A New Q&A on Vantage Point Interviews!

Takeshi Miyanishi in May 2022. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Check out the latest vintage account on Vantage Point Interviews with compositor and optical-effects technician Takeshi Miyanishi. Mr. Miyanishi began working at Toho with Gorath (1962) on the tokusatsu side. 

While his memories of the early days are no longer as strong as they once were, he has vivid memories of working with Akira Kurosawa on Kagemusha (1980) and working on Pulgasari (1985) in North Korea. 

It's all right there on Vantage Point Interviews. Don't miss it -- be there!

Director Alex Cox Announces His Last Film

Photo © Alex Cox.

Film director Alex Cox, the brains behind the '80s classics Repo Man (1984), Sid and Nancy (1986), and Walker (1987), has launched a crowdfunding effort in order to finance what the director has described as his "last hurrah."

The movie in question will be an adaptation of Dead Souls. What is Dead Souls, you ask? Here's Alex Cox himself to fill you in:

My "last movie" is a Western version of Nicolai Gogol's "Dead Souls". This is a great book, full of irony, mystery and meaning. I plan to shoot in two locations – Almería, Spain, and Tucson, Arizona. 

More details are contained on the project's Kickstarter page, so, if you're intrigued by the premise and/or are interested in being a part of film history, check it out and send some support his way.  

Readers of this blog ought to know that Alex Cox is a genuine fan of Japanese cinema and has even made a documentary about Akira Kurosawa. A few years ago, I interviewed Mr. Cox about that documentary (as well as 2017's Tombstone Rashomon, his Kurosawa-inspired Western). 

I look forward to seeing Dead Souls once it's finished. If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider making a pledge to Alex Cox's swan song.

WARDROBE! An Afternoon with a Veteran of Toho's Costume Department!

Makoto Ikeda. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Thursday, March 14), I spent a wonderful afternoon in the home of Makoto Ikeda, a former member of Toho's costume department who worked on numerous classic films from the studio, including several tokusatsu productions from the era. It was a great opportunity to learn about his life and career.

Makoto Ikeda. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Although it took just about two hours (!) of commuting to reach Ikeda-san's home from mine, I must say that the experience was well worth the effort. Ikeda-san was a generous host, and he graciously signed a few items after our talk. Little did I know that Ikeda-san had a special surprise in store.

Makoto Ikeda with his painting of a volcanic eruption. Photo by Brett Homenick.

That surprise was a painting that Ikeda-san himself painted, which he presented to me as a gift. I was more than a little surprised! Actually, I had the choice between the above painting and another one (which was a much more peaceful image of a tree), so I chose the one that was more tokusatsu-ish. The painting depicts the eruption of volcano.

Interestingly, the penciled-in dates on the back of the painting suggest that it was painted between October 10, 2013, and September 27, 2014. Of course, September 27, 2014, was the date of Mount Ontake's most recent eruption, which is also noted on the back.  

All in all, it was an incredible afternoon spent in the company with a truly unsung legend of Japanese cinema. There's no better way to learn about the history of Japanese cinema than in the homes of the people who made it!

'Akira Kurosawa, Screenwriter,' on Display at the National Film Archive!

A sign advertising the "Akira Kurosawa, Screenwriter" exhibit outside the National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier today, I had a long break at work, so I made my way over to the National Film Archive of Japan to view its current "Akira Kurosawa, Screenwriter" exhibit that runs until November 27. I picked a pretty good time to go, as I had the exhibit to myself most of the time I was there. 

A banner for Ran (1985) on display. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As expected, there were quite a few cool items on display. One was an American first-run poster from 1956 for Seven Samurai (1954), which was released under the title The Magnificent Seven. (Say, that title sounds vaguely familiar!) Another was Larry Forrester's second draft (dated June 5, 1967) of the Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) screenplay. Also on display was a 650-page (!) printed version of the script that Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, and Ryuzo Kikushima completed in May 1967. 

Additionally, there was an English translation of the final draft of Kurosawa's "The Mask of the Black Death" screenplay, which was translated by Ian Hideo Levy. The year given was 1977.

