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Kazuo Kuroki‘s first feature, after a series of sorts and documentaries, was not exactly a crowning success. When the people of Toho first watched it, they decided to shelve it indefinitely, not only because they labelled it as a lunatic film, but also because it failed as a promotional vehicle for its star Mariko Kaga, who carries almost every female role in the movie. It wasn’t until (who else?) Atg decided to distribute it that it saw the light of day. The script is based on the childhood experiences of Yasuo Matsukawa and is essentially a combination of fiction and documentary.

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A bug-obsessed boy in Hokkaido captures a Nagasaki swallowtail butterfly, something his teachers deem impossible as the particular species could not possibly be found so far away . Meanwhile, a swallowtail larva in Nagasaki clings...

Celebrating 100 years of iconoclast director Seijun Suzuki (1923-2017), a singular force in Japanese cinema whose radical stylistic vision and unpredictable narratives shaped the B-movie genre, Japanese cinephilia and the political New Left, Japan Society and The Japan Foundation present Seijun Suzuki Centennial—a selection of six films from across the filmmaker’s nearly 60-film body of work, all on imported 35mm prints straight from Japan. Covering ground from his earliest yakuza feature (Satan’s Town) to his unbridled return to studio filmmaking after being blacklisted for 10 years (A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness) and his subsequent independent success (Kagero-za), this special series offers a rare glimpse into the core of Suzuki’s creative genius.

Organized in conjunction with the recent publication of series’ guest curator William Carroll’s Suzuki Seijun and Postwar Japanese Cinema (Columbia University Press, 2022), Seijun Suzuki Centennial delves into the versatility and audacious nature of the...

Very rarely has the world of Yakuza been portrayed in such cinematic glory, as in the then 33-year-old Masahiro Shinoda’s break out film, which was based on an original story by Shintaro Ishihara, leading figure of the Sun Tribe generation and scenarist of “Crazed Fruit”. Surprisingly, at least when looked in retrospective, the film was not successful from the beginning, since the script writer of the film, Ataru Baba, did not like Shinoda’s approach at all, while the extensive gambling scenes “Pale Flower” featured caused trouble for Shochiku with the censorship board, forcing them to shelve the movie for a number of months. Now, however, and thanks to another excellent release by Criterion, we can enjoy one of Shinoda’s greatest works (if not the best).

“Pale Flower” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

Muraki, a hardboiled yakuza, has just been released from prison after serving...

Very rarely has the world of Yakuza been portrayed in such cinematic glory, as in the then 33-year-old Masahiro Shinoda’s break out film, which was based on an original story by Shintaro Ishihara, leading figure of the Sun Tribe generation and scenarist of “Crazed Fruit”. Surprisingly, at least when looked in retrospective, the film was not successful from the beginning, since the script writer of the film, Ataru Baba, did not like Shinoda’s approach at all, while the extensive gambling scenes “Pale Flower” featured caused trouble for Shochiku with the censorship board, forcing them to shelve the movie for a number of months. Now, however, and thanks to another excellent release by Criterion, we can enjoy one of Shinoda’s greatest works (if not the best).

Muraki, a hardboiled yakuza, has just been released from prison after serving a three years sentence for murdering a man from an opposing gang.

Director: Masahiro Shinoda Writer: Masahiro Shinoda and Ataru Baba (screenplay), Shintaro Ishihara (original story) Cinematographer: Masao Kosugi Stars: Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Rujiki, Naoki Sugiura Studio/Running Time: Criterion, 96 min. Like its namesake to the West, the Japanese New Wave movement of the late ‘50s and and ‘60s was always a lot less monolithic than many make it out to be. Politics, themes and styles were never consistent from one movie to the next, let alone one director to the next, such that the main unifying aspect of its films is throwing out the old with a burst...

Pale Flower Directed by: Masahiro Shinoda Written by: Ataru Baba, Masahiro Shinoda Starring: Ryo Ikebe, Mariko Kaga, Takashi Fujiki I have practically no experience with Japanese New Wave filmmaking but it's clear that the influence of Pale Flower has seeped its way through the landscape of modern crime films (Jim Jarmusch's filmography comes to mind). After my first viewing I found Masahiro Shinoda's film to be as mysterious as it is cool with it's stark black and white photography, inspired visuals and complex characterizations. It also left me realizing that it might take a second viewing to totally grasp the subtleties of Pale Flower. The film stars Ryo Ikebe as Muraki, a Yakuza gangster fresh out of prison. Having been put away for murdering a member of a rival gang, he quickly realizes upon his release that the two factions have since called a truce, leaving him to adjust to the changes.

