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I just want to repeat that without George Lucas and Francis Coppola, we would never have gotten Kagemusha.
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May 26, 2018 05:25
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Also worth pointing out that Lucas wanted Mifune to play Obi Wan.
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May 26, 2018 05:33
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Mantis42 posted:Also worth pointing out that Lucas wanted Mifune to play Obi Wan. Hot drat I want to visit this parallel universe.
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May 26, 2018 06:14
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MonsieurChoc posted:I just want to repeat that without George Lucas and Francis Coppola, we would never have gotten Kagemusha. It's really wild that Japan's greatest living director simply couldn't get money to make movies in his twilight years.
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May 29, 2018 15:26
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HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:It's really wild that Japan's greatest living director simply couldn't get money to make movies in his twilight years. I was reading the booklet that comes with the Kagemusha Criterion, and one of the writers mentioned how Kurosawa was fired/replaced on Tora! Tora! Tora! I never really knew about that, how Kurosawa's career was already on thin ice and then that was very close to a death blow because it solidified his reputation as being difficult to work with and unwilling to work within normal production constraints. But the only reason it was ever an issue in the first place is Japan's weird fixation on his films being "too western". If Japanese critics didn't have that particular hang-up then Kurosawa probably would've continued to make masterpieces there throughout the 70's.
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May 29, 2018 15:35
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Basebf555 posted:But the only reason it was ever an issue in the first place is Japan's weird fixation on his films being "too western". If Japanese critics didn't have that particular hang-up then Kurosawa probably would've continued to make masterpieces there throughout the 70's. e: On a different point, this wiki listing the year's best film according one Japanese film publication forms quite an interesting snapshot of contemporary Japanese film criticism through the decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinema_Junpo_Award_for_Best_Film_of_the_Year
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May 29, 2018 19:10
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HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:It's really wild that Japan's greatest living director simply couldn't get money to make movies in his twilight years. Basebf555 posted:But the only reason it was ever an issue in the first place is Japan's weird fixation on his films being "too western". If Japanese critics didn't have that particular hang-up then Kurosawa probably would've continued to make masterpieces there throughout the 70's. Raxivace fucked around with this message at 01:17 on May 30, 2018 |
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May 29, 2018 19:12
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Or Lynch, for that matter.
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May 29, 2018 19:35
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Coaaab posted:e: On a different point, this wiki listing the year's best film according one Japanese film publication forms quite an interesting snapshot of contemporary Japanese film criticism through the decades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinema_Junpo_Award_for_Best_Film_of_the_Year It's sad how dire this list looks from the 90s onwards.
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May 30, 2018 01:04
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I don't see a single Godzilla on that list.
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May 30, 2018 02:12
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Sorry for the long absence again; but I'm finally sitting down to block out time for more Japanese cinema. Has anyone else here seen The Human Condition? Should I try to make an all-day event of all three parts together? Or treat them as three separate films?
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Jul 28, 2018 02:43
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The Human Condition is the standard by which I judge all other war films. It absolutely lives up to the lofty title. Whether or not you should watch the entire trilogy in one sitting depends on how much tolerance you have for human misery. The story is basically just one emotional gut punch after the other.
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Jul 28, 2018 21:04
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I'll probably split that up then...Grave of the Fireflies' runtime maxed out my "abject suffering" tolerance
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Jul 29, 2018 02:50
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Samuel Clemens posted:It's sad how dire this list looks from the 90s onwards. this is kinda related, but i fell down a Japanese cinema-related Wikihole and found this list of awards for Best Film from one particular Japanese publication (Tokyo Sports).  you get one guess who the president of the deciding jury is
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Jul 30, 2018 08:27
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Lmao. Well, I mean, those are believable picks.
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Jul 30, 2018 13:40
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DC Murderverse posted:this is kinda related, but i fell down a Japanese cinema-related Wikihole and found this list of awards for Best Film from one particular Japanese publication (Tokyo Sports).
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Jul 30, 2018 13:43
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I'm assuming they just didn't do a feature for it on those years because Love Exposure hit Japanese cinemas in 2009 and what the hell
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Jul 30, 2018 15:50
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Have their been any remarkable Japanese directors that have risen up during this decade? Sion Sono is the only one that I will watch every movie he releases (and even he actually started in the 00s) . I can't think of a single other one that's recently piqued my interest.
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Jul 30, 2018 17:55
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zandert33 posted:Have their been any remarkable Japanese directors that have risen up during this decade? Sion Sono is the only one that I will watch every movie he releases (and even he actually started in the 00s) . I can't think of a single other one that's recently piqued my interest. Yonebayashi is the only one who springs to mind Oh and Koji Fukada's done some interesting stuff too Allyn fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 18:13
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The Human Condition is the first film I've ever watched where I've needed to pause and walk away from for a bit, not due to time constraints, but just due to feeling run down by the subject matter. And I'm still only on the first of the three films.
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Aug 6, 2018 17:20
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Yeah, Kobayashi doesn't pull his punches. I give him a lot of credit for nakedly addressing Japan's horrific role in the war during a time when most other big directors either ignored the issue entirely (Ozu, Naruse) or at most made some allegorical allusions to it (Kurosawa, Mizoguchi).