Signage for the "Akira Kurosawa, Screenwriter" exhibit. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Perhaps most interesting of all for me was the material about the unmade project "AND...!" This was a script written by Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, and Shinobu Hashimoto, the English synopsis of which was  registered with the Writers Guild of America West on February 29, 1972. A "Memorandum of Understanding" was signed by Kurosawa and John C. Dutton on behalf of Cromwell International Pictures.

According to the memorandum, Steve McQueen was intended to have a starring role in this movie, which was to be based in and around Japan. The memorandum signed by both parties on April 10, 1971. The movie was apparently going to be an adaptation of an Ichiro Shiraishi novel about a blue-eyed samurai who was half-Japanese and half-Portuguese.

So, yes, there was a lot to see, and it was a lot more interesting than I had expected. I might even check out the exhibit one more time before it closes -- I certainly have a lot of time before that happens!

Vantage Point Interviews Returns with Excellent New Content!

Hiroyuki Kawase. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The first full-length, English-language interview with former child actor Hiroyuki Kawase has just been published on Vantage Point Interviews. In this brand-new Q&A, Mr. Kawase discusses how he got started as an actor, getting cast in Akira Kurosawa's Dodes'ka-den (1970), his memories of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971) and Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), and much more!

Vantage Point Interviews proves once again that content is king. Check out this incredible interview today!

Shogo Tomiyama Q&As Now on Vantage Point Interviews!

With Shogo Tomiyama on March 31, 2021.

Two interviews with former Toho Pictures President Shogo Tomiyama have been posted on Vantage Point Interviews (here and here). Naturally, he shares his memories of producing the Heisei- and Millennium-era Godzilla series. Suffice it to say, these interviews are well worth checking out!

Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Veteran Toho Actor who Appeared in Kurosawa Films, Passes Away at 84

Tatsuyoshi Ehara in June 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Prolific Toho actor Tatsuyoshi Ehara passed away on May 1 at 11:26 a.m. at his home in Nagano Prefecture. He was 84.

Ehara-san was born on March 26, 1937, in Tokyo. He began acting in the late 1940s as a child actor and continued acting well into adulthood, appearing in about 120 films. At Toho, he regularly appeared in the long-running Young Guy series, alongside star Yuzo Kayama, as Eguchi, the friend of the titular character. He was often cast by director Kihachi Okamaoto in numerous movies, including: Desperado Outpost (1959), Samurai Assassin (1965), Japan's Longest Day (1967), and Epoch of Murder Madness (1967).

Internationally, his best known credits are the Akira Kurosawa films Sanjuro (1962) as the samurai Sekiguchi, and Red Beard (1965) as Genzo Tsugawa. He also guest-starred in episode 1 of Ultra Q (1966) as the reporter Nitta. He quit acting in the 1970s and pursued business, as well as writing and journalism. (His autobiography, Memories from the Heart, was released earlier this year.)

With Tatsuyoshi Ehara in June 2016.

I was privileged to interview Ehara-san (part one and part two of the interview) and visit him several times between 2014 and 2017. Over the years, however, when his health began declining, I wasn't able to see him anymore. I always enjoyed his company.

A private funeral was already held by his widow, Yoko. Rest in peace, Ehara-san.

The Lost World of Rashomon!

Signage outside the National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I took in a screening of the Toho fantasy actioner The Lost World of Sinbad (1963) at the National Film Archive of Japan, which was shown as part of its current "Toshiro Mifune Retrospective at His Centenary" film program. I hadn't seen the film since the early 2000s, which is when I wrote a fanzine article on it. The Lost World of Sinbad has never been my favorite tokusatsu film, and I think writing that article made me permanently sick of it. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.

A replica of the flag from Seven Samurai. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I give the movie credit for its lavish production values and all-star cast, but it otherwise feels flat and uninspired. Still, it looked glorious in 35mm, and hearing Masaru Sato's masterful score was a treat.

 After watching the film, I visited the NFAJ's "Rashomon at the 70th Anniversary" exhibit, which had  a lot of interesting memorabilia from the film, including the scripts used by Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and script supervisor Teruyo Nogami on display. I found this exhibit much more interesting than the Shochiku one I visited a couple of months ago. It was certainly a fascinating morning and afternoon spent with the works of Toshiro Mifune.

New Alex Cox Interview Now at Vantage Point Interviews!

Photo © Alex Cox.

My new interview with director Alex Cox about his film Tombstone Rashomon (2017) as well as his documentary Kurosawa: The Last Emperor (1999) is now up at Vantage Point Interviews. If you enjoy Kurosawa movies, as well as old Westerns, this one interview you'll want to check out!

A Review of Alex Cox's Latest Film: Tombstone Rashomon

Poster © TriCoast Entertainment.

Alex Cox, the iconoclastic director of the cult classic Repo Man (1984) and the critically acclaimed biopic Sid and Nancy (1986) is back with a new film, Tombstone Rashomon. As the title suggests, it retells the events that took place during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in a similar vein to Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece.

But here’s where things get strange. The various testimonies by the principal witnesses to the legendary shootout are given to an unseen, time-traveling camera crew from the future. While that might make the film sound like “Doctor Who meets John Wayne,” the backstory of the reporters from the future is handled in expository text at the beginning of the movie. Other than that, the film has no sci-fi elements.

As the movie plays out, we hear a variety of perspectives from the participants of witnesses who were there on October 26, 1881, when all hell broke loose. Among those interviewed are: Doc Holliday, Sheriff Behan, Ike Clanton, and even Wyatt Earp himself (who declines to be interviewed but instead reads a prepared statement).

Photo © TriCoast Entertainment. 

While not a comedy, the movie has brilliant moments of absurdist humor. I won’t spoil it, but there’s a moment in Doc Holliday’s version of events that made me laugh out loud. There’s also an amusing scene in which the off-camera interviewer gives an emotional Wyatt Earp stage direction to increase the dramatic effect for the documentary. It’s here where the movie really shines, and I wish the satirical tone of the movie would have been enhanced. (You’d think there’d be more comedy in a film whose premise is that documentarians travel in time to record the historic Gunfight at the O.K. Corral only to miss it by a day.)

That said, not all the film's humor quite worked for me. When the documentary crew interview Doc Holliday’s love interest Kate, she repeatedly uses female pronouns to describe male characters. Of course, in this day and age of political correctness, a situation like that could become a potential minefield, but I just didn’t find it funny. 

While I enjoyed the movie overall, it did begin to lose me a bit when the comedic elements were played down, and some of the events leading up to the infamous gunfight were repeated (even with certain changes due to the varying perspectives of the particular storyteller). That, of course, is where the “Rashomon” part of Tombstone Rashomon comes into play, but I think it would have helped the film’s cause immensely to make the differences even broader and much more theatrical.

Photo © TriCoast Entertainment.

The performances are solid, but the standout of the cast is Jesse Lee Pacheco as the oily Sheriff Behan. Pacheco’s portrayal is entertainingly slimy, and his embodiment of the ambitious sheriff gives the audience the film’s most memorable character. It’s an even more incredible accomplishment when you consider that Doc Holliday is usually the character that gives actors the most material to work with. (Think Val Kilmer in 1993’s Tombstone.) Sheriff Behan is usually not the first character that comes to mind with regard to cinematic retellings of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, but I think he’s finally earned his place in the spotlight.

The shootout itself has a realistic touch, and I’d wager looks a lot closer to the way things really happened than the carefully crafted choreography of the Hollywood classics of yesteryear. What it lacks in glamour, it makes up for in realism. The only drawback is the obvious CG muzzle flash that takes away from the scene’s authenticity.

Mostly filmed at Old Tucson Studios, gives it a feel of a modern-day Republic Western. Like those legendary motion pictures of yore, this one is a low-budget affair but with accurate settings and costumes. They say that Westerns are cyclical and tend to come and go as popular forms of entertainment, but I have a hard time seeing them make a comeback. Every once in a while, a good one comes along (2018’s The Sisters Brothers is a last one from Hollywood that I can recall), but it seems that the genre doesn’t speak to modern society the way it did during Hollywood’s golden age. I think any filmmaker who makes a Western these days ought to be commended. It’s certainly hard to argue that he or she is in it for the money.

Tombstone Rashomon is a breezy 80 minutes and is well worth a look. The film is now playing on Amazon Prime and can be purchased on DVD online or in your favorite brick-and-mortar establishment. With Tombstone Rashomon, TriCoast Entertainment has combined an American legend with a Japanese cinematic classic. Does it do for Rashomon what The Magnificent Seven (1960) did for Seven Samurai (1954)? Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Seven Samurai's Shigeo Kato Passes Away at 94

Shigeo Kato in Kamakura in March 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

According to Japanese media reports, veteran Toho actor Shigeo Kato passed away at his home at 7:00 a.m. on June 14, just days shy of his 95th birthday on June 16. A private funeral was held with his daughter Yuko as chief mourner. 

