An Evening with a Nikkatsu Legend!

Setsuko Ogawa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Saturday, March 18), I had the privilege of spending the evening with former Nikkatsu actress Setsuko Ogawa. Honestly, I'm not that familiar with her acting work, but she appeared in a couple of works that are quite interesting, so I was intrigued to meet her.

Ogawa-san was born on March 21, 1951, and began her acting career in 1971 at Nikkatsu. After getting married, she quit acting in 1975 but has since joined a talent agency and has started to pursue acting once again. 

She mostly appeared in the racier Nikkatsu movies of the era. One such title is Hellish Love (a.k.a. Erotic Bride from Hell, 1972) in which she plays the ghostly titular character Otsuyu. She also appears in the Toho jidai geki Slaughter in the Snow (1973), as well as the Lone Wolf and Cub (1973-76) TV series as Sayaka Idebuchi.

I arrived late to the event due to my work schedule. Ogawa-san was surprised to see an American at the event and gave me a brief greeting in English. A bit later on, she asked me why I was there, to which I replied that I'm a fan of Hellish Love. I also admitted that I'm not nearly as familiar with Nikkatsu's '70s output as others at the event. 

I found Ogawa-san extremely friendly and charming. Some actresses can be a bit snooty, but Ogawa-san wasn't that way at all. She seemed genuinely interested in me and asked me a bit about myself. I certainly appreciated that. As luck would have it, the Laputa Asagaya will be screening some of Ogawa-san's films starting next month. One of her fans gave me a flier for the film program, and Ogawa-san graciously signed it for me. One of the movies screened will be Hellish Love, which I hope to see there.

I got to ask Ogawa-san a few questions about her career, especially about Hellish Love. She said it took about a month to film the movie. I asked her how she felt about doing her love scenes, and she said she hated doing them. (I can see why she quit acting as soon as she did!) I pointed out the movie Legend of the Sex Thief in Edo (1973), in which she stars, will be playing at the Laputa Asagaya, but she told me she didn't remember it, reminding me that it was a long time ago. I would imagine those kinds of movies start to blend together after a while.

And there you have it! I really didn't know what to expect when I arrived, but I was pleased to find that Ogawa-san was a friendly guest who was well worth meeting, even if I wasn't all that familiar with her filmography. I certainly hope to meet her again in the near future!

Brand-New Content on Vantage Point Interviews!

Atsushi Hagiwara in May 2022. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Check out my new interview on Vantage Point Interviews with Atsushi Hagiwara, a Japanese modelmaker who has worked on numerous Godzilla, Gamera, and other tokusatsu productions since the mid-1980s. In particular, Hagiwara-san goes into detail about his work on the ambitious SFX film Sayonara Jupiter (1984). Content continues to be king on Vantage Point Interviews!

James Hong Is Everywhere All at Once!

Yours truly with James Hong in June 2010.

At the 95th Academy Awards, 94-year-old actor James Hong took to the Oscar stage after Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) was announced as the Best Picture winner, celebrating the victory with his fellow cast and crew from the film. Naturally, Mr. Hong's acting career runs the gamut of decades, and his legendary list of credits even touches the Godzilla series. In particular, he provides the voices of Ogata and Dr. Serizawa in Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956).

James Hong writes a congratulatory message to Akira Takarada. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In June 2010, Mr. Hong wrote a congratulatory message on the back of a receipt at the Corner Bakery Cafe (see the above photo) in Los Angeles to Akira Takarada, whose performance he dubbed in 1956, who would be presented with a fan award the following month. I asked him to write the message, as I couldn't think of anyone better to congratulate Mr. Takarada than the man who helped bring his performance to the attention of international audiences. Besides, Mr. Hong's legacy speaks for itself, and (as the Oscars showed) it has only grown in leaps and bounds since then.

Seeing James Hong onstage at the Academy Awards after Everything Everywhere All at Once won the Best Picture Oscar was extremely gratifying, as he is a heck of a nice guy who deserves all the attention and success he's currently getting. I wanted to share this happy memory of the first time I met the legend himself in person. Here's to your continued success in Hollywood, good sir!

Feeling the Wrath of 'Gorath' in 35mm!

The National Film Archive of Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today (Sunday, March 12), I had the distinct privilege of seeing the Toho classic Gorath (1962) in 35mm on the big screen for the first time. It was screened as part of the National Film Archive of Japan's Women Who Made Japanese Cinema [Part 1]: From the Silent Era to the 1960s program. 

Which women in Japanese cinema does this screening honor? In particular, the pamphlet singles out Reiko Kaneko, who edited many of Ishiro Honda's films from the late 1950s through the '60s, as well as Kiyoko Ishii, who specialized in editing tokusatsu for the Tsuburaya group. Also noted in the pamphlet are SFX scripter Keiko Hisamatsu, costume designer Etsuko Yagyu, and costume staff member Setsuko Asaki. 

The screening was actually a double feature. The first movie screened was Female Detective Story: Woman S.O.S. (1958). This is a 58-minute, black-and-white comedy directed by Hisanobu Marubayashi, starring Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and Akihiko Hirata. This movie marks another pairing of Shirakawa and Sahara, but, unlike their previous outings together, this is truly Shirakawa's movie, and Sahara is basically her sidekick.

As the title would suggest, the story centers around a female detective played by Shirakawa. While she was often cast as an Audrey Hepburn-style leading lady around this time, here she gets to show her acting range, playing a plucky, resourceful investigator named Nobue Ogawa of the Imperial Secret Detective Agency. In fact, her role sort of reminded me of the ones Yuriko Hoshi played in Godzilla vs. the Thing (1964) and Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964). She isn't even afraid to dole out a few slaps when getting some sass from a young female she's trying to help.

Shirakawa is asked by a prominent family to look into the background of the man their daughter Midori wants to marry. The daughter's suitor seems to be the character played by Akihiko Hirata, who also goes against type in this film, playing a crude and somewhat slovenly louse. In one scene, Hirata uses a child's dart gun to shoot a dart at the rear end of a female co-worker. However, in a surprising twist, it turns out that it's playboy Yoshio Tsuchiya who's the real villain of the film.

And what a villain he is. The film pulls no punches in showing what a cad he is with women. I won't go into details, but let's just say that Harvey Weinstein probably saw this movie and took notes. Shirakawa is hot on his trail, though, and even gets an assist from her partner, Tsuyoshi Kinoshita (played by Kenji Sahara) in her pursuit. Sahara plays a character who is good-hearted but bumbling and jealous, hardly the stuff of the leading-man roles he usually got around this time.  

Today's movies screened at the National Film Archive. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The film ends when Shirakawa and Tsuchiya enter a hotel room together with a hidden recording device planted there to record Tsuchiya's misdeeds. Sahara is monitoring the encounter in an adjoining room, but his aforementioned jealousy often crops up when listening to their rendezvous. The movie gets a little dark during the climax, as Tsuchiya tries to "MeToo" Shirakawa. Sahara comes to the rescue, and a big brawl ensues. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, it's not handled quite that seriously and ends with Tsuchiya's jilted lover breaking a vase over his head to comedic effect. 

What an unusual movie! I'm really glad I saw this one, as I got to see all four leads playing against type. It was also fun seeing Shirakawa play a character who drove the story but was still able to maintain her femininity and sensuality. Very well done.

Almost immediately after the movie ended, Gorath started. I should point out that both films were screened in 35mm, and both films looked fantastic. I hardly noticed a flaw. They almost looked like 4K digital remasters, but they were advertised as 35mm, so I'm going to take their word for it.

I hadn't seen Gorath in many years -- maybe more than 20. I watched it quite a few times in the 1990s, and I guess you lose the impulse to watch a movie when you know it like the back of your hand. I still think the movie is quite good, but I did find that it was just a bit too talky with a few too many bland characters (played by Ryo Ikebe, Ken Uehara, and even Takashi Shimura) taking up too much screen time. I also found Magma's death scene surprisingly sad. I'm not sure how the filmmakers wanted me to feel seeing the bloody carcass of a creature that was hardly a monster lying dead after getting killed by laser beams, but it sure wasn't good. 

Overall, though, I did enjoy it. I just don't find it as successful as The Mysterians (1957) or even Battle in Outer Space (1959). It's got a great cast, and Akira Kubo really shines in it, but it gets a bit bogged down too often in talkiness to be considered one of the greats, in my humble opinion.

Oh, and while I was checking out the National Film Archives' horror movie poster gallery, I saw this sign posted as I was buying my ticket. It's for this kaiju-themed letterpress card collection. I didn't buy it, but I thought it was worth sharing.

YANAGI PARK! Rediscovering a 'Godzilla vs. Megalon' Filming Location!

Signage at Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Friday, March 10, I returned to Suzukakedai Station in Machida, Tokyo, for the first time in almost exactly eight years. The reason was simple: I wanted to revisit a Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) filming location. The location in question is Yanagi Park (Willow Park in English), which is about a five-minute walk from the station.

