A Double Feature at the Laputa Asagaya!

Signage for the Laputa Asagaya's Yuzo Kawashima Retrospective. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight -- that's Thursday, March 2 -- I returned to the Laputa Asagaya a bit earlier than I expected. A new film program has started, the Yuzo Kawashima Retrospective. As you've probably gathered, the retrospective focuses on the career of director Yuzo Kawashima. Tonight's film was a 35mm print of Romance Express (1961), a comedic ensemble featuring several notable Toho performers. I've wanted to see the film for a while, having seen some publicity stills that make the flick look like a lot of fun. The timing was good, so I went to the theater to check it out.

Publicity material for Romance Express (1961) in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film stars Frankie Sakai, who in the story is in a relationship with the leading lady, Reiko Dan. Sakai plays a cook working the dining car of a Kodama limited express train, and Dan plays a waitress who also works on the train. There's a bit of a love triangle involving Yumi Shirakawa, who plays a train attendant.

Reiko Dan wants to marry Frankie Sakai, but, because she wants to open a bento shop after they get married, Sakai isn't sure about the proposal. So he has six and a half hours -- the time it takes for the train to travel from Tokyo to Osaka -- to make his decision.

In addition, a lot of assorted kookiness takes place on the train, including the shenanigans of a lecherous company president, a loud, drunken weirdo, and pickpocket gang. As if that weren't enough, there's also a bomb scare to top things off. 

If that sounds even remotely serious, don't worry; it's not. In fact, Frankie Sakai has a slapstick fight with the pickpockets toward the end of the movie, complete with over-the-top, cartoonish sound effects. It's all done for entertainment and laughs. The movie is presented in black and white, but I think a movie this metaphorically colorful would have easily benefited from some literal color.

Oh, and I briefly spotted Shigeo Kato standing on a train platform and Haruo Nakajima as the Kodama driver. Fun stuff!

A Romance Express poster in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another note of interest is that the score was composed by Riichiro Manabe. Kaiju fans typically don't think of Manabe as having scored Toho movies during the golden age, but here's an example of his having done just that. The score itself matches the light-hearted tone of the proceedings, and it even reminded me a bit of the score to Roger Corman's The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) in places. 

The last scene takes place completely without dialogue. The camera is positioned outside the train, so the audience can only see the action take place inside the train, but it follows the characters as they move around inside. In this scene, Frankie Sakai gives Reiko Dan his answer about their getting married. It's all cleverly done, and it's a fun visual experience.

After the movie, I decided to hang around and catch another screening of Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) -- again, in glorious 35mm -- as part of the Science Fiction Film Festival. Even though I literally just saw it a few days ago, I was up for another screening. I don't have anything to add to my blog post from a few days ago, other than to say I never got bored watching it again so soon after the last time and enjoyed it immensely again. What a great film! 

A Special Screening of 'Goke Body Snatcher from Hell' in 35mm!

Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight (Sunday, February 26), I attended a screening of Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) in 35mm. It's the penultimate film of the Laputa Asagaya's Science Fiction Film Festival. The film print was in good shape, though the usual specks and scratches were present throughout the movie. 

Publicity material for Goke in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I've seen the film several times over the years, and it's been a favorite of mine since I saw the dubbed version on VHS in the year 2000. The movie has held up quite well, and I'd have to say that it's the screening I've enjoyed the most so far as part of the program. 

A poster for Goke in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's hard to believe there's only one film left -- that being Espy (1974). Actually, the theater put up a sign informing patrons that the film print for Espy is faded, so they are apologizing in advance for it. No worries, though -- I'm quite interested to see how it compares with the other prints they've screened. 

A poster for Romance Express (1961) in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in the theater lobby was this poster for director Yuzo Kawashima's Romance Express (1961). It's not particularly relevant to anything, but I'm happy to photograph and share anything with the dazzling Yumi Shirakawa in it, so here you go.

ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE FLICKS! Seeing Toho and Shochiku Classics!

Poster art promoting the "Into Nightmares" program at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I returned to the Laputa Asagaya for another fun evening of flicks. Tonight's double featured started with the Toho drama One's Longing (1961), directed by Seiji Maruyama. After that, the horror classic Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) was screened. It should probably go without saying that it was a superb double feature.

My tickets for the evening! Photo by Brett Homenick. 

One's Longing was of particular interest to me due to the fact that it stars Yumi Shirakawa, my favorite actress. For most Japanese movie buffs, however, it's more notable for being one of the last films of Setsuko Hara before her sudden retirement in the early '60s. The movie tells the story of a love triangle between Shirakawa, Hara, and the object of their affections, Tatsuya Mihashi.

A poster for One's Longing hangs in the theater lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I mostly know director Maruyama from his war films, so this quiet drama was something of a revelation for me. There are some outdoor scenes in the woods that are simply gorgeous. It is very often a stunning film. We also get to see a different side of Yumi Shirakawa, who (at least in the films I've seen her in) usually plays mature and feminine women. Here, she plays a girlish (even impish) young lady, which in the context of this film makes a lot of sense, considering that Setsuko Hara was the older and more mature of the two actresses in the picture.

A poster for Goke Body Snatcher from Hell, also in the lobby. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

After One's Longing wrapped, there was a short break before Goke Body Snatcher from Hell screened. This was the second time I've seen the film screened in Japan, and I've enjoyed it immensely both times.

Promotional material for Goke. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

One funny thing to note. While I was waiting for One's Longing to start, the theater played a pre-recorded audio announcement for the Toho movie Mount Hakone (1962), to be screened next week. I thought to myself how much the voice sounded like that of Shinichi Yanagisawa, only to have the voice identify itself as being that of ... Shinichi Yanagisawa.

Promotional material for One's Longing. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

It was an amusing moment. In the recording, Yanagisawa-san discussed the cast and crew of the film and injected his brand of comedy into the announcement. I'll have to mention it to Yanagisawa-san the next time I see him.

More promotional material for One's Longing. Photo by Brett Homenick.

All in all, it was another enjoyable night at the movies. I'm very glad I caught both movies, and I'm already planning my next evening in Asagaya.

ALL-NIGHT FILM FEST IN KYOTO! Actor Teruo Yoshida Greets Fans in Kansai!

Actor Teruo Yoshida ponders a question about his career in Kyoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the evening of August 15 (and the morning of August 16), the Kyoto Minami Kaikan hosted an all-night film festival devoted to Japanese horror movies. The three features on tap were Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), House of Terrors (a.k.a. The Ghost of the Hunchback, 1965), and The Ring (1998).

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!

Horan the Unbelievable

Your humble blog-meister meets SFX film star Kathy Horan for the first time. (Photo was originally published in G-FAN #84.)

In July 2007, I was able to meet Kathy Horan, who appeared in several Japanese science fiction films in the 1960s (Goke Body Snatcher from Hell, War of the Insects, The Green Slime, etc.). I interviewed her over the telephone in 2006 about her various genre roles, but we didn't discuss meeting until I learned something very interesting...

Several months after the interview, I learned that Ms. Horan was friends with my stepmother. They'd known each other since the '70s and '80s when they were both flight attendants for Braniff Airlines. All these years, my stepmother knew a star of tokusatsu films, and I was totally unaware!

When I visited family in Colorado in '07, I was able to meet Ms. Horan. I gave her a copy of Weekly World News (then edited by Jeff Rovin) in which her name appears in an ad promoting G-FAN. Suffice it to say, she was very friendly, and she had more stories for me about her time in Japan.

All in all, a very cool experience. I guess this is a small world after all.