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Aug 6, 2018 23:30
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 The Human Condition I: No Greater Love Released January 15 1959. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Wow...this was an absolutely brutal watch...and from what I've heard, I'm in for more of the same in next two parts... I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I sat down to watch The Human Condition but I certainly was not expecting it to be quite so unabashedly critical of war-time Japan. Seems like the kind of thing that, even as late as 1959, would have gotten some looks from the government. As to the film itself...part of me asks "Why is this over 3 hours long? Several plot beats recur and could be condensed a bit", but then I realize that the pure soul-crushing grind of literally everything Kaji tries to do to make a positive, humanist impact is as much a part of the presentation of the film as the acting or cinematography. Yeah, this movie could have been trimmed down to two and a half hours or less...but that would kinda undermined just how much Kaji goes through. Kaji as a character is incredibly compelling to watch. His core trait of "wanting to be a decent human being" is saved from being unrealistic or saccharine by him actually having some flaws along with that. He's got a bit of a temper to him, he's kinda distant as a spouse...it would have been really easy for Kaji to be a perfect protagonist beset on all sides by a horrible world...but even from the beginning of the film he feels like an actual believable human character. The cinematography of the film is markedly different from the Kurosawa stuff I've been watching. While there are still some really beautifully framed shots (particularly of some of the exterior locations, and the power substation), it overall feels much more stark and utilitarian than a lot of the other films I've watched from around this time. It fits the theming of the movie though; the labor camp is brutal and oppressive and closed in, and this gets reflected in the very composition of a lot of the shots. I'm really looking forward to watching parts 2 and 3 of this saga, even though I know it'll probably be just as soul crushing as the first one. Up Next: The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity Released November 20 1959. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
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Aug 7, 2018 04:00
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Kobayashi might be my favorite Japanese director and I still haven't watched The Human Condition. I can't fathom watching it alone and I have no idea who would sit down with me for it. He's got plenty of classics on the world cinema radar but I want to give a hearty recommendation of Black River. Dude knew how to make some daaaaark movies.
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Aug 7, 2018 16:19
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Human Condition is like a sledgehammer.
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Aug 7, 2018 17:06
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Fair warning: Part 1 borders on being a feel-good comedy compared to Part 3. Slight, general tone spoiler talk: In Part 1 Kaji is optimistic and has a few small (if redundant) victories - there's none of that later in the series.
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Aug 8, 2018 10:06
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Happy belated 3rd birthday to this crazy project. Maybe I'll actually finish up before its 4th birthday?
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Aug 21, 2018 01:12
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Throne of Blood has a really fun ending. When I realized what was going on with the trees and when Washizu's men start turning on him, I knew Kurosawa had got me again. And the part with the arrows was some straight up Takeshi's Challenge/Wipeout poo poo. I love it.
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Aug 21, 2018 01:25
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jivjov posted:Happy belated 3rd birthday to this crazy project. Maybe I'll actually finish up before its 4th birthday? I do think there are some major parts of classic Japanese cinema you haven't experienced yet though... It doesn't look like you've watched any of Ozu's movies yet, for example, and he's an incredibly important director.
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Aug 21, 2018 01:28
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Raxivace posted:If you're sticking just to your original goal of Kurosawa + Ghibli then yeah probably if you keep to it. I put Tokyo Story on the Bonus list for that very reason
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Aug 21, 2018 01:41
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The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity Released November 20 1959. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi Despite being billed in some circles as just the next two acts of one giant film, Road to Eternity struck me as having a different feel to No Greater Love. Especially the first half (or Part 3 of the overall work); that focused so heavily on Obara's plight and ultimate suicide, Kaji was almost an afterthought. Sure, there was a lot of talk about how he was under suspicion of being a communist...but not a whole lot was focused directly on him. That's not to say the first half of Eternity was less brutal...it just spread the misery around a little more. Kaji, bless him, spends the entire movie (but especially the opening scenes of the second half [part 4 overall]) trying to be a good man at war. He proposes the unheard of idea of "hey let's be nice to the soliders, maybe have us all bond into a cohesive fighting force instead of beating them around for the slightest infraction". Its really baffling to see the sheer resistance to that idea...but I know this work (or rather the novel its based upon) is at least partially autobiographical, so there must be at least some truth to it. And its not like the modern military gets it all that much better (though I think we've stopped beheading people...) The character I really don't understand here is Kaji's wife, Michiko. She's SO DEVOTED to Kaji, and the war effort, and being a dutiful wife...I'm getting flashbacks to The Most Beautiful. Especially when she shows up to the army camp and gets to spend the night with Kaji...that just seems to fly in in the face of how he, and the other soldiers, are being treated. It does serve to break Kaji down more, he gets an early line about saving letter from Michiko "until he can't bear it any more", but then only gets a single night to spend with her before shipping out to the front lines...but what works as a character moment doesn't always work as a plot moment. Overall I think No Greater Love was stronger as an individual film, but Road to Eternity is absolutely a worthy continuation of the story. Given the real downer of the ending...I'm interested to see where Kaji ends up next. There isn't quite as clear of a "next step" going into III as there was going into II. Up Next: The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer Released January 28 1961. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
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Aug 31, 2018 01:59
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Any thoughts on the battle scene? That seems to be the part which sticks with most people after their initial viewing.jivjov posted:Its really baffling to see the sheer resistance to that idea...but I know this work (or rather the novel its based upon) is at least partially autobiographical, so there must be at least some truth to it. It's almost impossible to overstate just how brutal the Imperial Japanese Army's conduct during WW2 was, not only against enemy combatants and civilians, but also its own troops. Officer had free reign to strike their subordinates whenever they saw fit, and the predominant ideology was one of physically and psychologically beating trainees into submission. It got worse as the war went on, since new recruits were increasingly involuntarily drafted and discipline correspondingly difficult to maintain.