More signage for Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was where the scene in which Rokuro (Hiroyuki Kawase) is kidnapped by the Seatopian agents while riding his Baby Rider. The location can also be seen when Hiroshi Jinkawa (Yutaka Hayashi) tries to catch up with the kidnapped brothers Goro Ibuki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) and Rokuro in his car, just before getting chased by other Seatopian agents. 

Even more signage for Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I first visited the location in March 2015, I didn't have much to go on, other than I knew that a sign for Yanagi Park could be seen in the movie. But the area had changed so much in the previous decades that it was just about impossible for me to look for actual shooting spots. As a result, I didn't think much about Yanagi Park for years after that and simply moved on to other things.

The Spirit of Willow monument in Yanagi Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After revisiting Tsukushino Park Road last week (which, by the way, is just one station down from Suzukakedai Station), however, I decided to research Yanagi Park again to see if I might be able to uncover any new details. As luck would have it, I was able to find a couple of comparisons of shots from the film and the present-day park made by Japanese fans interested in Showa-era shooting locations that basically solved the puzzle for me.  

The sidewalk on which Rokuro (Hiroyuki Kawase) rides his Baby Rider. Photo by Brett Homenick.

When I got to the park, it was easy for me to find the shooting spots. Obviously, a lot has changed in the last 50 years, but you can still sort of see the resemblance, at least in terms of the general slope of the road next to the park on which the Seatopian agents drive their car in the film. However, the real key to unlocking the mystery was the placement of the Spirit of Willow (Yanagi no Sei) monument. This monument can be seen very briefly when Rokuro is kidnapped, but it is much clearer when Hiroshi Jinkawa is driving past it after escaping his Seatopian captor. 

Yanagi Park's low-lying plaza. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The presence of the monument in the scenes removed any doubt in my mind about the authenticity of the spot as a shooting location for Godzilla vs. Megalon. It really sealed the deal for me. So it put to rest a years-long mystery, and it gave me a fun afternoon during which I was able to walk where Rokuro, Jinkawa, and various Seatopians once drove their respective vehicles.

Another shot of the sidewalk used in Megalon. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Yanagi Park opened on November 11, 1971, which would have made it about a year old at the time Megalon was filmed there. The area in general was just starting to be developed at the time, and it is almost completely unrecognizable now.

The intersection at which the Seatopian agents hastily turned after kidnapping Rokuro. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another bit of trivia is that the plaza you can partially see in one of the photos above (which is lower than the surrounding area) is also used as a regulating pond in order to help prevent the area from flooding during torrential downpours. So the park is not just used to preserve Godzilla history.

I probably don't need to tell you how cool it was to see these shooting spots at long last. I remember being a bit disappointed during my first visit here because I simply couldn't recognize anything from the movie. But this trip more than makes up for whatever disappointment I may have felt back then.

I look forward to paying another visit here in the future. It is certainly well worth checking out again, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Megalon!

Godzilla Stomps Back into the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku!

The new Godzilla display in the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As of now, the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku has a new Godzilla display that can be seen on the eighth floor of the hotel. Best of all, you don't need to be a guest to check it out. I can't even remember the last time I visited the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, but I believe it was before the pandemic. Great to be back!

Saying Goodbye to the Laputa Asagaya's Science Fiction Film Festival with 'Espy'!

Signage for Espy (1974) at the Laputa Asagaya. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Well, I couldn't resist. On the last night of the Laputa Asagaya's Science Fiction Film Festival (Friday, March 10), I just had to go one last time, taking in the final screening of 1974's Espy (as well as that of the film festival itself) in 35mm. Naturally, they screened the same print, so the same flaws remained, though it was still quite watchable. 

I had a lot of fun watching it, just like I did a few days ago, but knowing it was the very last screening of the film program was a real downer. In fact, when I left theater after the movie, the poster you see in the above photo was already taken down. Sigh.

I should also mention that tokusatsu music played in the theater lobby before the screening, and, for about 10 minutes before each movie started, tokusatsu-themed music was piped into the theater itself. The lobby always seemed to be playing music from Goke Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), while the theater would always play the theme from Varan the Unbelievable (1958), among other selections. The choice of Varan music was a bit head-scratching, as that wasn't one of the featured films. Anyway, it was fun stuff.

I sure won't miss battling late-night trains in and around Shinjuku to get to and from the theater, but I certainly will miss everything else about it. I'm really glad I caught each movie on the program at least once -- and even catching Goke and Espy twice! As you can imagine, I'd say those were my two favorites of all nine titles. 

Many thanks to the Laputa Asagaya for hosting one heck of a sci-fi film festival!