#eiichiyamamoto

[andfromaboveyou]

[intellectures]

Asiatisches Autorenkino und Filmklassiker im Streaming

SABU alias Hiroyuki Tanaka ist der japanische Meister des Autorenkinos. Sonst nur kurze Zeit in ausgewählten Kinos zu sehen, kann man seine drei jüngsten Filme aufgrund der Corona-Krise nun im Heimkino genießen. Das Filmlabel Rapid Eye Movies bietet sie neben vielen anderen asiatischen Filmperlen als VoD an. Seinen Künstlernamen hat Hiroyuki Tanaka aus seiner Karriere als Schauspieler – er spielte unter anderem den im Rollstuhl sitzenden Polizisten Ren Osugi in Takeshi Kitanos Meisterwerk »Hana-Bi« – auf den Regiestuhl hinübergerettet. Der Japaner ist unter dem Pseudonym SABU ein beliebter Gast bei Filmfestspielen weltweit. Im letzten Jahr räumte er beim Filmfestival in Moskau ab, bei der Berlinale war er 2017 mit seinem Drama »Mr. Long« und 2015 mit »Chasukes Journey« im Wettbewerb vertreten. »Mr. Long«, den man jetzt als Video on Demand (VoD) bei Rapid Eye Movies streamen kann, erzählt die Geschichte eines taiwanesischen Yakuzi, bei dessen letztem Auftrag in Japan etwas schief geht. Er überlebt knapp und muss nun das Geld für seine Rückkehr auftreiben. Er flieht in eine heruntergekommene Vorstadt, wo ihn ein kleiner Junge im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes rettet. Und er rettet den Jungen und seine von Drogen abhängige Mutter. Ein anderes Leben eröffnet sich ihm, als er beginnt, eine Straßenküche erfolgreich zu betreiben. Doch die Vergangenheit holt ihn ein. SABU: Mr Long from Rapid Eye Movies on Read the full article

[tsukuyomi-no-mikoto]

#belladonnaofsadness #eiichiyamamoto https://www.instagram.com/p/B8iHRzGnXRR/?igshid=1eue55cthkojx

[filmartgallery]

28"x40" Japanese B1 poster for #Belladonna aka #BelladonnaOfSadness (1973), directed by Eiichi Yamamoto. #Anime #EiichiYamamoto #JapaneseFilmPoster #NewAcquisition #FilmArtGallery https://www.instagram.com/p/BumKhTsFa2E/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16486bf1x8wp3

[josephfrady]

#kanashiminoberadonna #1973 #eiichiyamamoto #tatsuyanakadai #katsuyukiitô #animation #drama #horror #fantasy DP #shigeruyamazaki (à Tokyo, Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrWH26lo83B/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1x9kkzsrcs4rs

[josephfrady]

#kanashiminoberadonna #1973 #eiichiyamamoto #tatsuyanakadai #animation #drama #horror #fantasy DP #shigeruyamazaki (à Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrVppMtIpRN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bh92k9jj6frv

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again... if not for my movie-loving friends, I’d forget about or miss out on so much.  I can’t remember when Belladonna of Sadness first made its way onto my scope, but a recent reminder from my friend Emily reminded me that this was a must watch, pronto.  That being said, I went ahead and invested in a permanent copy for myself via Vudu, because a movie that looks this good can’t be bad... right?

Newlyweds Jeanne (Aiko Nagayama) and Jean (Katsutaka Ito), doing what they think is right, head to see Milord (Masaya Takahashi) to pay offering and respect.  As a poor couple, they can barely afford the sacrifice, so when Milord asks for ten times what they’ve already sacrificed, they couple is caught off guard.  Things go from bad to worse when Milady (Shigaku Shimegi) proclaims that Milord’s court can have their way with her once he is done, completely obliterating Jeanne’s pure and chaste nature.  She returns to Jean, who attempts to strangle her, but cannot bring himself to do so.  Realizing she is ultimately now alone, Jeanne is approached by The Devil (Tatsuya Makadi), who offers her the opportunity to reclaim power, and ultimately, she chooses to save Jean from his great despair.  Jeanne finds success selling her threads, which allows Jean the chance to pay his taxes, so much so that Milord appoints him the tax collector of the town.  People not only start to view Jean differently, but rumors spread that Jeanne is possessed by the devil, making both a target for ire and gossip among the town dwellers.  To make matters worse, The Devil never planned on assisting Jeanne for free, and his price is one that will change things for the couple and the dwellers of their town.

The Japanese interpretation of a French story makes for a very bold mixture of culture that compliments one another quite strongly.  The film not only mixes cultural influences, it dabbles in the realms of both horror and erotica to a very emotionally triggering degree.  Very interesting commentary on male fragility and how it can affect women exists in the narrative on both sides : Milord and Jean play two sides of the same coin in regards to how drastically they react to Jeanne’s rising powers, while Jeanne by comparison continually falls victim to both men despite clearly being more powerful and capable of mass influence than both men.

The film itself is extremely and unabashedly sexual in nature, both symbolically and explicitly.  Jeanne, after her traumatic experience that propels the narrative forward, is literally haunted by a very phallic red devil that constantly grows in size based on how he and Jeanne stimulate one another.  Because Jeanne’s traumatic experience and subsequent journey were based in sexual assault, her use of a pact with a dark spirit in this time of despair makes the portrayal of The Devil as a phallic object that much more uncomfortable, as it becomes an odd commentary on power.  Some of these same aspects were found in the real life Salem Witch trials, and are very smartly mixed into this narrative, intertwined with political power struggles quite brilliantly. 

The highly expressive watercolors dominate the film, with very specific animation choices made and integrated into the matte-style presentations to make the animation quite unique.  This, in tandem with a killer soundtrack reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin, Miles Davis and Masaki Tamura, makes for an extremely expressive film that is full of life.  When the music is not driving the narrative, the actors jump in with very strong vocal performances that somehow manage to combine the urgency and respect of Japan with the passion and artistic expression of France. 

Aiko Nagayama issues love in her performance along with a sense of scorn-fueled power, which clearly drives her spite-based (yet justified) moves.  Katsutaka Ito gives a broken man performance that is convincing and captivating, adding to Nagayama’s performance by subtraction.  Masaya Takahashi and the effect on his voice make his sinister and power hungry nature palatable, while Shigaku Shimegi plays more of a ‘power in the shadows’ type.  Tatsuya Nakadai wholly embodies the trickster mythos, being charming in his convincing nature until he reveals his sinister intentions.  Performances by Tatsuya Tashiro, Masakane Yonekura and Chinatsu Nakayama as narrator help round things out.

I love being reminded about films like these, as cult classics like this tend to find their way on and off my radar prior to viewing.  This one fits squarely into the world of underground classics I already own, and will certainly find itself to be the visual component of a DJ set near future.

[filmartgallery]

Original Japanese #BELLADONNA (1973) posters are back in stock. Both styles! Here's one. #EiichiYamamoto #BelladonnaOfHappiness #KanashimiNoBeradonna #OriginalMoviePoster https://www.instagram.com/p/BoP7oLLF14h/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o3qvsr0en71t