Mr. Kato puts flowers on the final resting place of Akira Kurosawa. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I had gotten to know Mr. Kato quite well over the years. We were put in touch by screenwriter Wataru Mimura, and I first met Mr. Kato in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the summer of 2014. I last visited Mr. Kato in late October of last year with my friend Jacob. Due to COVID-19, I was reluctant to visit Mr. Kato this year.

With Mr. Kato in January 2016.

Mr. Kato's credits are too numerous to list. He is most likely the last surviving cast member of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), and he has appeared in countless Godzilla and other monster movies for Toho. You can read the first interview I conducted with Mr. Kato last year to give you more of an idea of his career. I should have the second interview (that focuses more on his acting career) ready to publish in a few days.

Shigeo Kato was one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I'll always cherish the generosity he showed me over the years.

Rest in peace, Mr. Kato.

UPDATE (6/20): My followup interview with Mr. Kato has been published at Vantage Point Interviews.

A Trio of New Interviews at Vantage Point Interviews!

Shigeo Kato in January 2019. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've posted a trio of new interviews at Vantage Point Interviews. First, my January 2019 interview with actor Shigeo Kato in which he talks about everything from his World War II memories to working with Akira Kurosawa on Seven Samurai (not to mention his recollections of the original Godzilla). 

There's also my 2010 interview with Godzilla series star Akira Takarada, which has been transcribed and published for the first time anywhere. 

Last but not least is my conversation with Toho SFX staff member Takashi Naganuma, who started his career in the early 1970s and continued on into the Heisei era. 

Check 'em out today!

A Halloween Visit to Kamakura!

 The Great Buddha has arrived! Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Wednesday, October 30, Jacob and I paid a visit to Kamakura to take in the sites, as well as to meet up with actor Shigeo Kato. We went to a nearby cafe in which Kato-san regaled us with stories about his career, from Akira Kurosawa classics to the Godzilla series. Afterward, we went to the Great Buddha statue. It was a great afternoon, and here are the pics. (By the way, don't miss the pumpkin in front of the statue!)

Kurosawa Producer Yoichi Matsue Passes Away at 88

Yoichi Matsue (far left) with Akira Kurosawa (next to him) in the Soviet Union for Dersu Uzala.

Frequent Akira Kurosawa collaborator Yoichi Matsue passed away on March 9 of this year in Hachioji, Tokyo, of pneumonia, his family has announced. He was 88.

Mr. Matsue was born on October 26, 1930, in Ishikawa Prefecture. He joined Toho Studios in 1955 as an actor, appearing as one of the convicts in Godzilla Raids Again (1955).

It was behind the camera, however, that Mr. Matsue would achieve his greatest fame working with Akira Kurosawa -- first as an assistant director on such films as Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), and Red Beard (1965), and later as a producer on Dodeskaden (1970) and Dersu Uzala (1975).

When Dersu Uzala won the Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film in 1976, it was Mr. Matsue who gave the acceptance speech, making him the only actor from a Japanese Godzilla film who's delivered an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. The video is below:

Through our mutual friend, I contacted Mr. Matsue last year about interviewing him, but unfortunately he declined my proposal. 

Rest in peace, Mr. Matsue.

In the House!

Ai Matsubara onstage, about to perform. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, when work was finished, I immediately headed over to Yokohama to attend a live performance by actress-singer Ai Matsubara. Matsubara-san is best known for playing Prof in the whacked-out Toho romp House (1977). She also appears in Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980) and Shogun (1980). 

I'd first met Matsubara-san in the summer of 2016 at a screening of House. I really enjoyed meeting her, and as time went by, I was surprised I never had a chance to see her again. I'm glad I finally had the opportunity tonight.

Matsubara-san, naturally, was great. She's a wonderful singer and a talented performer. On this night, I for one enjoyed being in the house!

Visiting a Toho Legend!

Shigeo Kato. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Earlier this week, on Wednesday, March 20, I had a chance to catch up with Shigeo Kato, the veteran Toho actor who began working with the studio in the early 1950s. One of his earliest roles was in Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952), ans he went on to appear in numerous films for the director. Kato-san's latest film, in which he plays the main character, is set to be released later this year.

