In a late contender for series of the year, New York’s Japan Society has given programming carte blanche to Shiguéhiko Hasumi––a critic, theorist, and scholar who also served as mentor to Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The result is Shiguéhiko Hasumi: Another History of the Movie in America and Japan, which runs from October 9 to 18 and features films by his students Kurosawa and Shinji Aoyama, Robert Aldrich, Ozu, Naruse, Mizoguchi, Michael Mann, John Ford, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who said the following about Hasumi:
“It would not be an exaggeration to say that Hasumi, in one sense, made contemporary Japanese cinema, particularly since the collapse of the studio system. Introducing the greatness of his work is essential to understanding what is happening in Japanese film today.”
Somehow even more laudatory is Pedro Costa, who offered this perspective:
“Hasumi-san’s accounts are material and precise: he deciphers the conduit of an actor through a space, he reflects on a certain gesture or action being sped up or slowed down, he considers the balance of contradictory tensions in a sequence… Hasumi-san is the only writer who writes as a filmmaker works: he’s one of us.”
See descriptions of each title (plus a live event) below and gets tickets here:
…All the Marbles (California Dolls)
Saturday, October 18th at 5:30 PM
Dir. Robert Aldrich, 1981, 113 min., 35mm, color. With Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick, Laurene Landon.
Imported 35mm Print. The final film directed by Kiss Me Deadly’s Robert Aldrich is an unexpectedly intimate and amusing road picture set in the arena of women’s sports. Aldrich casts Peter Falk as the fast-talking, no-frills Harry Sears, second-rate manager of the California Dolls, who banks the tag-team wrestling duo’s last bid for fame on a championship match in Reno, Nevada. With Harry’s cheap theatrics and the Doll’s professional talent, …All the Marbles aims for sincerity with its flawed, human characters who gamble their futures for a depressed American Dream, amid a shuffle of diners, low-rent motels and empty highway stretches. Lifting from Abe Polonsky’s script for John Garfield’s ’47 boxing drama Body and Soul—something Aldrich would also do for his earlier The Longest Yard—Aldrich’s ringside spectacle culminates in a thrilling final match. Declared “the most noble sports film since Raoul Walsh’s Gentleman Jim” in a contemporaneous review by Hasumi.
Beautiful New Bay Area Project
「ビューティフル・ニュー・ベイエリア・プロジェクト」(Byu-tifuru Nyu Beieria Purojekuto)
Friday, October 10 at 9:30 PM
Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2013, 29 min., DCP, color. With Mao Mita, Tasuku Emoto, Jinsei Morishita.
Commissioned by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which tasked four filmmakers with making short-length pieces using “beautiful” as a theme, Kiyoshi Kurosawa delivers surprising results with this off-kilter unrequited rom-com turned action flick. