By
Christopher Delude and Peter A. Martin
Los
Angeles, California / June 19th – 22nd 2003
A showcase of Japanese films from the 60’s and
70’s to the present day, this is the 5th yearly
installment of the Japanese Outlaw Masters, which
brings attention to Japanese cinema and its directors
to U.S. audiences. Every film was introduced by Chris
D. in collaboration with Dennis Bartok to compile
this year’s selection. The event was sponsored
by the Japan Foundation who also provided their copies
of RED PEONY GAMBLER and THEATRE OF LIFE for the series.
THURSDAY
JUNE 19TH 2003
SUICIDE CLUB (JISATSU CIRCLE), 2002
Dir. Shion Sono
By Christopher Delude
I
began my trek to the aptly named Egyptian Theater
in the lovely and overcrowded Hollywood by attacking
that parking lot known as the LA freeway. Thankfully,
I made good time and picked up my admission tickets
to the first two flicks. Thank you, American Cinematheque…
SUICIDE
CLUB is a dark and social satire. At first glance,
it is a gory horror film that ultimately ends up spiraling
into an over the top acid trip for the lack of a better
term. It is a story of two cops who are investigating
a strange series of singular and mass suicides. Their
only clues are rolls of sewn together human skin that
are strangely taken from the bodies of each of the
suicide victims. Needless to say, I was hooked from
the beginning and by the end of the film my mind was
spinning trying to comprehend the images on the screen.
But from the first bloody and darkly humorous mess,
it seemed the audience was hooked. Though the movie
started strong, it did end without a complete resolution
or anything amounting to total satisfaction for myself.
I will admit, though, I did enjoy the loopiness that
came at the end as sometimes we all need a good head
trip to shake the monotony in life, especially in
film. I give the flick a hearty recommendation for
(depending on your likes) either the gruesome scenes
(forever will the line “Mom’s funny”
and its corresponding scene be etched into the framework
of my brand and, I suspect, the rest of the audience’s)
or for the what-the-heck-is-going-on sort of laughs.
Just make sure you’ve got a strong stomach.
I
liked the beginning of this film series already.
GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (SHIN JINGI NO HAKABA), 2002
Dir. Takashi Miike
By Christopher Delude
GRAVEYARD
OF HONOR is a yakuza flick with no good guys. This
is one of the latest from everyone’s favorite
blonde haired Japanese director, Takashi Miike (who
also makes a cameo of carnage in this flick). The
film follows a man and his rise from a quiet dishwasher
to a damned yakuza. This is quite the brutal movie
as it is filled to the brim with dark humor and plenty
of Miike’s trademark bloodshed, though, a tad
bit more subdued. An impressive film overall that
really hits you in the gut in showing how tragically
unappealing the gangster lifestyle is. I also must
admit that halfway through the film, I had to remind
myself that the main character wasn’t any kind
of altar boy. Even with all the circumstances he was
facing, I could only give pity, rather than support,
to the actions of this sad individual. Bravo to the
manipulation the script writer gave to this movie
in leading the audience along. Not a depressing film,
per se, but something that will leave you with something
to at least discuss.
I
also learned that it is never wise to shoot your boss,
especially when he only wants to give you money.
So
the first night ended with two great films (and an
appearance by Quentin Tarantino who I later found
out was sitting in the sixth row). This night was
definitely a great way to open up the Japanese Outlaw
Master Series 5.
FRIDAY
JUNE 20TH 2003
BOUNCE KO GALS, 1997
Dir. Masato Harada
By Christopher Delude
Interestingly
enough, they showed a trailer of Kurosawa’s
last screenplay, THE SEA WATCHES. I’m going
to have to find out more about it later…
BOUNCE
KO GALS was the surprise of the series for me. When
I first heard the premise of this film the night before,
about four high school girls moonlighting as call
girls that would be presented in a more jovial style,
I was wary at what this film was going to be like.
Fortunately, I was quite surprised and delighted by
this film. Normally, I do not indulge in the coming-of-age
type stories for the boys, let alone girls, but this
film managed to not only keep me involved in the happenings
on screen, it also had me invest in an emotional attachment
for these girls, girls who were trying to make it
through a surly world of deceiving shopkeepers and
unfaithful businessmen. By the end of the film, I
was quite moved, something quite opposite of what
I was expecting. I definitely recommend this film
for the drama aspects and especially as something
to give you a break from the knife action, yakuza
stabbing fests that we have become so accustomed to.
That is, if you can find the film.
Interesting
tidbit to take home from this film: If two thugs from
upstairs barge into your room while you are on film
dancing in a schoolgirl custom, it’s a set up.
PORNO STAR, 1998
Dir. Toshiaki Toyoda
By Christopher Delude
PORNO
STAR, an interesting first film from the director
of BLUE SPRING (and former chess player of all things)
is quite stylized in execution. The movie follows
a young thug in a rain jacket that carries a tote
bag of sorts. He rarely shows emotion and is on a
mission to get rid of the “not needed,”
or more specifically, yakuza gangsters. This was perhaps
the flick I was most intrigued when coming into the
series as I had read several reviews regarding the
film which generally praised the film for its style
and impact. After seeing the film, though, I am left
yearning for a second chance to view it, so that I
may give a more definitive grade to the film than
the one I currently hold. The opening sequence instantly
brought a smile to my face with the use of a electric
guitar solo (if anyone can tell me the name of the
end credits song, I would really appreciate it) and
a slow motion shot of dozens of people crossing the
street with the protagonist emerging from the crowd
in a slow, deliberate, and menacing fashion. If anything,
the best parts of the film were almost all of the
guitar and slow motion sequences that were littered
throughout. The film was full of dark humor and frank
brutality, much like GRAVEYARD OF HONOR the night
earlier, but in this one, you could root for the main
character a bit more. Overall, I felt the movie could
have used more of the musical cues than it presented
us with (though, other reviews say the film used too
much of this technique, thus, I feel the need to see
it again to properly gauge what feelings it ultimately
leaves me with) as there were some really inspired
bits. I still give it a strong recommendation regardless.
BLACK ANGEL 2 (KURO NO TENSHI VOL. 2), 1999
Dir. Takashi Ishii
By Christopher Delude
BLACK
ANGEL 2 is about a female assassin who is sent to
kill a yakuza boss, but things turn complicated when
the boss’s bodyguard happens to be the man who
saved her from rape some years ago. Now, to be perfectly
honest here, I can’t quite give this movie a
solid rating seeing how this was the third film in
the matter of five hours I had watched, and by this
time, I was struggling to keep focus on what was happening
on screen. I didn’t particularly enjoy the film
at all with its tedious editing and rather disjointed
story. The fact that the film also suffered from rather
clunk action sequences and dark lighting didn’t
really help the film’s impact much either. All
this rather disappointed me after noting that afternoon
it had received a 7 rating on IMDB. After seeing so
many good films previously, this one just couldn’t
match up with the others. When the film ended, there
were quite a few grumbles, many involving the same
gripes I had with the film.
To
bring one positive note to this film, I will admit
that the film quality was definitely in good shape
and it had a grown man as a little kid on roller blades.
“BANG!” You can’t beat that.
And
thus ends the second night of this wonderful film
series. I was able to make it home from LA to the
north end of the Valley in a matter of twenty minutes.
For you who know the area, that’s got to be
some type of record. Then I went to sleep with visions
of subtitles and switchblades falling from the sky
while a guitar wailed away dancing around my head…
SATURDAY
JUNE 21ST 2003
STRAY CAT ROCK - SEX HUNTER (NORA-NEKO ROKKU: SEKKUSA
HANTA), 1970
Dir. Yasuharu Hasebe
By Peter A. Martin
Here's
a tip for all middle-aged men: if you see an attractive
young woman in a schoolgirl outfit, run away, run
away! In the opening scene of STRAY CAT ROCK - SEX
HUNTER, a middle-aged salaryman ignores this advice
and is soundly beaten by the young woman's friends.
The ladies (some clad in thigh-high go-go boots and
short skirts) saunter saucily down the street, with
a crazy rhythm in their hips, and it's clear everybody
should stay clear of this girl group.
The
girls are led by Mako (Meiko Kaji). They are a tough
group, ready to fight at a moment's notice, and Mako's
job is to pick when and where to allow the eruption
to happen. Mako's love match is The Baron (Tatsuya
Fuji). He's all cool and distant, as a Yakuza should
be, and is the leader of his own gang. Everybody hangs
out in a dark and dank basement nightclub. One night
The Baron realizes that Mako's girls would be perfect
for the sex trade, and decides that his men must rape
them in order to break their spirit and prepare them
for the lucrative work ahead. This being unenlightened
times (1970), some of the girls fight and fuss but
kinda like it. Mako only allows this to go on for
so long before she breaks it up. What really sets
her off is when she sees The Baron and his gang tearing
into some kids because of their mixed parentage (American
and Japanese). Mayhem ensues.
The
plot is a bit difficult to follow, but the film is
such a gorgeous riot of lurid color, rippling with
dangerous vibes, and fairly dancing with jazzy riffs,
that it doesn't matter. STRAY CAT ROCK - SEX HUNTER
gives off a contact high, and your brain is left pleasantly
buzzing.
