If you’re after real nonconformist filmmaking with a political bent, Shohei Imamura’s daring and often sexually candid pictures fit the bill. Arrow gathers three of his best from the 1980s, the international success The Ballad of Narayama, the stunning Hiroshima aftermath drama Black Rain and the largely unseen, often wickedly funny Zegen. Each is disturbing, politically pointed and relentlessly honest. Arrow appoints this three- title set with new expert audio commentaries and Tony Rayns featurettes, plus a fat essay booklet. Zegen, we are told, has never before been available subtitled in English.
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura
The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1983-1989 / Color, B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 130, 125, 123 min. / Street Date December 8, 2020 / 99.95
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Films by the Japanese director Shohei Imamura have one thing in common — they’re as provocative as a slap in the face. Our introduction to...
- 12/29/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When asked by film scholar Tony Rayns about his take on the period drama, Japanese auteur Shohei Imamura said in an interview taking place during a retrospective of his work, that the story should present a certain kind of relevance to today’s world. You can see such a connection to a universal, but rather sad truth in Imamura’s original opening for his 1983 Palme d’Or winning “The Ballad of Narayama”, which was supposed to feature a sequence in which a family brings an elderly woman to a retirement where she, after her family is gone again, another woman of the same tells her she will never see them again, despite their promises of doing so. Even though Imamura would eventually change the opening of his script to an aerial shot of the mountain area where the story takes place, the theme stayed with the story, making “The Ballad of Narayama...
- 12/19/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
By Raktim Nandi
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
Shohei Imamura is the only Japanese director to see his films win the prestigious Palme D’Or twice. The first of the wins came in 1983, with “The Ballad Of Narayama.” An adaptation of Shoichiro Fukazawa’s debut novel of the same name, the film is a winner of several more awards and much acclaim, including three wins at the Japanese Academy Awards.
The story takes place in an isolated village in the 19th century. The senicidal practice of Obasute, the procedure of which involves carrying an infirm aged relative to a mountain to die, is an important part of the village traditions. In this particular village, one needs to turn 70 before being carried to a sacred mountain. Orin, played by Sumiko Sakamoto, is 69, and spends her time readying herself for the one-way trip. She is not afraid to die; tradition condemns refusal of the trip.
- 11/8/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master. Japan Society Presents North American Premiere of 8 Short Films
Saturday, February 23, 2019 at Japan Society
One of Japan’s most prolific independent animation artists, Tomoyasu Murata has steadily created breathtaking, boundary-breaking stop motion animated films over the last two decades. Inspired by the expressive power of traditional Japanese bunraku puppet theater, Murata’s films—at once tender, whimsical and mysterious—deal with themes of memory, absence and mujo (the Buddhist concept of impermanence) through the cinematic manipulation of his meticulously handcrafted puppets and fantastical miniature sets.
Japan Society is proud to introduce Murata’s work to New York City for the first time through the career-spanning program Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master, featuring the North American premiere of eight short films that range from the artist’s award-winning student work to recent projects that respond to the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
“An artist of great introspection and sensitivity, Murata makes the most of silence in his stop motion animation films,...
One of Japan’s most prolific independent animation artists, Tomoyasu Murata has steadily created breathtaking, boundary-breaking stop motion animated films over the last two decades. Inspired by the expressive power of traditional Japanese bunraku puppet theater, Murata’s films—at once tender, whimsical and mysterious—deal with themes of memory, absence and mujo (the Buddhist concept of impermanence) through the cinematic manipulation of his meticulously handcrafted puppets and fantastical miniature sets.
Japan Society is proud to introduce Murata’s work to New York City for the first time through the career-spanning program Tomoyasu Murata: Stop Motion Master, featuring the North American premiere of eight short films that range from the artist’s award-winning student work to recent projects that respond to the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
“An artist of great introspection and sensitivity, Murata makes the most of silence in his stop motion animation films,...
- 2/6/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Well, not exactly the elderly, but the mature would be more accurate (over 45 if you prefer), since I felt that some performances could not be missing, despite the initial rule I have considered, of over 50. Furthermore, films like “Ikiru” and “An Autumn Afternoon” could definitely be included in this list, but I chose to list more contemporary films, with the oldest one being produced in the 80’s.
The reason for this list is the fact that I felt that the directors from Se Asia always had the ability to make the most out of actors of later age, in contrast to other regions, where the roles are mostly assigned to the young and “beautiful”, with Hollywood, evidently, holding the lion’s share. The reason behind this tendency may well be that countries like Japan and S. Korea have an aging population, but the fact remains, that quite frequently, impressive performances...
The reason for this list is the fact that I felt that the directors from Se Asia always had the ability to make the most out of actors of later age, in contrast to other regions, where the roles are mostly assigned to the young and “beautiful”, with Hollywood, evidently, holding the lion’s share. The reason behind this tendency may well be that countries like Japan and S. Korea have an aging population, but the fact remains, that quite frequently, impressive performances...
- 4/22/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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