Chicago – I’ve been lucky enough to cover a number of fantastic Criterion Collection releases for films that I already counted among my favorites including Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion,” Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory,” Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire,” and David Cronenberg’s “Videodrome.” While that’s an undeniable joy, it’s almost more fun when a Criterion title arrives for a film that I’ve never seen — a lost classic. Such was the case with this month’s “Pale Flower,” a somber gem about sad people in a changing world.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Masahiro Shinoda’s “Pale Flower” opens with an interesting narration from lead Muraki (Ryo Ikebe), a hardcore Yakuza who has just been released from prison for murder. He misanthrophically comments on the “beasts” around him and the changing world he sees. Why should anyone be put in jail for putting just a pathetic creature out of...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides – Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane

Movie of the Week

Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides

The Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane

The Plot: Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

The Buzz: Who dares to release a film on the same day as the next Pirates film? No one dares. Well, slight correction — Woody Allen dares, but Midnight in Paris is a limited release. Really looking forward to that one too…but back on task…

I will admit my bias, as I absolutely adored the first three Pirates films, but that aside, this film’s first trailer knocked my socks off. Though it be a mere trailer, it had it all: Jack Sparrow (the...

"Margot Benacerraf, now in her 80s, only ever made one feature-length film," begins Josef Braun, "but that film remains so extraordinary, so very nearly singular, that it merits an admiration on par with many more prolific and esteemed bodies of work. After studying and gathering numerous influential allies in France and elsewhere, Benacerraf returned to her native Venezuela, specifically to an island no one had heard of, though when was discovered by the Spanish 450 years earlier it was deemed a sort of paradise on account of its abundance of one resource: salt, as valuable back then as gold. We can see the ruins of colonial fortresses erected to protect the island and its salt marshes, once the center of piracy in the Caribbean, during the prologue of Araya (1959). But historical context quickly gives way to the seeming timelessness of hard labour, to Benacerraf's lyrical approach to depicting the life of a community that was,...

For over 40 years Japanese director Masahiro Shinoda both played within the confines of genre and sought to break from those same restrictions in exploring universal themes, such as faith and mortality. Shinoda’s 1964′s Pale Flower and 1971′s Silence, two of the Shinoda prints selected to play during the New York Film Festival, reflect this diversity on a rather epic scale. On one hand there’s Pale Flower, a black-and-white, well-paced, simply-told crime saga concerning a career criminal and the woman who wins his cold, cold heart. On the other is a sweeping tale of Catholicism and martyrdom, featuring landscapes and vibrant color – for at least some of the time.

Flower, while more successful as a narrative and more impressive on a technical level, lacks the personal passion present in Silence, which seems to be a reflection of Shinoda’s own conflicting beliefs. That said, both films feature principled protagonists who break their own rules.

The official website for Tomoyuki Takimoto‘s Soup Opera has been updated with a new full trailer. The film is based on a book by Sawako Agawa of the same title and stars Maki Sakai (40) in her first lead role since announcing her marriage to 28-year-old photographer Shin Suzuki late last year.

Sakai plays Rui, a 35-year-old single woman forced to live alone after the aunt who raised her suddenly decides to get married and move out. Through an unexpected set of circumstances, she winds up becoming roommates with an aging ladies’ man named Tony (Tatsuya Fuji) and a timid younger man named Kosuke (Takahiro Nishijima of the pop group Aaa). Mariko Kaga, Kimiko Yo, and Masato Hagiwara also star.

Prénom-h will be releasing “Soup Opera” in Japan on October 2, 2010.

The official website for Tomoyuki Takimoto‘s Soup Opera has been updated with a new full trailer. The film is based on a book by Sawako Agawa of the same title and stars Maki Sakai (40) in her first lead role since announcing her marriage to 28-year-old photographer Shin Suzuki late last year.

Sakai plays Rui, a 35-year-old single woman forced to live alone after the aunt who raised her suddenly decides to get married and move out. Through an unexpected set of circumstances, she winds up becoming roommates with an aging ladies’ man named Tony (Tatsuya Fuji) and a timid younger man named Kosuke (Takahiro Nishijima of the pop group Aaa). Mariko Kaga, Kimiko Yo, and Masato Hagiwara also star.

Prénom-h will be releasing “Soup Opera” in Japan on October 2, 2010.

Some details and a teaser trailer were finally released today for Tomoyuki Takimoto‘s Soup Opera, months after its official site was first launched. The film is based on a book by Sawako Agawa of the same title and stars Maki Sakai (40) in her first lead role since announcing her marriage to 28-year-old photographer Shin Suzuki late last year.

Sakai plays Rui, a 35-year-old single woman forced to live alone after the aunt who raised her suddenly decides to get married and move out. Through an unexpected set of circumstances, she winds up becoming roommates with an aging ladies’ man named Tony (Tatsuya Fuji) and a timid younger man named Kosuke (Takahiro Nishijima of the pop group Aaa). Mariko Kaga, Kimiko Yo, and Masato Hagiwara also star.

Prénom-h will be releasing “Soup Opera” in Japan sometime this fall.

Sources: Cinema Today, Official website...