Japanese Avant-Garde: Matsumoto, Terayama & Others

[Steven H]

FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES [BARA NO SORETSU] (Toshio MATSUMOTO, 1969) is forthcoming from MoC.

Great news, Nick. Can we assume the director's commentary will be included? Any chance of throwing a short film or two on there as an extra?

[peerpee]

The Japanese disc doesn't have a commentary, does it? -- Just a director's video interview?

[shirobamba]

The Japanese disc doesn't have a commentary, does it? -- Just a director's video interview?

No, Nick. All 4 films from the Matsumoto box feature a full length audio commentary by Matsumoto. No video intro on the R2Js though.

Congrats! A brave step into Japanese new wave/avant-garde by MoC!

Nick, it would be great, if MoC would sub the original Matsumoto commentary plus consider a second commentary (or video intro) by a Western critic/scholar. I know, that David E. is not popular among some of the criterionforum-board members, but his choice would come naturally. And if I may dream a little longer, a common commentary by David E. and Donald Richie would be the non-plus ultra, for Richie was heavily involved in underground film-making himself in Japan at that time.

Funeral Parade was the first film, to portray the gay underground community in 60's Tokyo, both in the narration's main characters as in the cinema-verité style street interviews, which interrupt the narration. In addition its narrative is shaped upon the Oedipus myth, retelling one of the founding myths of Western culture at large and psychoanalysis in special with a radical alteration.

And last but not least it is a treatise on underground/experimental film-making. Matsumoto was/is one of the most prominent theorists of avantgarde film-making in Japan, delivering hefty critical exchanges with Oshima Nagisa, who's "Diary of a Shinjuku Thief", released one year before "Funeral Parade" is very similar in theme, narrative structure, choice of cinematic means etc. (Only Oshima's couple searching for gender-identity amidst the turmoil of Shinjuku's streets was hetero).

Here's a good interview by Yale scholar Aaron Gerow with Matsumoto. (But on his experimental work only.) Now, someone please wake me up.

[a7m4]

Great news! Funeral Parade of Roses is an excellent film that deserves to be much more well known. I already have the R2, but I don't think I would be able to resist picking up the MoC if it has some nice extras and especially if you include the director's commentary.

[peerpee]

I have the Japanese disc. Just not to hand right now.

kdoke... will pursue the Japanese commentary. Thanks!

[putney]

The bulk of Matsumoto's experimental works, which ran before, concurrent and after his feature length films came out last year via Uplink in tokyo, which is both a cinema in shibuya, dvd company, and produces films as well (they had a hand in K. Kuroswa's Bright Future, etc.) the transfers are a bit....but who knows what state many of the originals are in, and many were open reel video, and that stuff gets damaged easy. there have been 3, maybe even more Yoshida Yoshishige boxsets out of japan recently, which would be of great interest to anyone who has enjoyed the Jissoji atg-era films... in english, there's a few books that are helpful, the Noel Burch and Donald Richie books, "Eros plus Massacre", etc..the classic "film as a subversive art", i believe most are no o-p, but libraries have or can get them. "film as.." is a treasure trove, if you haven't read it before, GRAB it...

an interesting aspect of terayama's "flowers of passion" is that the costume design was done by kaisik wong, a kind of cult fashion designer who died many years ago, there was some controversy, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, when a current famous designer (sorry i don't remember who) copied one of his vests. there is very very little public documentation on kaisik, but he was one of those people that within the world someone works in, is VERY influential. so the film is a really interesting introduction him. yeah, it's not his strongest, i'd agree. there's so many great directors from that time in japan...wow. it never seems to end! fantastic.

[impossiblefunky]

Nanami: The Inferno of First Love is another Terayama film

Exhibited to some recognition at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1968, Hani Susumu's Inferno of First Love, (sometimes also known as Nanami) is a brilliant, unforgettable, and sensitive film. Working from a script by playwright, and experimental filmmaker, Terayama Shuji, Hani's film captures Shun, an orphan, who falls in love with a pretty young nude model named Nanami, with his sexual inadequacies, problem childhood, and coming of age. That's what Japanese New Wave says, at least.

[spinetta]

Can anyone help me? I'd like to know how many experimental shorts he made? some sort of list, any help will be thanked.

[Lino]

Can anyone help me? I'd like to know how many experimental shorts he made? some sort of list, any help will be thanked.

I haven't got a complete list of them but I do have a link for a short he made in 1975.

[Anonymous]

This link looks like a fairly exhaustive list. In Japanese... Do you need it in English/transliterated?

I haven't compared the two lists, but this recently issued three-disc box set of experimental work looks fairly exhaustive:



There's a description of the contents here. In Japanese!

[vogler]

Severin films are going to release Private Collections which features Terayama's Grass Labyrinth as well as sections by Borowczyk and Jaeckin.

Does anyone know if this version is exactly the same as the version on the Japanese dvd apart from the french voice-over which was mentioned earlier in this thread? I already own the Japanese disc but I may get this as well if there are differences.

[Lino]

You can always try to email them. Worth a shot, I think.

[vogler]

6 volumes of Shuji Terayama shorts are available for free download here

They have been available using emule for quite a while but are now available to download straight from the net.
They are huge files and contain about 4½ hours of films.
All amazing stuff too.

Ubu have also updated and massively expanded their experimental film downloads section and there is loads of amazing stuff up for grabs.

[yoshimori]

A four-disc set called Shuji Terayama Jikken Eizo World Complete Box is due out in Japan on 12/15. Discs also available separately. No word on precisely what they contain. English subs not likely, though, I'd guess.

[vogler]

I'm not totally sure, but I think Jikken Eizo World means Experimental Image World, which is the name given to the collections of his short films. These are the ones that are available for download at ubu.com and there are more details there. I would love to have these on dvd and considering that it's Japanese the price doesn't look too bad. My only concern is that if it contains Emperor Tomato Ketchup (which it almost certainly would), I wouldn't be at all comfortable importing it. If you know the film you will probably understand what I mean, but here is the imdb link which should explain. I'm not sure customs would consider it art.

For most of Terayama's experimental films subtitles are not really necessary because they are mostly visual but there are a few where there is speech.

[Felix]

I have the Terayama shorts via an e-tailer from a while back, Emperor is not amongst them. The shorts do not have subtitles but believe me, you will manage fine without them. As Vogler says, there is some speech but mostly the astonishing visuals carry them. If you are familiar with Terayama you will know what to expect, and if you like his other stuff then go for it. SHF have one or more volumes as well (I can't remember which is wich here, I have one marked Volume four and another marked volume one. One of them contains volumes 3,5,6 but I can't remember which. Doesn't matter anyway, they are good).

If anybody knows anything about Teshigahara and Matsumoto's shorts, the former in particular, and whether they need subtitles or ot I would be interested to hear.

[putney]

If anybody knows anything about Teshigahara and Matsumoto's shorts, the former in particular, and whether they need subtitles or ot I would be interested to hear.

well, the teshigahara shorts are documentaries and very narrative-driven, still quite good. the matsumoto shorts are generally of the art-video/art-film variety, but the disc of documentaries does gain from the text, but are still visually striking, especially "song of stone" which is fantastic. the teshigahara documentaries are definitely more text-driven.

while i agree that the terayama shorts are visually arresting, usually due in part to tatsuo suzuki's cinematogrophy (he also did matsumoto's first 2 features and many yoshida's, etc..), the guts of terayama's films are in the texts. they're still great either way, but def. are at another level with the text.

the 3 discs of imamura shohei's documentaries also don't have subtitles.
soon Kino will be releasing 3 or 4 of Hara Kazuo's documentaries, which are absolutely essential. ("naked army.." is one of werner herzog's favorite films, about as good a recommendation as i can think of.)

[the dancing kid]

I recently saw Terayama's 'Throw out your books, let's go into the streets', which I thought was amazing. It's the most punk rock movie ever!

Like Funeral Parade of Roses and Diary of a Shinjuku Thief, this film was distributed and partially produced by the Art Theatre Guild. It has a few similarities with those films, such as the intersection between fiction narrative and documentary, the celebration of Shinjuku subculture and the questioning of traditional gender and sexual identity. It also allegorizes its own production at times, such as the shot where the cameraman turns the camera on himself, places it on the ground, and smokes a joint with two hippies.

There's a Japanese DVD with a great transfer available, but unfortunately it doesn't have English subtitles. This would make a great addition to the MoC line in my opinion (hint hint :wink: )

[Felix]

If anybody knows anything about Teshigahara and Matsumoto's shorts, the former in particular, and whether they need subtitles or ot I would be interested to hear.

while i agree that the terayama shorts are visually arresting, usually due in part to tatsuo suzuki's cinematogrophy (he also did matsumoto's first 2 features and many yoshida's, etc..), the guts of terayama's films are in the texts. they're still great either way, but def. are at another level with the text.

I was not aware how text driven they are, though as you correctly point out they are fine either way. Do you read Japanese or have you managed to get subbed copies and if so, could I ask from where?

I recently saw Terayama's 'Throw out your books, let's go into the streets', which I thought was amazing. It's the most punk rock movie ever!

There's a Japanese DVD with a great transfer available, but unfortunately it doesn't have English subtitles. This would make a great addition to the MoC line in my opinion (hint hint )

This is one of Terayama's which I don't have, IIRC because SHF have a good unsubbed copy and a not good subbed one. I agree, it would be wonderful if MoC picked this one up. Failing that I hope that JNWC might do so, given that it should be a fairly easy task for them if the subs are already out there. They did have one (or two?) Terayama's on the schedule at the start but I can't remember if this was one and they seem to have been pulled anyway. That may be good news as it might indicate a release is forthcoming from a legit retailer.

Failing that I hope that JNWC might do so, given that it should be a fairly easy task for them if the subs are already out there. They did have one (or two?) Terayama's on the schedule at the start but I can't remember if this was one and they seem to have been pulled anyway.

Latest news from SHF is that a new box set of the shorts is due to be released, and they will carry Emperor until JNWC releases them, which they speculate as being late 2007 or 2008. Not just the shorts but his features also, I hope.

