Last week I previewed the news of Tokyo FILMeX's classic retrospective this year -- I can now reveal that the director is Kurahara Koreyoshi (蔵原惟繕監督). Kurahara (1927-2002) started out at Shochiku studios but soon after moved to Nikkatsu in 1954, where he would direct the bulk of his films before going freelance in 1967. His exported titles included Black Sun (Kuroi Taiyô, 『黒い太陽』) and The Thirst for Love (Ai no Kawaki, 『愛の渇き』). If anybody has seen his work, feel free to comment.
His 1983 film Antarctica ( Nankyoku Monogatari,『南極物語』), remade by Disney a few years ago as Eight Below, held the Japanese box office title belt for many years until Princess Mononoke.
Under the banner Kyônetsu no Kisetsu (which is the original title of The Weird Lovemakers), the 12-film retrospective will focus on Kurahara's work from the 50s and 60s. The movie I mentioned being picked up for foreign video distribution recently was 1971's Wet Highway (aka Bad Girl Mako) (Edit: Don Brown correctly notes that it was Kurahara's similarly named younger brother, Koretsugu, who directed this particular film).
FILMeX also offers a retrospective on a non-Japanese director. This year will spotlight Brazilian master Joaquim Pedro de Andrade.
The bilingual Tokyo FILMeX official site has been updated to reflect the new visuals for this year's 9th edition. Programme info will gradually go live over the coming months. Tokyo FILMeX runs from November 22-30 in Yûrakuchô and Kyôbashi. Don't miss it!
9 comments:
Looks great! I only wish I could attend... But it looks increasingly unlikely that I will be able to this time.
But Jason, I'd love to finally see Kurahara's film STRAWBERRY ROAD (1991). Why? Because when I was 15 or so, the production came to my home town to film it. There was an open casting call for extras and I pestered my mom to go and audition. Alas, I didn't get selected-- but she did!
Ever since then I've been looking for the wrong movie-- something my mom thought was called STRAWBERRY FIELDS (Beatles influence perhaps?)-- not realizing it was a Kurahara film! Anyway, I hope that this retrospective will give me a chance to finally see the film. Somehow.
If online Japanese sources like JMDB, Goo, Allcinema etc. are to be trusted (I recently updated Kurahara Koreyoshi's Wikipedia page based on the Japanese entry), "Bad Girl Mako"/"Wet Highway" was actually directed by Koreyoshi's younger brother Koretsugu. The IMDB entries for both of them seem to be a bit confused (attributing the film to Koreyoshi and listing Koretsugu as "Koretsugo").
It looks like you're right -- even the original Variety Japan sales article lists the brother. I thought I had cut and paste the name into All Cinema, but obviously I didn't. Kurahara Koretsugu seems to have started directing in 1971.
Alas, I didn't get selected-- but she did!
Your mum was in a Kurahara film? How many J-cinema fans can say that??
Congratulations on the Shaolin documentary, by the way. Hope to check it out when I'm at the Toronto fest!
Terrific! I'd heard that this was coming, but I'm glad it's finally been made public. Any ideas on the films yet? I was told they were going to focus on even more off-the-beaten-path Kurahara films than the ones I'm doing in the North American tour of Nikkatsu Action films, namely GLASS JOHNNY and THE WARPED ONES. BLACK SUN would be great - it's got a terrific soundtrack and supposedly another great performance by Kawachi Tamio. And I've seen AI NO KAWAKI with no subtitles, but would love to see it on the big screen. I've heard that this film basically got Kurahara fired from Nikkatsu, a la Suzuki Seijun and BRANDED TO KILL. It was supposedly a big flop critically and financially, and kind of an embarassment for star Asaoka Ruriko, since she plays an "older woman" who falls for her houseboy. Can't wait - if only flights to Tokyo from NYC weren't so expensive right now.
Awesome, will definitely go. And it's bilingual too? Hooray for subs!
By the way, did you receive my Facebook message, Jason?
Awesome, will definitely go. And it's bilingual too? Hooray for subs!
I should've mentioned this, but as always retrospective films will be subtitled and new prints struck.
a japanese cinema "expert" gets caught using imdb. lol. you jackie chan fanboys best stick to hk movies before you embarass yourself even more. that goes for you to walkow.
a japanese cinema "expert" gets caught using imdb.
Oh, I know -- it's right up there with the FBI pursuing the wrong anthrax suspect for five years.
I've only mentioned Jackie Chan once in passing on here in eight years. You must be a fan of mine, never mind.
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