At
the age of 23, Meiko Kaji displays charisma to spare
and easily holds her own at the center of the picture.
In the first sequence, her face erupts into a lazy,
satisfied smile that electrifies the screen as she
luxuriates in the power she has over her group and
the power her group has against men and the world
in general. She rattles off insults and retorts with
the ease of a self-assured stand-up comedian. Later,
when she realizes her girls are in trouble, she doesn't
panic; she just needs a little time to figure things
out on her own. She would later star in FEMALE CONVICT
SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41.
This
was the third of five movies in the STRAY CAT ROCK
series. Director Yasuharu Hasebe debuted with 1966's
BLACK TIGHT KILLERS. Here he maintains a merciless
pace and even contrasts the expansive outside world
with the secretive basement nightclub by shooting
nearly all of the latter scenes with a hard matte
on the sides, giving those sequences a claustrophobic,
clandestine edge. The film is pure joy in a comic-book,
b-movie vein.
(Quentin
Tarantino watch: He came and sat in the sixth row
with a friend. He departed after the show. Love the
guy or hate him, he's a devoted fan and movie-watcher.)
Turning
from the world of kitsch to the world of Seijun Suzuki,
the next two films reflected two different periods
in the directorial life of the master director.
UNDERWORLD
BEAUTY (ANKOKUGAI NO BIJO), 1958
Dir. Seijun Suzuki
By Peter A. Martin
Dating
from 1958, UNDERWORLD BEAUTY creates a hypnotic criminal
world that is timeless. The American Cinematheque
presented a new 35mm print, highlighting the beautiful
black and white photography that was shot in wide
screen (2:35 to 1 or similar).
Michitaro
Mizushima plays the lead role, a man released from
prison as the picture begins. He was jailed due to
his involvement in a diamond robbery. He recovers
the diamonds, which he had secretly hidden away, but
then encounters all kinds of problems in selling them
without getting killed. It seems other criminals would
like a cut of the profits, and will stop at nothing
to get their unfair share. One of the first to get
killed is a member of his old gang. The dead man's
sister (Mari Shiraki) comes to grieve, but she's wise
to what's going on and decides to take the side of
our ex-con protagonist. In this den of thieves, he's
the most honorable -- if not exactly the heroic type.
It's
tempting to only describe the memorable scenes. In
one, our hero and his dead friend's sister must quickly
hide the diamonds when their adversaries arrive unexpectedly
at an art studio. They hide them in the breasts of
a female clay model, which, to their dismay, is slowly
lowered through a hole in the floor to the kiln below
so it can be fired (hardening the clay). The model
is then whisked away by truck and delivered to a shop
for display. Our hero must think quickly to evade
the bad guys, find transportation, and recover the
diamonds. But that description does not do justice
to the elegance and brisk hilarity of the scene, which
is choreographed with a series of quick cuts that
make it easy to tell the story without the need of
explanatory dialogue.
Near
the end, one extended sequence was so beautiful that
it seemed like you could print a still of each frame
and hang it on a museum wall as a work of art. Yet
it functioned, not as a museum piece, but as a dynamic
action scene that was completely enthralling.
What's
also remarkable is that nearly every shot (camera
set-up) is unique. My viewing companion said he noticed
perhaps three shots that were repeated. That gives
the proceedings a fresh look that constantly surprises
the audience. Considering the tight budgets and limited
shooting schedules for studio pictures of the day,
it's a testament to Seijun Suzuki that he didn't settle
for the easy, traditional shots, but pushed himself
and his crew for the benefit of the movie.
TATTOOED
LIFE (IREZUMI ICHIDAI), 1965
Dir. Seijun Suzuki
By Peter A. Martin
Moving
forward seven years to 1965, we come to a period in
which Seijun Suzuki was experiencing frustration with
the studio system. In the following two years he would
direct TOKYO DRIFTER and BRANDED TO KILL, his two
signature classics that also resulted in the termination
of his studio career.
But
before that happened, in the year after he made GATES
OF FLESH, he made TATTOOED LIFE. It's a very different
film than UNDERWORLD BEAUTY, though it's also about
criminals.
Upon
orders from his superiors, Hideki Takahashi kills
a rival gang boss. What he doesn't realize is that
he's been set up, and that rivals in his own gang
plan to kill him. His younger brother saves him by
killing his would-be assassin, and is immediately
wracked with guilt. He's not a gangster at all, he's
a sensitive artist adverse to violence, but he couldn't
just stand by and let his brother be killed. Now the
lives of both brothers are in danger from the police,
from older brother's gang, and from the rivals of
older brother's gang. The brothers decide to run away
to some place far away. Hearing of their plight, a
man agrees to arrange passage for them on a ship.