It indicates that Emperor is indeed in the shorts, so my apologies to Vogler.

[putney]

I was not aware how text driven they are, though as you correctly point out they are fine either way. Do you read Japanese or have you managed to get subbed copies and if so, could I ask from where?

i didn't always speak japanese, so i was of course in the same boat. i got subbed copies of terayama's long form films in various places or saw them at festivals and such. most of his long form films have sub versions floating around, through shf, etc...i was spoiled because i've worked in japan a lot for the past 15 years and had friends explain a lot of the text for me, or i saw scenarios that were printed up for screenings. a while back i decided to get off my butt and finally learn the language.

while there aren't any film scripts in it, i highly reccomend the recent terayama book published by the university of hawaii press.. sorry don;t have it with me right now, forgot the name.. but look on amazon, and i'm sure it's one of the first hits. it's a good book (mostly about his theatre, with 4 maybe 5 play translations) that doesn't get too academic.

of current interest to folks into this sort of thing, in january Masao Adachi's first film in 30 years "yuheisha teroristo" is being released. it's really great. there's a website at www.prisoner-m.com, and wakamatsu is now filming his red army faction film . you can see a daily diary up on www.wakamatsukoji.org. i haven't had a chance to see kurosawa's "sakebi" yet, the screenings were sold out in a flash, but i heard from all my friends who saw it that it's terrific. i'll be getting that terayama dvd set, and i'll post a report for everyone.

[shirobamba]

It wasn't possible, to get any solid infos about the transfers/sources etc. But at least, here's the contents of the forthcoming Terayama box:

1. Emperor Tomato Ketchup (directors cut: feature length version) (1970)
2. KAGE NO EIGA: NITOJO, KAGE NO EIGA: NITOJO (SHADOW FILM: A WOMAN WITH TWO HEADS) (1977)
3. SHOKENKI (THE READING MACHINE) (1977)
4. MALDOROR NO UTA (LES CHANTS DE MALDOROR) (1977)
5. ISSUN BOSI WO KIJUTUSURU KOKOROMI (1977)
6. SHIMPAN (Der Prozess) (1975)
7. KESHIGOMU (The Rubber) (1977)
8. MEIKYU-TAN (A Tale of Labyrinth) (1975)
9. HOSO-TAN (A Tale of Smallpox) (1975)
10. CHOFUKU-KI (BUTTERFLY) (1974)
11. LAURA (1974)
12. JAN-KEN SENSO (THE WAR OF JAN-KEN-PON) (1971)
13. Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1971)
14. ORI(The Cage) (1964)
15. SEISHONEN NO TAMENO EIGA NYUMON (Movie Guide for Young People) (1974)

...and of course: NO SUBS

[vertovfan]

I just received the Terayama set today. Believe it or not, it does have English subs (at least on Laura and Emperor Tomato Ketchup, which have spoken dialog). It appears to skip them on the other films though - it would have been nice to read the texts on Les Chants de Maldoror. A nice surprise, nonetheless!

Lots of pictures and info here

[Steven H]

Wow! Thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to have to get this.

[putney]

hi... i picked up the terayama set yesterday... first off it's hella expensive... @$160. eeeeeee. the set itself is super-bare bones. not a single insert, book, not even reproductions of.....anything! low bit-rate encoding to make them 4gb dvds, etc... granted, having the films is great, but that's really about all you get. it's a real shame. i'll be rolling through the whole set this weekend, and will post any more interesting details...

so, went through the box... in general, a big disapointment. the transfers are at times horrendous. i would take a guess just straight transfers from the old masters they had for their vhs set from ten years or so ago. not really unexpected, as imge forum has the same kind of reputation in japan as facets has in america.(not trying to start a fight, it just seems to be the general consensus here amongst peole in that world that i know here.) of course, it is good to see them, but it is truly poorly done.

hell, the vhs tapes had big booklets inside, this dvd box has absolutely nothing. on a personal note, these films haven't held up for me much at all. for such a hefty price, unless you adore these, i couldn't reccomend it. on an unrelated note, k. kurosawa's "loft" comes out on dvd next month here. i'll post as soon as i know more details on the disc.
(it's not his best, but don't believe the hype, it's still completely interesting, and i think the last 20 minutes are worth watching it for...)

there are also 2 new seijun suzuki boxes, 2/3rds of each are re-issues of the usual, but have some previously unreleased gems, some that weren't even on vhs. someone should do a set of his tv frilms from 65-80.. they're kind of astounding.

[impossiblefunky]

Here's the breakdown:

Volume I
The Cage
Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Short)
The War of Jan-Ken-Pon
Butterfly
Laura

Volume II
Movie Guide for Young people
A Tale of Labyrinth
A Tale of Smallpox
Der Prouzess

Volume III
Father
The Rubber
Les Chants de Maldoror
Issun Bosi Wo Kijutusuru Kokoromi
Shadow Film: A Woman with Two Hands
The Roading machine

Volume IV
Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Director's Cut)
Catalogue of Memory (Director Michi Tanaka)

And, I'm seeing subs on these! Putney -- Titles?