’s famous novel, itself a reimagining of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” The story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a novelist whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious girl named Barbara, and touches on taboos including forbidden love, eroticism, scandal and the occult.
Tokyo festival selector Yoshi Yatabe called it: “extremely luxurious and fortunate filmmaking,...
The festival will reveal the remainder of the competition and the bulk of its other selections later this month. To date the Japanese festival has only revealed its opening film a gala screening of Japanese film “Talking The Pictures,” directed by Masayuki Suo, and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” as its closing event.
“Barbara” is an adult-oriented fantasy tale, directed by Makoto Tezka who adapts his father Osamu Tezka’s famous novel, itself a reimagining of “The Tales of Hoffmann.” The story deals with the erotic and bizarre experiences of a novelist whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious girl named Barbara, and touches on taboos including forbidden love, eroticism, scandal and the occult.
Tokyo festival selector Yoshi Yatabe called it: “extremely luxurious and fortunate filmmaking,...
- 9/18/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Masayuki Suo’s ’Talking The Pictures’ will receive a Gala Screening on October 31.
Tokyo International Film Festival has announced that Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed The Irishman will play as its closing film on November 5, while Masayuki Suo’s Talking The Pictures will receive a Gala Screening on October 31.
Scorsese’s epic story of organised crime in post-war America travels to Tokyo following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27 and a few other screenings in the Us and Europe. The film is also booked to play at the Hamptons Film Festival on October 11 and close...
Tokyo International Film Festival has announced that Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed The Irishman will play as its closing film on November 5, while Masayuki Suo’s Talking The Pictures will receive a Gala Screening on October 31.
Scorsese’s epic story of organised crime in post-war America travels to Tokyo following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27 and a few other screenings in the Us and Europe. The film is also booked to play at the Hamptons Film Festival on October 11 and close...
- 9/6/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Akiyoshi Koba’s martial arts dance frenzy “Nunchaku and Soul” aims at the quiet undertones.
Nunchaku and Soul is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Numata is a shy, bespectacled middle-aged restaurant manager. Since his childhood, he has been obsessed with Nunchakus. At a dating event, he meets Reiko who leads him to attend a dance class. Although Numata does not know how to dance, he wants to join in a dance contest to win her heart.
Soma (or Soul) is the lead singer of a funk band that is about to break-up after 10 years. His band members are too busy with their regular lives, while Soma’s a failure. As he is facing leaving the stage forever, one of his friends, who happens to be the cook in Numata’s restaurant, introduces him as his new dancing coach. Numata and Soma both get the chance to reboot their lives...
Nunchaku and Soul is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Numata is a shy, bespectacled middle-aged restaurant manager. Since his childhood, he has been obsessed with Nunchakus. At a dating event, he meets Reiko who leads him to attend a dance class. Although Numata does not know how to dance, he wants to join in a dance contest to win her heart.
Soma (or Soul) is the lead singer of a funk band that is about to break-up after 10 years. His band members are too busy with their regular lives, while Soma’s a failure. As he is facing leaving the stage forever, one of his friends, who happens to be the cook in Numata’s restaurant, introduces him as his new dancing coach. Numata and Soma both get the chance to reboot their lives...
- 3/11/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Steady as the beating drums of Drum Tao band whose members proved to be as fast as the lightning storm they brewed at the opening ceremony held in X-Theatre, Tokyo International Tokyo International Film Festival 2018 has to offer one of the most enlightened and enriched programs (almost 200 films beeing screened) ever conceived in its long run of 31 years history.
‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.
Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...
‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.
Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...
- 10/30/2018
- by Nikodem Karolak
- AsianMoviePulse
Can porn be art? This question seems to be contradicting itself. Art calls for our contemplation, while porn requires our bodily involvement. How can a film excite its viewers on these two fronts? Masayuki Suo’s pink film (“pinku eiga”; it refers Japanese softcore pornographic films produced since the sixties) “Abnormal Family” seems to be a rare beast that combines stylistic commitments with titillating imageries. Once studying film with Japan’s leading intellectual Shigehiko Hasumi, Suo’s film is a love (erotic?) letter to Ozu’s films.
