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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 10, 2018 7:51:20 GMT
Tôkyô wan , Tokyo Bay (1962) Yoshitarô Nomura Set up for assassination, an undercover policeman working within a crime gang is targeted. His murder sparks a far reaching investigation after two detectives are assigned the case. The two men have a strained relationship one is a young inexperienced, bright & enthusiastic novice, the other a no-nonsense cynical veteran. Ultimately they compliment each other throughout the sprawling investigation. As the police procedural gathers momentum the detectives uncover a complex web of organised crime. The compelling crime thriller has many facets of deeply drawn social and human dimension. Brilliantly written by Zenzô Matsuyama, he has many notable screen credits to his name, the tale is an absorbing thriller, a dark and grim drama. Known for his complex noir/crime dramas director Yoshitarô Nomura adapts the tale and paints a beautifully bleak portrait. The stark setting is the heavily built up fringes of Tokyo Bay. Expansive vistas composed in washed out b&w only enhance the atmospheric bleakness. Stretched as far as the eye can see an urban and industrial jungle landscape, an austere habitat in which the drama and struggles of human existence plays out. Highly Recommended !!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2018 20:45:11 GMT
Tôkyô wan , Tokyo Bay (1962) Yoshitarô Nomura Set up for assassination, an undercover policeman working within a crime gang is targeted. His murder sparks a far reaching investigation after two detectives are assigned the case. The two men have a strained relationship one is a young inexperienced, bright & enthusiastic novice, the other a no-nonsense cynical veteran. Ultimately they compliment each other throughout the sprawling investigation. As the police procedural gathers momentum the detectives uncover a complex web of organised crime. The compelling crime thriller has many facets of deeply drawn social and human dimension. Brilliantly written by Zenzô Matsuyama, he has many notable screen credits to his name, the tale is an absorbing thriller, a dark and grim drama. Known for his complex noir/crime dramas director Yoshitarô Nomura adapts the tale and paints a beautifully bleak portrait. The stark setting is the heavily built up fringes of Tokyo Bay. Expansive vistas composed in washed out b&w only enhance the atmospheric bleakness. Stretched as far as the eye can see an urban and industrial jungle landscape, an austere habitat in which the drama and struggles of human existence plays out. Highly Recommended !! That's exactly the director who I thought I lost, whose movie I described in my post because I couldn't remember its name or the director. Your post is like a life preserver thrown to me while drowning.
The movie I was talking about is called The Castle of Sand (1974).
Tôkyô wan looks awesome by the way. I'll have to check that out at well. Thanks, man.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Oct 11, 2018 3:03:37 GMT
@cat
Rikyu is quite different to the three earlier Teshigahara films, but highly recommended. Probably one of the most formally elegant films I’ve seen.
Conflagration and Odd Obsession are both by the brilliant Kon Ichikawa. I’ve only seen a few of his films, but they’ve all been great. My favorites would be hyper-stylised An Actor’s Revenge and the absurd gritty war film Fires On the Plain. I recently saw his first color film Nihonbashi, a stagey morality tale.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 11, 2018 3:22:30 GMT
Tôkyô wan , Tokyo Bay (1962) Yoshitarô Nomura That's exactly the director who I thought I lost, whose movie I described in my post because I couldn't remember its name or the director. Your post is like a life preserver thrown to me while drowning.
The movie I was talking about is called The Castle of Sand (1974).
Tôkyô wan looks awesome by the way. I'll have to check that out at well. Thanks, man.
Hi there TheCat Wonderful to meet and to have another enthusiast share with us. There just seems no end to exploring and to the discovery of outstanding Classic Japanese films. I posted a brief note on Yoshitarô Nomura on page #2 of this thread, and there is another excellent rec... Happy J Classic Viewing to You...
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 11, 2018 6:55:25 GMT
The Samurai aka Spy Swordsman was the first Japanese produced series shown on Australian television, premiering in 1964 Despite its massive popularity down here in Australia as well as the huge success in Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines, the series was not widely screened and its reputation & fame remain largely unknown elsewhere. The series portrayed the adventures of a roving samurai detective/spy, Akikusa Shintarō. A period drama, circa late 18th century, the master swordsman lives among the common folk while posing as a rōnin (masterless samurai). He works undercover to protect the position of the shogun which is under constant threat from opposing forces. The shows star Koichi Ose toured Australia in December 1965. So popular was the Samurai star Shintarō and the show, Ose appeared in live shows over two weeks at the Sydney Stadium and at Festival Hall in Melbourne. Originally only the Sydney shows were booked, but demand pressured the promoters to extend his visit. Each of the shows drew more than 6,000 people, Koichi Ose was mobbed at Australian airports by enthusiastic fans, it is said that he drew more screaming fans than did The Beatles who had toured the previous year... Onmitsu Kenshi , Spy Swordsman aka The Detective Fencer (1964) was created by the same crew credited with the popular early 60s Japanese TV series, which had become a cult phenomenon. As the series ran the Toei Company produced in 1964 two black-and-white action features based on characters from the series . This excellent first film, concerns a group of daimyo led by the Lord of Owari, they are involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the shogun. Starring Ose Koichi who plays Shintaro Akikusa the fearless Samurai, he finds himself in the centre of political intrigue, amidst a deadly clash between the shadow forces of the Iga and Koga ninja clans. The dark tale is action packed, and certainly is not suitable for kids. As the duelling forces clash with stunning viciousness, the body count starts to rapidly mount, much blood is drawn and often expressed with gruesome detail. it is a very exciting expertly crafted ninja samurai drama, atmospheric and dramatically filmed with an outstanding cast . hard to believe no votes at IMDb ? Highly Recommended Classic Japanese Cinema !!
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 11, 2018 22:14:30 GMT
shinobi noir...Jushichinin no Ninja , 17 Ninja (1963) Yasuto Hasegawa . With an enthralling blend of factual and fictional historic accounts, 17 Ninja is gripping entertainment, this is a stunning exciting action drama, not one for the kids. Seizing the moment this was Toei studios inspired offering seeking to cash in on the great success of rival studio Daiei's outstanding Shinobi no mono films from 62-63. Director Yatsuo Hasegawa composes a sophisticated tale, taking a rational approach to the legendary shadow warriors of medieval Japan. A star-studded multi layered production, Seventeen Ninja tells the story of the Iga clan ninja who are sent out to infiltrate an impenetrable castle fortress, but before they reach the castle walls, they find their every move is countered by a ruthless ninja hunter. One of the very best film examples on the covert warrior, grounded in human reality, the ninja portrayed here are merely a disposable espionage asset, covert agents slavishly devoted to serving & sacrificing their life from the shadows. With dimly lit interiors there is an incredibly expressive use of shadow, the exceptional b&w cinematography creates an atmospheric suspense-filled world of intrigue and darkness, tightly framed you could say Jushichinin no Ninja is a Ninja Noir. The excellent film is an absorbing dark melodramatic tale, a blood-soaked game of human manipulation, of political intrigue where a desperate and intense struggle for survival plays out. Highly Entertaining Highly Recommended !! Classic Japanese Cinema...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 18:02:29 GMT
That's exactly the director who I thought I lost, whose movie I described in my post because I couldn't remember its name or the director. Your post is like a life preserver thrown to me while drowning.
The movie I was talking about is called The Castle of Sand (1974).
Tôkyô wan looks awesome by the way. I'll have to check that out at well. Thanks, man.
Hi there TheCat Wonderful to meet and to have another enthusiast share with us. There just seems no end to exploring and to the discovery of outstanding Classic Japanese films. I posted a brief note on Yoshitarô Nomura on page #2 of this thread, and there is another excellent rec... Happy J Classic Viewing to You... Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Happy viewing to you as well. I'm so glad this conversation is here. Recommendations galore. I've some catching up to do.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 18:15:58 GMT
@cat Rikyu is quite different to the three earlier Teshigahara films, but highly recommended. Probably one of the most formally elegant films I’ve seen. Conflagration and Odd Obsession are both by the brilliant Kon Ichikawa. I’ve only seen a few of his films, but they’ve all been great. My favorites would be hyper-stylised An Actor’s Revenge and the absurd gritty war film Fires On the Plain. I recently saw his first color film Nihonbashi, a stagey morality tale. I didn't know they were the same director but the name rings a bell. When movies come in pairs on foreign language movie night on TCM, they're usually in pairs and almost always the same director. Even though I watched Conflagration a while ago and haven't gotten around to Odd Obsession yet, I wouldn't be surprised if I recorded those two the same night and just forgot.
Rikyu does look very different. I intend to grab it I ever see it for sale. The Face of Another and The Bad Sleep Well, in that order, I think were the first classic Japanese moves I watched that were not set in feudal times or about Samurai. It was almost a bit of an adjustment seeing Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai wearing suits and ties and walking around with buildings and traffic lights as opposed to the swords and samurai man-buns. I'm sure there's a better word for that. I recorded The Face of Another a while ago and I only meant to turn it on for a second to make sure the quality was alright, but I was instantly drawn in, watched the whole thing, barely blinked and didn't get to sleep till 5 in the morning. Didn't see that coming.
I'll keep an eye out for those two. This thread in general has a bountiful supply of recommendations and is a great point of reference.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 13, 2018 4:16:50 GMT
manfromplanetxThanks a lot Planet for continuing to make this thread better through your every post. Unfortunately, I am unable to see any of your interesting recommendations in October because I have to see hell lot of horror movies for my October Challenge. But I have already acquired two of your recommendations in this thread and I will definitely watch them in November and get back to you.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 13, 2018 12:13:52 GMT
shinobi noir...Jushichinin no Ninja , 17 Ninja (1963) Yasuto Hasegawa . With an enthralling blend of factual and fictional historic accounts, 17 Ninja is gripping entertainment, this is a stunning exciting action drama, not one for the kids. Seizing the moment this was Toei studios inspired offering seeking to cash in on the great success of rival studio Daiei's outstanding Shinobi no mono films from 62-63. Director Yatsuo Hasegawa composes a sophisticated tale, taking a rational approach to the legendary shadow warriors of medieval Japan. A star-studded multi layered production, Seventeen Ninja tells the story of the Iga clan ninja who are sent out to infiltrate an impenetrable castle fortress, but before they reach the castle walls, they find their every move is countered by a ruthless ninja hunter. One of the very best film examples on the covert warrior, grounded in human reality, the ninja portrayed here are merely a disposable espionage asset, covert agents slavishly devoted to serving & sacrificing their life from the shadows. With dimly lit interiors there is an incredibly expressive use of shadow, the exceptional b&w cinematography creates an atmospheric suspense-filled world of intrigue and darkness, tightly framed you could say Jushichinin no Ninja is a Ninja Noir. The excellent film is an absorbing dark melodramatic tale, a blood-soaked game of human manipulation, of political intrigue where a desperate and intense struggle for survival plays out. Highly Entertaining Highly Recommended !! Classic Japanese Cinema...
I've seen this called the smartest ninja picture around and it does sound enticing. I like the screenshots I've seen, the numericals. I can tell you had a blast watching it. I've not seen any films directed by Yasuto Hasegawa who appears to have done all his work in the 1960s.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 13, 2018 13:57:12 GMT
I've read many positive statements regarding the influence of Teruo Ishii's 'Horrors Of Malformed Men' (1969), a classic of the grotesque and one of the key adaptations of Edogawa Ranpo's writings. It's an interesting physical experiment with episodes in an asylum, a circus, a theatre of the absurd. There's "butoh" dance to enjoy and some reeling floor work, live theatre and performance art. I'd liken Ishii's work here to the theatrical experiments of Alejandro Jodorowsky or the operatic mayhem of Ken Russell. This picture's said to have influenced a generation of J-horror filmmakers including Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Hideo Nakata, Noboru Iguchi, Takashi Shimizu and Sion Sono. There's many small visual tricks in this cornucopia, ideas that can easily be plucked for harvesting. In the opening sequence, I saw a scene right out of Miike's 'Gozu' (2003).
'Horrors Of Malformed Men' is now available on blu-ray through Arrow Video.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 14, 2018 6:42:11 GMT
manfromplanetx Thanks a lot Planet for continuing to make this thread better through your every post. Unfortunately, I am unable to see any of your interesting recommendations in October because I have to see hell lot of horror movies for my October Challenge. But I have already acquired two of your recommendations in this thread and I will definitely watch them in November and get back to you. Thanks to you Aj_June . What a wonderful thread you initiated, so many fantastic recommendations and much valuable discussion shared .. Look forward to reading your thoughts on those recs.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 14, 2018 6:50:18 GMT
manfromplanetx Thanks a lot Planet for continuing to make this thread better through your every post. Unfortunately, I am unable to see any of your interesting recommendations in October because I have to see hell lot of horror movies for my October Challenge. But I have already acquired two of your recommendations in this thread and I will definitely watch them in November and get back to you. Thanks to you Aj_June . What a wonderful thread you initiated, so many fantastic recommendations and much valuable discussion shared .. Look forward to reading your thoughts on those recs. You are welcome, Planet! Though most of the credit goes to contributors here.
After 4 years and 3 months I am finally leaving Australia on October 26th. My stay here was absolutely awesome. Your country is very multicultural and people in general are very respectful of others. I am getting back to India and the first two weeks will be just family holiday for me before I start working. I am sure I will have plenty of time to see many of your recommendations!
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 14, 2018 7:02:48 GMT
shinobi noir...Jushichinin no Ninja , 17 Ninja (1963) Yasuto Hasegawa .
I've seen this called the smartest ninja picture around and it does sound enticing. I like the screenshots I've seen, the numericals. I can tell you had a blast watching it. I've not seen any films directed by Yasuto Hasegawa who appears to have done all his work in the 1960s. Hi there petrolino, The smartest adult ninja films are EXCELLENT dark compelling tales of intrigue with stunning action. There are some I have found which are not so good, beware the ones aimed at younger audiences and filled with fantasy action. Two outstanding films also... Shinobi no mono (1962) and Zoku shinobi no mono (1963) Satsuo Yamamoto I will try to find some time to post yet another great ninja rec here tomorrow
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 14, 2018 7:10:42 GMT
I've read many positive statements regarding the influence of Teruo Ishii's 'Horrors Of Malformed Men' (1969), a classic of the grotesque and one of the key adaptations of Edogawa Ranpo's writings. It's an interesting physical experiment with episodes in an asylum, a circus, a theatre of the absurd. There's "butoh" dance to enjoy and some reeling floor work, live theatre and performance art. I'd liken Ishii's work here to the theatrical experiments of Alejandro Jodorowsky or the operatic mayhem of Ken Russell. This picture's said to have influenced a generation of J-horror filmmakers including Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Hideo Nakata, Noboru Iguchi, Takashi Shimizu and Sion Sono. There's many small visual tricks in this cornucopia, ideas that can easily be plucked for harvesting. In the opening sequence, I saw a scene right out of Miike's 'Gozu' (2003).
'Horrors Of Malformed Men' is now available on blu-ray through Arrow Video.
Thanks petrolino A film with an infamous reputation, I was curious having watched and liked very much the cinema of Teruo Ishii especially his early 60s crime flicks . Not really my cup of tea but I have a copy arriving with my next order this week . I will get back and let you know what I think of the Horrors Of Malformed Men'
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 14, 2018 7:22:11 GMT
Thanks to you Aj_June . What a wonderful thread you initiated, so many fantastic recommendations and much valuable discussion shared .. Look forward to reading your thoughts on those recs. You are welcome, Planet! Though most of the credit goes to contributors here.
After 4 years and 3 months I am finally leaving Australia on October 26th. My stay here was absolutely awesome. Your country is very multicultural and people in general are very respectful of others. I am getting back to India and the first two weeks will be just family holiday for me before I start working. I am sure I will have plenty of time to see many of your recommendations!
Hi there Aj_June Nice to hear some positives about our country down here , I sometimes feel we a bit distant, manfromplanetx seemed liked a very appropriate name to use lol... I Hope you are going to keep in contact with us at the Classic Film Board, your valuable contributions and friendly presence is what sustains and makes this board such a wonderful place to be. Happy Viewing and all the best to you...
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Oct 14, 2018 8:28:00 GMT
I recorded The Face of Another a while ago and I only meant to turn it on for a second to make sure the quality was alright, but I was instantly drawn in, watched the whole thing, barely blinked and didn't get to sleep till 5 in the morning. Didn't see that coming. Yes a very addictive and intriguing film.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 14, 2018 13:04:06 GMT
I've read many positive statements regarding the influence of Teruo Ishii's 'Horrors Of Malformed Men' (1969), a classic of the grotesque and one of the key adaptations of Edogawa Ranpo's writings. It's an interesting physical experiment with episodes in an asylum, a circus, a theatre of the absurd. There's "butoh" dance to enjoy and some reeling floor work, live theatre and performance art. I'd liken Ishii's work here to the theatrical experiments of Alejandro Jodorowsky or the operatic mayhem of Ken Russell. This picture's said to have influenced a generation of J-horror filmmakers including Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Hideo Nakata, Noboru Iguchi, Takashi Shimizu and Sion Sono. There's many small visual tricks in this cornucopia, ideas that can easily be plucked for harvesting. In the opening sequence, I saw a scene right out of Miike's 'Gozu' (2003).