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Aug 31, 2018 12:47
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Samuel Clemens posted:Any thoughts on the battle scene? That seems to be the part which sticks with most people after their initial viewing. I guess I should have highlighted that in my review post...yeah, there was definitely a sense of crushing inevitability. I never got the impression that that particular battle was a conflict between two equal forces. It was just another aspect of the brutal slog that typifies Kaji's whole military experience.
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Aug 31, 2018 12:50
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This seems like the most appropriate thread to mention Lady Snowblood, which I just watched for the first time. What a gorgeous, exciting, badass movie. The cinematography and direction are exquisite. The exaggerated blood spurts and over-the-top kills give it an otherworldly fairy tale vibe. I loved this movie. And I almost hate mentioning Tarantino, but it's impossible to see this movie and not recognize how much of it inspired Kill Bill. I like QT and I like Kill Bill, but watching Lady Snowblood sheds a ton of light on QT's "quirky" style. When you sew together parts of disparate films that most of the audience hasn't seen, yes your style will appear cool and interesting. That's pretty much all he's doing. Yes I realize this isn't news to anyone.
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Sep 3, 2018 16:29
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Spatulater bro! posted:And I almost hate mentioning Tarantino, but it's impossible to see this movie and not recognize how much of it inspired Kill Bill. I like QT and I like Kill Bill, but watching Lady Snowblood sheds a ton of light on QT's "quirky" style. When you sew together parts of disparate films that most of the audience hasn't seen, yes your style will appear cool and interesting. That's pretty much all he's doing. Yes I realize this isn't news to anyone. Assuming you haven't seen them already, Tarantino also The second in the series, Jailhouse 41, stands out as being particular visual - not sure how to describe other than heady. Not at all relevant to Tarantino, but the iconic image of Sasori is a key plot item in Sion Sono's 'Love Exposure'.
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Sep 3, 2018 22:06
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I actually saw a screening of Jailhouse 41 at Alamo a few months back. And yeah, super visually striking film
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Sep 3, 2018 22:08
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Spectral Elvis posted:Assuming you haven't seen them already, Tarantino also I don't think O-Ren is supposed to be Sasori, but the character is absolutely inspired by the movies; she'd fit in perfectly as a villain or side character in one.
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Sep 4, 2018 02:30
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Spectral Elvis posted:Assuming you haven't seen them already, Tarantino also Very interesting that you mention Female Prisoner, because I'm planning to watch the first one tonight.
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Sep 4, 2018 02:34
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Spatulater bro! posted:This seems like the most appropriate thread to mention Lady Snowblood, which I just watched for the first time. What a gorgeous, exciting, badass movie. The cinematography and direction are exquisite. The exaggerated blood spurts and over-the-top kills give it an otherworldly fairy tale vibe. I loved this movie. If you haven't seen them, make it a priority to see the "Lone Wolf and Cub" films.
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Sep 4, 2018 04:43
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Jailhouse 41 (really the whole Female Prisoner Scorpion trilogy) is straight up my favorite movie. Sucks that I can't just recommend it to people without warning them about the DVD situation. Avoid the Arrow Media BluRay/DVDs. Should've been the best release ever, turned out the worst. (Despite some neat extras.) There's a strong blue/cyan tone to everything and the contrast is jacked up so much that detail gets lost. It looks like a loving Underworld movie, not like anything from the 70s. The Image and Eureka DVDs of Jailhouse 41 were also bad, but at least in a way that kinda works for the movie. They've got oversaturated colors and burned-in subtitles, which makes them easy to identify. The Discotek/Eastern Star release is the best one (at least with English subtitles). For the other two movies all the non-Arrow ones are fine as far as I know. I'd recommend not watching Grudge Song back to back with Shunya Ito's trilogy. Maybe come back to it later if you're curious. Meantime if you wanna see Yasuharu Hasebe direct Meiko Kaji check out Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, which isn't great but is super cool. (And for that series the Arrow release was good.)
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Sep 4, 2018 16:40
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Thanks for the tips. Sad to know that Arrow botched the transfer. Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion was very cool. I love how it changed visual styles during key moments of intensity. I've never seen anything like that. Meiko Kaji is just wonderful.
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Sep 4, 2018 18:16
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