Abnormal Family is screening at Japan Cuts 2018
Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters.
Abnormal Family is screening at Japan Cuts 2018
Unmarried daughters. Bickering relatives. Taciturn fathers. A teapot. A vase. A Noh performance. A Coca-Cola signpost. A corner of the Kita-Kamakura station. These are the basic elements of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s cinematic world. In these quiet corners of Japan, there will always be a father who is worried about marrying off his daughters.
- 7/29/2018
- by I-Lin Liu
- AsianMoviePulse
The Night Is Short, Walk on GirlNew York City’s remarkable summer of Asian film programming continues this week, when, just as the New York Asian Film Festival comes to a close, the Japan Society begins its annual series highlighting the best of contemporary Japanese cinema. This twelfth edition of Japan Cuts features 28 films over ten days, most of which are premiering for the first time in the United States. It’s an eclectic mix of arthouse and genre films from world famous directors as well as young unknowns. I was able to sample a handful of this year’s program, for the most part steering away from the biggest names1 in favor of less heralded filmmakers. In all I saw six films: three romantic comedies; a road movie; a 1980s pink film (Masayuki Suo’s Abnormal Family); and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hanagatami, which is some kind of a historical drama.
- 7/19/2018
- MUBI
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will showcase the work of actor Koji Yakusho and anime director Masaaki Yuasa at this year's event.
Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's year-long historical "Taiga" drama Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's Tampopo in 1986.
During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's Shall We Dance?, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner The Eel by Shohei Imamura and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most of...
Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's year-long historical "Taiga" drama Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's Tampopo in 1986.
During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's Shall We Dance?, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner The Eel by Shohei Imamura and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most of...
- 5/9/2018
- by Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will showcase the work of actor Koji Yakusho and anime director Masaaki Yuasa at this year's event.
Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's yearlong historical "Taiga" drama <em>Tokugawa Ieyasu </em>in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's <em>Tampopo</em> in 1986.
During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's<em> Shall We Dance?</em>, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner <em>The Eel </em>by Shohei Imamura and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreboding-director-kiyoshi-kurosawa-being-a-horror-master-who-doesn-t-like-gore-1085863" target="_blank">Kiyoshi Kurosawa'</a>s <em>Cure</em>. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most ...
Yakusho found fame in Japan starring as samurai lord Oda Nobunaga in public broadcaster Nhk's yearlong historical "Taiga" drama <em>Tokugawa Ieyasu </em>in 1983, before appearing in Juzo Itami's <em>Tampopo</em> in 1986.
During the 1990s he garnered international acclaim with films including Masayuki Suo's<em> Shall We Dance?</em>, Cannes' Palme d'Or winner <em>The Eel </em>by Shohei Imamura and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreboding-director-kiyoshi-kurosawa-being-a-horror-master-who-doesn-t-like-gore-1085863" target="_blank">Kiyoshi Kurosawa'</a>s <em>Cure</em>. He went on to collaborate six more times with Kurosawa and has been cast by most ...
Se Asian movies, at least as they are perceived in their whole by the majority of international audience, are known for a number of things: Horror, violence, Wong Kar Wai, Park Chan-wook and Takashi Miike (ok, I am just oversimplifying things here). So, for this list I decided to show another aspect of Asian movies, not so frequently mentioned or even considered for that matter, apart from the Bollywood movies that is. Without further ado, here are 12 great dancing scenes from Asian movies, with the lion’s share belonging to Wong Kar Wai, who has presented a number of astonishing sequences through the years.
1. Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing are dancing in a kitchen (Wong Kar Wai, Happy Together,1997, Hong Kong)
Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung are tangoing in the middle of a kitchen, with their love and adoration for each other becoming evident by the way they look at and lean on each other.
1. Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-wing are dancing in a kitchen (Wong Kar Wai, Happy Together,1997, Hong Kong)
Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung are tangoing in the middle of a kitchen, with their love and adoration for each other becoming evident by the way they look at and lean on each other.
- 3/3/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
More that 1,100 of similar soft-core productions were released in theaters during the 70’s and 80’s by Nikkatsu, which helped to launch the careers of filmmakers like Masayuki Suo (Shall we Dance?, The Terminal Trust), Takashi Ishii (Gonin), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Tokyo Sonata, Journey to the Shore), Yojiro Takita (Departures), Koji Wakamatsu (Endless Waltz, United Red Army, Caterpillar) and many more.
The main reason so many directors chose the particular genre was due to the complete artistic freedom given to the them after they have met four criteria:
The film must have a required minimum quota of sex scenes (supposedly a sex scene every five minutes, although this rule was never strictly met) The film must be approximately one hour in duration. It must be filmed on 16 mm or 35 mm film within one week. The film must be made on a very limited budget (about $35,000)
The films were commecially successes and...
The main reason so many directors chose the particular genre was due to the complete artistic freedom given to the them after they have met four criteria:
The film must have a required minimum quota of sex scenes (supposedly a sex scene every five minutes, although this rule was never strictly met) The film must be approximately one hour in duration. It must be filmed on 16 mm or 35 mm film within one week. The film must be made on a very limited budget (about $35,000)
The films were commecially successes and...
- 3/29/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Pink Eiga, the L.A. based distributor of Japanese Pink Films, has launched pinkeiga.tv as the go-to online destination for all of the company’s titles. Japanese Pink Films are short-form, story-based erotica high in production values, creativity and artistry that’s a significant feature of Japanese pop culture but virtually unheard of outside the country.
Independently produced, shot on 35mm film and edited using traditional flatbeds, Pink Eiga (Pink Films) run the genre gamut including comedies, romantic dramas, ‘midnight movies’ and horror films. The immense popularity of Pink Eiga in Japan is often due to its strange, extreme, and outrageous storylines. The films consistently push the boundaries of cultural commentary, giving unique insight into Japanese subculture and its stimulating proclivities.
Says Nadav Rechov, President of Pink Eiga Inc:
The primary difference from contemporary adult movies boils down to this: Pink Eiga are short form narrative features that feature sexual situations.
Independently produced, shot on 35mm film and edited using traditional flatbeds, Pink Eiga (Pink Films) run the genre gamut including comedies, romantic dramas, ‘midnight movies’ and horror films. The immense popularity of Pink Eiga in Japan is often due to its strange, extreme, and outrageous storylines. The films consistently push the boundaries of cultural commentary, giving unique insight into Japanese subculture and its stimulating proclivities.
Says Nadav Rechov, President of Pink Eiga Inc:
The primary difference from contemporary adult movies boils down to this: Pink Eiga are short form narrative features that feature sexual situations.
- 10/30/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
I haven’t traveled all I have to Buenos Aires and back to tell you about how this festival, alongside Mar del Plata and Valdivia (this last one in Chile), form the triad of the most important festivals of Latin America, because if you know about it, you know about it. People that have travelled to Argentina for the past 17 years in April have felt the presence of cinema in the streets—and Buenos Aires is a big city. The importance of a festival that brings over 300 titles, some of them for the first time crossing an ocean, is fundamental for the Latino viewer, as well for those who want to make the effort and come to see the movies that play here. On a closer look, what plays here may seem to be eclectic at times, it is purely due to what seems to be the motto of the festival: discovery.
- 6/8/2015
- by Jaime Grijalba Gómez
- MUBI
Mostofa S. Farooki’s Ant Story and John Carney’s Begin Again are among the films that will compete for the Golden Goblet Award at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff).
Begin Again was recently acquired for Chinese distribution by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse, while Ant Story premiered at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival.
