Actor Teruo Yoshida ponders a question about his career in Kyoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.
The first feature of the evening was Goke, and while the print was a bit worn, it still was a sight to behold on the big screen. Following the movie, a Q&A session with the film's star, Teruo Yoshida, was held onstage. Yoshida-san also starred in the controversial Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969) and appears in Yasujiro Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon (1962).
Yoshida-san spoke for a while about his career, but after his interview was finished, he left the stage, and that was it. The staff then distributed pre-signed autographs from Yoshida-san to those who purchased them. Naturally, it was disappointing not to meet the guest of honor, but this seems to be the norm with events sponsored by Cast Co.
The next feature was the rarely seen Toei thriller House of Terrors, which can only be viewed these days via an Italian-dubbed release. The print screened at the festival was beautiful, and it was great to see the film on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen.
Following House of Terrors, I did my best to get some sleep, completely missing out on The Ring. I still had a full day ahead of me, so I had to try to get some shut-eye!
By the way, when I was browsing the merchandise tables, I saw some copies of Ifukube 100 CD for sale. Obviously, folks in Japan have taken notice! From what I understand, this year's Symphonic Fury concert was by far the coolest kaiju-related event in Chicago all summer. That's not hard to believe at all.
All-night film festivals are not my cup of tea, but once in a while they can be fun. The last time I attended one was in 2011 at the same venue. Akira Kubo was the guest of honor. While I'm not sure if I'd return to Kyoto for another such event, I'll keep my options open. If it's a good lineup, I may just hop on the shinkansen again!
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