'Horrors Of Malformed Men' is now available on blu-ray through Arrow Video.
Thanks petrolino A film with an infamous reputation, I was curious having watched and liked very much the cinema of Teruo Ishii especially his early 60s crime flicks . Not really my cup of tea but I have a copy arriving with my next order this week . I will get back and let you know what I think of the Horrors Of Malformed Men'
I hope you like it. It's very interesting.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 14, 2018 22:41:31 GMT
Hi all,after seeing The Snow Woman (1968) manfromplanetx told me about another J-Horror by the same director,which I got very lucky in tracking down: The Haunted Castle (1969) 10 Writing a number of “Zatoichi” films, (a series I’ve yet to view) the screenplay by Shôzaburô Asai cleverly takes the staple of samurai revenge, and twists it into off-beat Gothic Horror. Clawing open the revenge with the murder of Sayo’s brother and Lord Tangonokami Nabeshime’s thumping his fists on the table demanding that Sayo becomes his lover, (the old charmer!) Asai uses the isolated setting of Nabeshime’s castle to heighten the tension of each guest/ resident fearing that a deadly stranger will appear in the corner of their room. Referencing Poe with a black moggy appearing from out of nowhere, Asai gives the revenge tale a shot of Gothic Horror weirdness,by having the cat and Sayo become one avenging force. Building on his last J-Horror The Snow Woman, director Tokuzô Tanaka, (who did a big number of women-centred genre titles) & cinematographer Hiroshi Imai bend the Gothic Horror into a peculiar, unpredictable atmosphere which takes “the mad cat lady” to the most extreme limit with the blending of Sayo and the cat. Whilst this sounds very animated, it is a mark of Tanaka’s ultra-stylised skills that he makes this purring avenger feel threatening, thanks to covering Nabeshime’s castle in deep shadows, (whispers: this likely helped to keep the budget down) which get torn up by a blood licking cat, and shards of neon light illuminating Sayo’s attacks. Sacrificing herself for revenge,Mitsuyo Kamei gives an excellent turn as Sayo, who in among the Gothic cackles, is held by Kamei with the pain of her brothers death, as Sayo looks for revenge in the haunted castle.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 18, 2018 20:18:41 GMT
Hi all,with seeing how much Horror is around now,I always find it odd to remember, that with the Slasher genre having died out,and Italian genre cinema taking a twitch of the death nerve in 1991 (Italy went into the worst post-WWII recession) that the Horror genre had dried up in mid-90's cinema. Along with Scream (1996), Ringu (1998) is the film I always see credited as reviving the genre, and kicking off a new wave of J-Horror. Reading up about Ringu,I was shocked to find out that before the landmark horror,there was a little-known TV version: Ringu (1995) 7 Done as a TV movie, director Chisui Takigawa (who did not direct again until Fukumimi (2003)) keeps the gore restrained, but Takigawa and cinematographer Kazumi Iwata surprisingly dip into the Pinku genre for some sleaze,with Sadako (who looks like an angelic adult, and does not have the ghostly, long black hair and strange movements Sadako would become famous for) spending most of the film naked. Shot on video, the flatness of the image and nature fuzz from the format actually works for the flick, due to it creating an appearance of the film having been passed along on tape (this is helped by the outdoor scenes clearly being filmed secretly in real city centres.) Playing the tape, Takigawa stages Sadako’s murders from an empathetic side, with Takigawa’s close-ups not being focused on gore, but the embrace and exchange of words between Sadako and her next victim. The first adaptation of a Koji Suzuki novel, the screenplay by Jôji Iida and Taizô Soshigaya builds J-Horror dread towards the next sighting of Sadako with a slick mystery of reporter Kazuyuki Asakawa trying to solve the origin of the images on the video before he is to be killed, and uncovering Sadako’s family life on the way. Whilst the edge is dented by a Telenovela side of melodrama, the writers always keep the seven down countdown as the main focus of Asakawa, as Sadako opens the ring for the first time.
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