Organisers said the full Golden Goblet line-up has yet to be announced but will also include Volker Schlöndorff’s Diplomatie; Thai filmmaker Tom Waller’s The Last Executioner; Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris’ Mikra Anglia; Maiko wa Lady, from Japan’s Masayuki Suo; Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig’s Predestination (Australia); Jeanne Herry’s She Adores Him (France); Mehdi Rahmani’s Snow (Iran); Zhang Meng’s The Uncle Victory (China); and Marko Nabersnik’s The Woods Are Still Green (Germany).
As previously announced, Gong Li will serve as president of the Golden Goblet jury, which also includes...
Begin Again was recently acquired for Chinese distribution by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse, while Ant Story premiered at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival.
Organisers said the full Golden Goblet line-up has yet to be announced but will also include Volker Schlöndorff’s Diplomatie; Thai filmmaker Tom Waller’s The Last Executioner; Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris’ Mikra Anglia; Maiko wa Lady, from Japan’s Masayuki Suo; Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig’s Predestination (Australia); Jeanne Herry’s She Adores Him (France); Mehdi Rahmani’s Snow (Iran); Zhang Meng’s The Uncle Victory (China); and Marko Nabersnik’s The Woods Are Still Green (Germany).
As previously announced, Gong Li will serve as president of the Golden Goblet jury, which also includes...
- 5/29/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (Iffk) has announced its lineup. The festival will run from 7th to 14th December, 2012 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Some of the highlights of the lineup are festival favourites of the year Amour, Chitrangada, Samhita, The Sapphires, Drapchi, Miss Lovely, Me and You, Celluloid Man, and Baandhon.
Fourteen films will screen in the Competition section while seven contemporary films will be screened in “Indian Cinema Now” section.
Complete list of films:
Competition Films
Fourteen feature films from Asia, Africa and Latin America will compete for the coveted “Suvarna Chakoram” (Golden Crow Pheasant) and other awards.
Always Brando by Ridha Behi (Tunisia)
Inheritors of the Earth by T V Chandran (India)
A Terminal Trust by by Masayuki Suo (Japan)
Shutter by Joy Mathew (India)
Today by Alain Gomis (Senegal-France)
The Repentant by Merzak Allouache (Algeria)
Sta. Niña by Manny Palo (Philippines)
Present Tense...
Some of the highlights of the lineup are festival favourites of the year Amour, Chitrangada, Samhita, The Sapphires, Drapchi, Miss Lovely, Me and You, Celluloid Man, and Baandhon.
Fourteen films will screen in the Competition section while seven contemporary films will be screened in “Indian Cinema Now” section.
Complete list of films:
Competition Films
Fourteen feature films from Asia, Africa and Latin America will compete for the coveted “Suvarna Chakoram” (Golden Crow Pheasant) and other awards.
Always Brando by Ridha Behi (Tunisia)
Inheritors of the Earth by T V Chandran (India)
A Terminal Trust by by Masayuki Suo (Japan)
Shutter by Joy Mathew (India)
Today by Alain Gomis (Senegal-France)
The Repentant by Merzak Allouache (Algeria)
Sta. Niña by Manny Palo (Philippines)
Present Tense...
- 11/2/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The major highlight of this year's Japan Cuts festival for Japanese film fans, as well as fans of great acting in general, is the New York appearance of Koji Yakusho, one of Japan's most acclaimed and accomplished actors, who continues to work at the top of his form. The Eel, Cure (screening July 21), Eureka, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, and Doppelganger are but a few of the more memorable films he has starred in. Japan Cuts this year will feature a career mini-retrospective devoted to Yakusho, which will include Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo's 1996 film that was many Westerners' introduction to Yakusho, as well as Takashi Miike's remake of 13 Assassins (which Yakusho will introduce on July 21), and his 2009 directorial...
- 7/19/2012
- Screen Anarchy
An official website for Masayuki Suo’s The Terminal Trust has been launched along with a YouTube embed of the film’s new teaser trailer.
