Recently watched oldies....

Posted by Quentin on June 28, 2008 at 9:15pm in Films of Japan

There is a thread with the newer Japanese films we have recently seen so I will start one for older films as well.
I know that generally I will be the one adding to it but it may give some of our members some ideas of stuff to watch they might not have heard of....
That said -

Saw an excellent film not long ago titled "Under the Flag of the Rising Sun". It is a mix of an anti-war film and Rashomon with a woman trying to piece together how her husband died in WWII with many varying accounts of his demise.

Also recently saw "47 Ronin" by Ichikawa and was not very pleased with it at all. Sleepy and not very riveting.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by B-Independent.com on June 29, 2008 at 3:53am: When you say "older films," are we talking 10 years or more? 20 years? 30?

You know I already started a thread on ZERO FOCUS, and since that's from 1960, I'm sure it would have qualified, but would you rather we keep films listed in here or start threads for films we HOPE to discuss. Individual threads are infinitely easier for me to keep track of (see my Classic Cinema Group), but this one is your baby and I'll follow your lead.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Quentin on June 29, 2008 at 5:44am: Either way - I'll talk about a film no matter how we list it.
:); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by B-Independent.com on June 29, 2008 at 7:41am: cool beans, boss.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Quentin on June 30, 2008 at 1:08am: Part of the issue would be that about 5 of us have seen some of these lesser known films. If we are talking Seven Samurai or Yojimbo then they deserve their own thread - otherwise I just kind of like to mention what some of us are seeing. I like your system on Classic Cinema because....well, we have all seen City Lights or Grapes of Wrath.
Anyway, like I said - throw a film out there.... and I will read and reply no matter how you start the conversation.

:)

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is a must see for Japanese film peeps. I just caught it for the first time. Pretty damn good.
Not too much to say about it - nicely shot and acted. Nakadai is a stud - as always.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Quentin on July 9, 2008 at 3:55pm: Anyone ever seen Balad of Narayama...? I hated it very much. I loved the director's film "The Eel" but I have no idea what was so special about this film.

I am sure there arent many that have seen it - It isnt exactly famous - but just wondering....

Balad of Narayama; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by B-Independent.com on July 9, 2008 at 5:15pm: Brother, I barely remember THE EEL....; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Quentin on July 9, 2008 at 5:25pm: Well - I am glad you havent seen Ballad. I would feel very bad for you if you had.
The Eel was very cool.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by B-Independent.com on July 10, 2008 at 2:50pm: i think it's pretty safe to say that i haven't seen it...i just realized about 10 seconds ago that BALLAD was one of hte Animeigo's live action releases.

that bad, huh?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Quentin on July 10, 2008 at 2:56pm: Maybe I just missed it. It has nice customer reviews and the fine folks in Cannes thought it was good.

There is a big difference between slowly paced and sleepy. This film was sleepy. Interesting to see how people lived in Japan a few hundred years ago - but that is something I could find out on the history channel. The plot, characters, and direction just were not inspired - to me.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by pterosaur on July 10, 2008 at 4:00pm: I haven't seen it. I'm not sure I'm going to rush off and queue it based on your opinion.

I'm still working my way through Seijun Suzuki's and Kinji Fukusaku's films. I'm almost done.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Orion1 on July 13, 2008 at 10:26pm: I've been putting off When a Women Ascends the Stairs for so long but you just convinced me. To the top of queue it goes.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Orion1 on July 13, 2008 at 10:23pm: Ok so I just recently watched the " Battle of Okinawa" and man was that movie intense. It was great to see a Japanese perspective about the events that took place in one of the largest engagements in WWII. Families blowing themselves up left and right, all for pride and honor. Definitely a must see for history buffs. The acting wasn't the best, but Nakaida delievered a great perforance as always.; ▶ Reply to This