Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 29, 2017 9:06:32 GMT
The Japanese New Wave is a blanket term used to describe an innovative group of loosely connected Japanese filmmakers during the late 1950s thru to the early 1970s.. This dozen or so group of directors shared a common rejection of the traditional conventions of classical Japanese cinema as seen in the old school film classic masterpieces of Ozu, Naruse, Mizoguchi & Kurosawa.
Favouring more challenging works the creative original films were progressive in structure and theme, adopting an unorthodox and experimental approach towards composition, editing and narrative.
These formative years, as in countries all around the world, were a time of national social change and social unrest which inspired a fresh approach to cinematic art.
Many of the New Wave films dealt with what was then considered taboo subject matter, including, radicalism, youth culture, sexual violence, delinquency and the portrayal of an unsettled social climate following the aftermath of World War II..
Yasuzo Masumura is considered to be one of the most important filmmakers in the history of post-war Japanese cinema. He is one of the key influences on the Japanese New Wave, his visual inventiveness and his perceptive nature delved into the heart of humanity in a dazzling body of over 50 films. Melodrama, eroticism, satire, war, crime. he stated that his films feature...“the universal and essential content of human beings”,
Masumura's worldly life experiences shaped his outlook. Drafted into the Imperial Armed Forces he fought in the Pacific War, returning home he graduated with a philosophy major in 1951. The following year he was awarded a scholarship that allowed him to depart for Rome to study at the prestigious Centro Sperimentale Cinematografico the oldest film school in Western Europe.
Masumura made his daring directorial debut in 1957 with Kisses which depicted intimate contact and themes not seen before in Japanese cinema
The 1960s saw Masumura .directing his best films when he made on average three to four films a year,.
Conspicuous themes and preoccupations emerged. Prominent among these is human passion, corporate life and its sacrifices, both human and moral, and the plight and position of women..
The striking beauty and the considerable talents of actress Ayako Wakao highlighted many of his films he once said...
"I don't try to portray women. It's just that women are the more human. Men only live for women, all their lives they carry their burden the way a horse pulls his carriage, and then they die of a heart attack. Only by focusing on women can we express humanity. I don't choose women so I can talk about women..."
Much of Yasuzo Masumura's filmography is sadly unavailable on DVD. But sourcing from different regions a number of his best works which span an impressive career can be found.
A few of my favourites, Highly Recommended from my collection are....
English Titles...Kisses (1957) , Giants & Toys (1958) , A Wife Confesses (1961) , Red Angel, Tattoo (Irezumi) and Swastika, from 1966.
Have you a favourite Japanese New Wave Director, Film, or any thoughts to share?
Favouring more challenging works the creative original films were progressive in structure and theme, adopting an unorthodox and experimental approach towards composition, editing and narrative.
These formative years, as in countries all around the world, were a time of national social change and social unrest which inspired a fresh approach to cinematic art.
Many of the New Wave films dealt with what was then considered taboo subject matter, including, radicalism, youth culture, sexual violence, delinquency and the portrayal of an unsettled social climate following the aftermath of World War II..
Yasuzo Masumura is considered to be one of the most important filmmakers in the history of post-war Japanese cinema. He is one of the key influences on the Japanese New Wave, his visual inventiveness and his perceptive nature delved into the heart of humanity in a dazzling body of over 50 films. Melodrama, eroticism, satire, war, crime. he stated that his films feature...“the universal and essential content of human beings”,
Masumura's worldly life experiences shaped his outlook. Drafted into the Imperial Armed Forces he fought in the Pacific War, returning home he graduated with a philosophy major in 1951. The following year he was awarded a scholarship that allowed him to depart for Rome to study at the prestigious Centro Sperimentale Cinematografico the oldest film school in Western Europe.
Masumura made his daring directorial debut in 1957 with Kisses which depicted intimate contact and themes not seen before in Japanese cinema
The 1960s saw Masumura .directing his best films when he made on average three to four films a year,.
Conspicuous themes and preoccupations emerged. Prominent among these is human passion, corporate life and its sacrifices, both human and moral, and the plight and position of women..
The striking beauty and the considerable talents of actress Ayako Wakao highlighted many of his films he once said...
"I don't try to portray women. It's just that women are the more human. Men only live for women, all their lives they carry their burden the way a horse pulls his carriage, and then they die of a heart attack. Only by focusing on women can we express humanity. I don't choose women so I can talk about women..."
Much of Yasuzo Masumura's filmography is sadly unavailable on DVD. But sourcing from different regions a number of his best works which span an impressive career can be found.
A few of my favourites, Highly Recommended from my collection are....
English Titles...Kisses (1957) , Giants & Toys (1958) , A Wife Confesses (1961) , Red Angel, Tattoo (Irezumi) and Swastika, from 1966.
Have you a favourite Japanese New Wave Director, Film, or any thoughts to share?