As you can tell from the opening frame of the teaser, the big PR draw of this project seems to be the fact that it reunites Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari, co-stars of Suo’s blockbuster 1996 film “Shall We Dance?” The pair have not appeared together in anything else until now.
The new film deals with “sanctity of life” concerns vs. the right to be allowed to die. Kusakari plays a doctor named Ayano Orii and Yakusho plays Shinzo Egi, a patient with a serious illness who tells her that when the time comes, he wants her to ease his suffering quickly by not placing him on life support. Tadanobu Asano and Takao Osawa also co-star.
“The Terminal Trust” will be released by Toho in...
As you can tell from the opening frame of the teaser, the big PR draw of this project seems to be the fact that it reunites Koji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari, co-stars of Suo’s blockbuster 1996 film “Shall We Dance?” The pair have not appeared together in anything else until now.
The new film deals with “sanctity of life” concerns vs. the right to be allowed to die. Kusakari plays a doctor named Ayano Orii and Yakusho plays Shinzo Egi, a patient with a serious illness who tells her that when the time comes, he wants her to ease his suffering quickly by not placing him on life support. Tadanobu Asano and Takao Osawa also co-star.
“The Terminal Trust” will be released by Toho in...
- 5/27/2012
- Nippon Cinema
I Just Didn't Do It
Japanese w/English subtitles
Written and Directed by Masayuki Suo
143 minutes
There is an episode of Twilight Zone wherein a man relives a nightmare of interrogation and imprisonment for a crime the details of which he knows nothing and has no recollection of having committed. His interrogation occurs over and over again in dreamlike fashion, and he cannot rouse himself or get to the bottom of the accusation. In I Just Didn’t Do It, audiences are treated to the fact that in governments around the world, governments with technological advancements such as cell phones and movies, nightmarish approaches to justice exist that evoke, if not rival, such surreal scenarios.
Japanese w/English subtitles
Written and Directed by Masayuki Suo
143 minutes
There is an episode of Twilight Zone wherein a man relives a nightmare of interrogation and imprisonment for a crime the details of which he knows nothing and has no recollection of having committed. His interrogation occurs over and over again in dreamlike fashion, and he cannot rouse himself or get to the bottom of the accusation. In I Just Didn’t Do It, audiences are treated to the fact that in governments around the world, governments with technological advancements such as cell phones and movies, nightmarish approaches to justice exist that evoke, if not rival, such surreal scenarios.
- 10/20/2010
- by Melanee Murray
- GetTheBigPicture.net
From April 15th to 19th, Frankfurt transforms into the center of the Japanese film world when the Nippon Connection 2009 opens its doors once again. After giving us a first look at the highlights of the largest festival for Japanese film worldwide, the official site has now been updated with the full program that includes more than 150 feature and short films.
Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008
www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008
www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008
www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008
www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007
www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008
www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,...
Nippon Cinema 20th Century Boys (Niju seiki shonen), R: Yukihiko Tsutsumi, J 2008
www.20thboys.com All Around Us (Gururi no koto), R: Ryosuke Hashiguchi, J 2008
www.gururinokoto.jp Detroit Metal City, R: Toshio Lee, J 2008
www.go-to-dmc.jp Genius Party Beyond, R: Masahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, J 2008
www.genius-party.jp/beyond Genius Party, R: Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Hideki Futamura, Masaaki Yuasa, Shinichiro Watanabe, J 2007
www.genius-party.jp/genius01 Gs Wonderland, R: Ryuichi Honda, J 2008
www.gs-w.jp Hells Angels,...
