Floating Clouds.In the opening scene of Mikio Naruse’s Floating Clouds (1956), a group of repatriated Japanese civilians disembarks from a shabby boat. After two brief wide shots, Naruse cuts to a medium shot to introduce the film’s protagonist, Yukiko, singling her out from what is otherwise a crowd of anonymous faces. But the film’s screenplay elaborates on those who walk alongside Yukiko: Returnees from South Asia are getting off the ship. Among the crowd of women, which consists only of comfort women, geishas, nurses, typists, clerks and the like, there is also Kõda Yukiko, who is not outfitted with proper winter attire.“Comfort women” is a name given to women and girls forced into sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. According to Yoko Mizuki’s screenplay, some are present in the crowd, but it is impossible for the viewer to discern them. The...
- 4/25/2024
- MUBI
Ishirō Honda's 1954 kaiju film "Godzilla" became a cult phenomenon that eventually birthed the ever-expanding "Godzilla" franchise, which is still a significant part of Japanese pop culture. Although Honda's original is very much a spectacle with a prehistoric monster at the center of the tale, the film is also intensely melancholic, as it reflects the socio-political situation in Japan at the time. As Japan was still recovering from the aftermath of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the shots of a radioactive beast terrorizing the streets of Tokyo in "Godzilla" deeply resonated with audiences.
The fact that Honda's "Godzilla" spawned more than 30 sequels is a testament to its influence on popular culture, and one would assume that the film's cult hit status was a given at the time of release. This, however, was not the case. "Godzilla" was conceived during a time of great uncertainty in the film industry,...
The fact that Honda's "Godzilla" spawned more than 30 sequels is a testament to its influence on popular culture, and one would assume that the film's cult hit status was a given at the time of release. This, however, was not the case. "Godzilla" was conceived during a time of great uncertainty in the film industry,...
- 10/6/2022
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
When an actor appears in many films of a particular director it becomes a sort of short-hand subject to define either’s work. Sometimes it feels as if one influenced the other, or vice versa, but these collaborations end up becoming a large portion of the public’s knowledge about their prowess. One of the most emblematic of those collaborations is the Akira Kurosawa-Toshiro Mifune combo, maybe only rivaled by John Ford and John Wayne—probably not a coincidence.
But what lies beyond the confines of those classic Kurosawas? The Film Forum retrospective, now underway through March 10 and co-presented by Japan Foundation, brings 33 films showcasing the wide acting range of Toshiro Mifune. While it does contain the now-classic collaborations, it gives an opportunity to look beyond. Below, five of the least-known films from their series.
Snow Trail (Senkichi Taniguchi), 1947)
Toshiro Mifune’s first film has him top-billed alongside Takashi Nimura,...
But what lies beyond the confines of those classic Kurosawas? The Film Forum retrospective, now underway through March 10 and co-presented by Japan Foundation, brings 33 films showcasing the wide acting range of Toshiro Mifune. While it does contain the now-classic collaborations, it gives an opportunity to look beyond. Below, five of the least-known films from their series.
Snow Trail (Senkichi Taniguchi), 1947)
Toshiro Mifune’s first film has him top-billed alongside Takashi Nimura,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Jaime Grijalba
- The Film Stage
Chicago – Just as Groucho Marx refused to join any club that would have him as a member, Woody Allen would most likely turn down any invite from an adoring fan club. He’s repeatedly voiced his belief that he doesn’t have a high regard for his own work, and recently told documentarian Robert B. Weide that he could live a life devoid of cinema as long as there was a sports team to follow. This may sound like a curious statement from a filmmaker who averages one picture a year, but it speaks to the compulsory spirit of a man trapped within the boundaries of his perfectionism. He can’t bear watching his own films once they’re completed because all he sees are the flaws.
As a longtime admirer of Allen’s work, I’ve been able to savor the sublime moments in even his most problematic pictures,...
As a longtime admirer of Allen’s work, I’ve been able to savor the sublime moments in even his most problematic pictures,...
- 6/27/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
TOKYO -- Director Senkichi Taniguchi died Monday at a Tokyo hospital after a bout with pneumonia, his family said Wednesday. He was 95.
Tokyo native Taniguchi was a childhood friend of Akira Kurosawa. In 1947, he made his debut behind the camera for The Snow Trail, which the legendary director had written. The film starred Toshiro Mifune and actress Setsuko Wakayama, whom Taniguchi married in 1949.
Taniguchi and Kurosawa switched roles for the 1949 movie The Quiet Duel, also starring Mifune.
He made a string of movies during the 1950s, but it was during the '60s that he made many of his best known works including Man Against Man, The Lost World of Sinbad, The Gambling Samurai and Man in the Storm.
He divorced Wakayama in 1956 and the next year married another actress, Kaori Yachigusa, with whom he spent nearly half a century.
Tokyo native Taniguchi was a childhood friend of Akira Kurosawa. In 1947, he made his debut behind the camera for The Snow Trail, which the legendary director had written. The film starred Toshiro Mifune and actress Setsuko Wakayama, whom Taniguchi married in 1949.
Taniguchi and Kurosawa switched roles for the 1949 movie The Quiet Duel, also starring Mifune.
He made a string of movies during the 1950s, but it was during the '60s that he made many of his best known works including Man Against Man, The Lost World of Sinbad, The Gambling Samurai and Man in the Storm.
He divorced Wakayama in 1956 and the next year married another actress, Kaori Yachigusa, with whom he spent nearly half a century.
- 11/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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