Seeing 'Kwaidan' in 35mm!

Kwaidan at the Shin Bungeiza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Wednesday, August 30, I went to the Shin Bungeiza theater in Ikebukuro to catch a screening of the Oscar-nominated classic Kwaidan (1964) in 35mm. Not only was it my first time to see it on the big screen, it was my first time to see it in about 20 years. Despite that, my memory of the proceedings was surprisingly strong, and I remembered what happens in every segment -- except one.

The segment I forgot about was "The Woman of the Snow." While the opening scenes of the snowstorm remained rather vivid in my mind, I couldn't recall anything that happened after it, even how the story concluded. Given how flat the ending to that segment was, though, I guess it shouldn't be so surprising.

The film print looked good, and it was great to see this film on the big screen. You could say it's a flawed masterpiece. I've always felt the "Hoichi the Earless" segment runs too long -- almost like a movie within a movie. It damages the pace of the overall film, and the fact that the final segment is so short in comparison has always been a bit puzzling to me. 

But those are the blemishes. I like pretty much everything else about it. I think the best segment overall is "The Black Hair," but the opening snowstorm scenes of "The Woman of the Snow" might be my favorite part of the film. 

MEETING MISAKO WATANABE! The Kwaidan Cast Member Recalls Her Acting Career!

Actress Misako Watanabe at a recent event. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

I just returned from a special event with actress Misako Watanabe. Debuting in 1953, Watanabe-san has enjoyed a long, award-winning acting career that extends to this day. During her career, Watanabe-san was primarily an actress at Nikkatsu Studios. Appropriately, one of her films from the studio was screened today, the stylish drama Don't Bet on Human Beings (1964).

I was interested in her mainly because of her role as the second wife in the "Black Hair" segment of Kwaidan (1964), a longtime favorite of mine. She also appears in episode 1 of Tsuburaya Productions' Unbalance (1973) and is featured in Kon Ichikawa's The Devil's Ballad (1977).

I enjoyed dinner with Watanabe-san, who sometimes threw in some English phrases into the conversation, such as, "Let's eat!" She also talked to me about the presidential election. She said that she watched the presidential debates with Japanese subtitles and even quoted (in English) Trump's repeated "Wrong!" interruptions. Suffice it to say, I never thought I'd be discussing presidential politics with a cast member from Kwaidan, but it's certainly one of the most memorable experiences of the year.

Another great evening was had by all. Let's do it again soon!

Edogawa Rampo rampages in English!

Acclaimed mystery writer Edogawa Rampo ponders black lizards, malformed men, and blind beasts. Just another day at the office for this prolific Japanese author... Source: here.

If the name Edogawa Rampo sounds a bit like Edgar Allan Poe to you, then 1) you're quick on the uptake, or 2) you're already familiar with the work of author Taro Hirai (1894-1965), who took the aforementioned pen name as a nod to one of his main influences.

And, if you're already familiar with the name of Edogawa Rampo, it's likely through the movies based on his writings, such as Kinji Fukasaku's Black Lizard (1968, featuring fellow author Yukio Mishima), Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men (1969), and Yasuzo Masumura's Blind Beast (1969).

While the above titles have been written about and discussed by fans of Japanese genre films, how many of these fans have actually read the source material? What's that, you say? They're not available in English?

Ha! Ha, I say!

"Eh," sez Edogawa Rampo to fellow writer (and Black Lizard actor) Yukio Mishima. "If they made a movie about my life, I'd so get more than four chapters." Source: here.

Thanks to a couple of book publishers who specialize in translating Japanese fiction into English, you now have your chance!

Kurodahan Press has translated Black Lizard into English, and it can be purchased here. Meanwhile, Shinbaku Books has done the honors for Blind Beast, and that title can be bought by following this link.

And, for something not-so-completely different, Tuttle Publishing has translated Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan into English, which will have you howling, "Kowai!" It can be purchased here.

With Halloween on the horizon, the time is right to crack open a few of these books! Break out those reading glasses today!