- 3/13/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
- With Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit out of the foreign Oscar picture, Ioncinema.com predicts a four-way race between audience faves Persepolis, The Counterfeiters, 4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Caramel. Spain's The Orphanage has the best chance at completing the 5 pack. That said everything else is just a formality. The final five picks will be announced on Jan. 22. The Oscar ceremony takes place Feb. 24. 2008 Foreign Oscar Long ListArgentina: Xxy (Lucia Puenzo)Australia: The Home Song Stories (Tony Ayres) Austria: The Counterfeiters (Stefan Ruzowitzky)Azerbaijan: Caucasia (Farid Gumbatov)Bangladesh: On The Wings Of Dreams (Golam Rabbany Biblob)Belgium: Ben X (Nic Balthazar) Bosnia and Herzegovina: It's Hard To Be Nice (Srdjan Vuletic)Brazil: The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Cao Hamburger)Bulgaria: Warden of the Dead (Ilian Simeonov)Canada: The Days of Darkness (Denys Arcand)Chile: Padre nuestro (Our Father) - (Rodrigo Sepulveda)China: The Knot (Yun shui
- 10/18/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
"Gotta sing, gotta dance" -- but not if you're a middle-aged Japanese businessman in a country that frowns on public contact with the opposite sex.
Winner of the equivalent of 13 Oscars in Japan, "Shall We Dance?" is a limber gem, a kind and inspirational depiction of the personal blossoming of a repressed, nondescript middle-manager whose clandestine ballroom dance lessons bring him great release and awaken him to the joys of life.
Similar in tone and theme to Vittorio De Sica's classic "A Brief Vacation", in which a female Italian factory worker opens up and thrives during a stint away from her repressive family life, this Miramax release is a delightful tonic for a summer overladen with cardboard characters. To boot, it's refreshing to see a sympathetic and insightful depiction of a middle-aged businessman, usually the object of ridicule these days.
Reportedly, the success of the film has started a ballroom dance craze in Japan, where "business golf" is one of the few enjoyments afforded the workaholic "salary man," namely the millions of worker-bee, white-collar men who ride the trains every day into the big cities from their hutchlike houses and toil in lock-step regularity.
In this remarkable character study, Koji Yakusho stars as Shohei, a burned-out businessman who, on an otherwise dispirited train ride home, captures a glimpse of a graceful dancer in an upstairs window. It is the silhouette of a beautiful instructor, Mai (Tamiyo Kusakari), and the vision becomes an obsession. Soon he finds himself getting off the train, entering the school and signing up for ballroom dance instruction despite the fact he can hardly afford it.
Like a bashful schoolboy, Shohei begins his lessons but not, to his quiet regret, with the beautiful instructress who inspired him to come there in the first place.
Not surprisingly, Shohei is a stiff and tentative dancer, a manifestation of his repressed nature and his socially ingrained tendency not to open up and express himself.
Indeed, it's with small steps, some of them crisscrossed and in the wrong direction, that Shohei begins his personal awakening as emblematized by his growing personal confidence with his dancing and himself.
Wonderfully comic and spry, "Shall We Dance?" is a glowing portrait of people coming out of their shell and, through dance, connecting not only with others but with themselves.
Flavored with idiosyncratic personal textures and widened by its cultural and social insights, "Shall We Dance?" is a masterfully told, universal story, written and directed by Masayuki Suo with grace, verve and delicacy.
The lead players are wonderful, particularly Yakusho as the repressed businessman who comes to find himself and Kusakari as the elusive instructress.
Technical credits are similarly polished and well-heeled, particularly cinematographer Naoki Kayano's illuminating scopings of the oppressive structures of modern-day Japanese life. The film is continually lifted by the zesty cuts of editors Kiyoshi Yoneyama and Jun'ichi Kikuchi.
SHALL WE DANCE?