Unfortunately, the man turns out to be a con artist,
and the brothers are left stranded. Eventually they
are able to find work as miners. They hope to stay
just long enough to earn money for their passage.
Romantic attraction finds them each, however. Older
brother must deal with the persistent entreaties of
the mine owner's playful daughter (Masako Izumi),
while younger brother becomes infatuated with the
mine owner's lonely wife. They cross paths with the
con artist again, this time allied with a rival gang
that wants to take control of the mine. Trouble and
retribution await.
For
the most part, TATTOOED LIFE unreels in a straightforward
way and is shot in a realistic manner. It's entertaining,
and well made, but not exactly spectacular. That is,
until near the end when a climactic fight is about
to begin. Suddenly, with a clap of thunder and a bolt
of lightning, the film departs into a never-never
world of primary colors and highly stylized movements.
We get one shot from under the combatants, looking
up at them through a transparent floor, and many more
that feature insanely bold shadows. At the end of
the fight scene, we return to reality.
It's
a shocking sequence because it seems to come out of
nowhere. According to the program notes, it earned
Suzuki "his first warning from the Nikkatsu [studio]
bosses to stop pushing the envelope." The film
is solid and worthy as it stands, but that one sequence
elevates it to a higher level.
All
three of the films are due for eventual release on
DVD by Vitagraph Films, the video releasing arm of
the American Cinematheque. Keep your eyes peeled.
For
the last show of the day, much of the audience changed
over (and Quentin Tarantino returned with friends),
and the crowd settled in to watch the Los Angeles
premiere of VISITOR Q. Of course, it's shown in many
other locales and has already appeared on DVD.
VISITOR Q (BIZITA Q), 2001
Dir. Takashi Miike
By Peter A. Martin
VISITOR
Q is about feelings -- the relationship between a
father and daughter (he feels very close to her) and
between a son and his mother (he feels strongly about
her). It's about blurred genitalia, lactation, and
necrophilia. It's about doing things together as a
family.
To
break it down by plot (though doing so feels beside
the point): a family is coming apart at the seams.
The father is having sex with his daughter, the daughter
is a prostitute, the mother is a junkie who turns
tricks on the side to pay for her habit, and the son
beats up his mother even as he is bullied by schoolmates.
Into their unhappy lives strides a stranger (presumably
Visitor Q) who pushes the family to even more extreme
behavior which somehow brings them all together in
the end.
It's
a really sick and twisted story, told in an absurd,
extremely disturbed way.
Let's
take the opening sequence. The first title asks: "Have
you ever done it with your father?", and then
we see a young woman, looking to be in her late teens,
seducing, stripping, and being stripped (that's where
the blurred genitalia comes in) by a man we assume
to be her father. You can take this as an intentionally
provocative scene that challenges the viewer. If you're
aroused by the naked activities, are you aroused by
the thought of incest? Or are you aroused because
you know these are just attractive naked actors, not
related to each other in any way? If you're not aroused,
is it because you're appalled by what you're seeing?
If you're so disgusted, why are you watching it? Of
course, you can also take it as a huge joke being
played upon the audience by the filmmakers (chiefly
director Takashi Miike). The audience at the Egyptian
was stone cold silent, perhaps transfixed.
You
can break VISITOR Q down like that throughout its
running time. Each sequence seems designed to jack
up the shock value. Personally, I was numb by the
halfway point. None of the characters even remotely
resembled recognizable human behavior, so forget about
rooting for (or cheering against) anyone. The humor
was on the level of television shows where people
fall down and the audience laughs. To be fair, some
scenes were so insanely unreal that they provoked
laughter. The very first sequence made effective use
of being shot on video, but after that the framing
and editing were quite routine and straightforward,
which reduced any visual interest and made it more
of a challenge to stay awake.
So
VISITOR Q was not my kind of flick, but if all these
descriptions make you want to rush out and buy it,
at least you've been forearmed with knowledge. By
that point I was exhausted and didn't stick around
to hear the reaction from other audience members.
I would anticipate, though, that other people enjoyed
it much more than I did.
Despite
the last film ending my day on a sour note, the first
three flicks were highly entertaining and recommended.
Thanks to the American Cinematheque and J. D. Nguyen
for making it possible for me to see all four movies
on Saturday.