I last visited Kato-san in January and was very happy to see him again. He continues to do well, and will turn 94 years old this June. I'm already looking forward to seeing him again.

An Evening with Tsuburaya Productions Alumni!

In between actor Koji Shimizu (left) and cinematographer Masao Nakabori. 

Earlier this evening, I attended a special celebration of the late director Akio Jissoji, whose work spanned everything from the Ultra-series to the big-budget fantasy Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988).

Masao Nakabori. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Masao Nakabori is a noted cameraman whose career dates back to the glory days of Tsuburaya Productions, including Ultra Seven (1967-68) and Ultraman Taro (1973-74). His other credits include Silver Kamen (1971-72), Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis, Ultra Q: The Movie (1990), and Hirokazu Koreeda's Maborosi (1995).

Nakabori-san is a true genre legend, and I was privileged to meet him. I was pleased to find that he was approachable and eager to talk about his work. I was particularly interested in hearing about his commercial work with Akio Jissoji on Nikka from the Barrel commercials.

Koji Shimizu. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Also on hand was Koji Shimizu. Shimizu-san played the villainous Mushitaro Kuri in episode 4 of Ultraman Ace (1972-73), one of my favorite episodes of any of the Ultra-series. He also played Katsusuke Atobe in Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980) and Isao Akiba in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). On TV, he was a regular on the Super Sentai series Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87), portraying the evil Great Doctor Lie Köpflen.

I spent much more of the evening in Nakabori-san's company, but I certainly enjoyed my encounter with Shimizu-san. I first saw his guest appearance on Ultraman Ace in 2005, and it's a performance I've always remembered. I'm glad to have had a chance to tell Shimizu-san how much I enjoyed it.

Japanese Actress Kin Sugai Passes Away at Age 92

Actress Kin Sugai in her brief (but memorable) performance in Godzilla (1954).

Award-winning actress Kin Sugai passed away on August 10 of heart failure. She was 92. Although she is best known for her work with directors Akira Kurosawa (dating back to 1952's Ikiru) and Juzo Itami (for her award-winning performance in The Funeral), Godzilla fans will no doubt recognize her from her mercurial performance in Godzilla (1954) as Ozawa, the fiery female representative in the Diet.

According to NHK, "Sugai had been living in a nursing care facility in Tokyo for around 5 years before her death." Rest in peace.

Kato-san Is the Shogun!

Shigeo Kato. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I visited Kamakura to have another meeting with former Toho actor Shigeo Kato. Kato-san brought along one of his most prized possessions from his acting career. It was a prop from the TV miniseries Shogun (1980), in which he appeared. Kato-san's character gets decapitated in the miniseries, which necessitated the SFX department to create a replica head. After filming wrapped, he was allowed to keep it. After nearly 40 years, it's still in very good condition.

During our meeting, we talked about his acting career, which was as fascinating as it always is. But the highlight had to be the prop from Shogun. What a cool thing to see!

Nikkatsu Star Masako Izumi Is Back!

Masako Izumi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I had a very pleasant evening in the company of former Nikkatsu actress Masako Izumi. It seems to be a yearly shindig that a lot of fellow fans also look forward to. 

Izumi-san (born in 1947) began her acting career in 1958 and quickly became a star when she signed with Nikkatsu Studios in the early 1960s. At Nikkatsu, she starred in such films as Toshio Masuda's tragic World War II drama Monument to the Girls' Corps (1968) and Seijun Suzuki's Tattooed Life (1965). 

A very interesting story that Izumi-san shared is that she was offered a part in the movie Sanjuro (1962) personally by Akira Kurosawa. However, she had just signed with Nikkatsu Studios at the time, so she couldn't join Kurosawa's production. The part she was offered ended up going to Toho actress Reiko Dan.

Another fun story is that Izumi-san watched some of the monster scenes in Gappa the Triphibian Monster (1967) being filmed at Nikkatsu. It was her first time to see the production side of tokusatsu in person, so it left quite an impression on her.

She's also a big fan of Peter, Paul and Mary, but hey, who isn't?

Suffice it to say, it was great to see Izumi-san again after another year. I hope to see her again before next February!