Miramax Films
Producers Masayuki Suo,
Shoji Masui, Yuji Ogata
Screenwriter-director Masayuki Suo
Executive producers Hiroyuki Kato,
Seiji Urushido, Shigeru Ohno,
Kazuhiro Igarashi, Tetsuya Ikeda
Director of photography Naoki Kayano
Lighting director Tatsuya Osada
Production designer Kyoko Heya
Sound mixer-editor Kiyoshi Yoneyama
Editor Jun'ichi Kikuchi
Music Yoshikazu Suo
"Shall We Dance?" performed by Taeko Ohnuki
Color/stereo
Cast:
Shohei Sugiyama Koji Yakusho
Mai Kishikawa Tamiyo Kusakari
Tomio Aoki Naoto Takenaka
Toyoko Takahashi Eriko Watanabe
Toru Miwa Akira Emoto
Tokichi Hattori Yu Tokui
Masahiro Tanaka Hiromasa Taguchi
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Winner of the equivalent of 13 Oscars in Japan, "Shall We Dance?" is a limber gem, a kind and inspirational depiction of the personal blossoming of a repressed, nondescript middle-manager whose clandestine ballroom dance lessons bring him great release and awaken him to the joys of life.
Similar in tone and theme to Vittorio De Sica's classic "A Brief Vacation", in which a female Italian factory worker opens up and thrives during a stint away from her repressive family life, this Miramax release is a delightful tonic for a summer overladen with cardboard characters. To boot, it's refreshing to see a sympathetic and insightful depiction of a middle-aged businessman, usually the object of ridicule these days.
Reportedly, the success of the film has started a ballroom dance craze in Japan, where "business golf" is one of the few enjoyments afforded the workaholic "salary man," namely the millions of worker-bee, white-collar men who ride the trains every day into the big cities from their hutchlike houses and toil in lock-step regularity.
In this remarkable character study, Koji Yakusho stars as Shohei, a burned-out businessman who, on an otherwise dispirited train ride home, captures a glimpse of a graceful dancer in an upstairs window. It is the silhouette of a beautiful instructor, Mai (Tamiyo Kusakari), and the vision becomes an obsession. Soon he finds himself getting off the train, entering the school and signing up for ballroom dance instruction despite the fact he can hardly afford it.
Like a bashful schoolboy, Shohei begins his lessons but not, to his quiet regret, with the beautiful instructress who inspired him to come there in the first place.
Not surprisingly, Shohei is a stiff and tentative dancer, a manifestation of his repressed nature and his socially ingrained tendency not to open up and express himself.
Indeed, it's with small steps, some of them crisscrossed and in the wrong direction, that Shohei begins his personal awakening as emblematized by his growing personal confidence with his dancing and himself.
Wonderfully comic and spry, "Shall We Dance?" is a glowing portrait of people coming out of their shell and, through dance, connecting not only with others but with themselves.
Flavored with idiosyncratic personal textures and widened by its cultural and social insights, "Shall We Dance?" is a masterfully told, universal story, written and directed by Masayuki Suo with grace, verve and delicacy.
The lead players are wonderful, particularly Yakusho as the repressed businessman who comes to find himself and Kusakari as the elusive instructress.
Technical credits are similarly polished and well-heeled, particularly cinematographer Naoki Kayano's illuminating scopings of the oppressive structures of modern-day Japanese life. The film is continually lifted by the zesty cuts of editors Kiyoshi Yoneyama and Jun'ichi Kikuchi.
SHALL WE DANCE?
Miramax Films
Producers Masayuki Suo,
Shoji Masui, Yuji Ogata
Screenwriter-director Masayuki Suo
Executive producers Hiroyuki Kato,
Seiji Urushido, Shigeru Ohno,
Kazuhiro Igarashi, Tetsuya Ikeda
Director of photography Naoki Kayano
Lighting director Tatsuya Osada
Production designer Kyoko Heya
Sound mixer-editor Kiyoshi Yoneyama
Editor Jun'ichi Kikuchi
Music Yoshikazu Suo
"Shall We Dance?" performed by Taeko Ohnuki
Color/stereo
Cast:
Shohei Sugiyama Koji Yakusho
Mai Kishikawa Tamiyo Kusakari
Tomio Aoki Naoto Takenaka
Toyoko Takahashi Eriko Watanabe
Toru Miwa Akira Emoto
Tokichi Hattori Yu Tokui
Masahiro Tanaka Hiromasa Taguchi
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 7/10/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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