SUNDAY
JUNE 22ND 2003
BLACKMAIL IS MY LIFE (KYOKATSU KOSA WA GA
JINSEI), 1968
Dir. Kinji Fukasaku
By Christopher Delude
This
was the final night of the film series. It would truly
immerse me in a part of Japanese cinema I had never
really explored: the 1960’s. Besides the works
of Kurosawa, I was skeptical if I would enjoy these
earlier works.
One
of Kinji Fukasaku’s (who received applause when
his name appeared on screen) works that had yet to
be viewed theatrically in the US. The film follows
the exploits of four friends who are into the blackmail
business (hence the title) and soon find themselves
over their heads when they try and blackmail a well
known public official with underworld ties. An amusing
film filled with an unusual charm, yet maintained
a tough edge to it throughout, especially in the latter
half. It was interesting to see how the style of film
here compared to the showings on the earlier nights.
Freeze frames and flashbacks were used liberally in
the film, more than we see in many of films today.
Overall, I would have to say I enjoyed the film, but
was unable to really feel for any of the characters
due to the distance the characters were from me emotionally,
and thus didn’t get the satisfaction out of
it that I would have liked. I would still recommend
the film, though, as this is directed by the man who
gave us the theatrical BATTLE ROYALE and is often
considered a master filmmaker.
Also
note that when stabbed in a 60’s film, your
blood will look like watered down red-orange paint.
RED PEONY GAMBLER – FLOWER CARDS MATCH
(HIBOTAN BAKUTO – HANA FUDA SHOBU), 1969
Dir. Tai Kato
By Christopher Delude
Starring
the actress described as Audrey Hepburn with a tattoo
and sword, Junk Fuji (and you can really see this
in the film), RED PEONY GAMBLER is the third in a
series of eight films that unfortunately are mostly
un-subtitled up to this point and yet to be shown
to American audiences. A story involving the character,
Red Peony Ryu (Fuji), a wandering gambler set upon
increasing her skill as she travels across Japan,
who happens to fall into conflict between two opposing
yakuza groups. After seeing many of Kurosawa samurai
flicks, this was the first samurai film I had seen
outside of Kurosawa’s or at least not starring
Toshiro Mifune (aka The Man). The film started off
rather slow and actually remained that way for some
three-fourths of the film, dragging along more than
it should have. I was beginning to lose interest in
the film as a whole as I felt that with such a little
action, distant characters, and with a story that
really didn’t know where to go, I was left begging
for something to occur. Thankfully something did occur
and that was when the film started to kick into gear
for me. In fact, the action set pieces and introduction
of some of the characters from earlier films (at least,
I think so without having seen the first two) almost
made it worth the wait. Though, it finished strong,
I believe more should have been included earlier on
to increase the tension between the characters. This
is where I have to admire Kurosawa’s talent,
especially with the YOJIMBO films. He gave us something
tangible to grasp onto (in those quick sword fighting
scenes where Mifune shows he is not to be messed with),
so that we could transition to the next part of the
story. Though, giving us a satisfying end, I was wishing
I had more to take out of the film as a whole.
THEATRE
OF LIFE – HISHAKAKU & KIRATSUNE
(JINSEI-GEKIJO – HISHAKAKU TO KIRATSUNE), 1968
Dir. Tomu Uchida
By Christopher Delude
THEATRE
OF LIFE is the retelling of one of the most “filmed
literary sagas in Japan.” Telling the tale of
two men who ultimately get involved with the same
woman due to complications of yakuza life, it was
rather a slow story that you could tell was trying
more for audience connection with the characters,
stretching out far longer than it should have. Most
of my complaints that pertained to RED PEONY also
pertained to this film, and yet had a more unsatisfying
ending then the previous film. Had I seen this film
perhaps without seeing two other films before, I believe
I could have had more patience with the story. So
this review again should be taken with a grain of
salt. While it did include some nice action set pieces
near the end, it seemed almost a little too late,
which is a shame since the actors did quite a convincing
job with the characters they portrayed. If you have
a chance, I would recommend seeing this film and making
up your own mind.
CLOSING
THOUGHTS
By Christopher Delude
In closing, I must admit that, though some of the
films didn’t live up to what I perhaps wanted
them to be, I did immensely enjoy the experience and
admit this film festival did have a nice atmosphere
with many different types of people coming to see
the films. If you ever get a chance to see a film
series and especially an Asian Film series, I’d
say go for the JAPANESE OUTLAW MASTER SERIES at the
American Cinematheque. It is a rewarding experience
that gives you a look at films that you may not see
anywhere else.
Many
thanks to the Egyptian Theater and American Cinematheque
for putting on such a fine film series and to Kung
Fu Cult Cinema for the opportunity to cover it.
SPECIAL
THANKS
Margot Gerber
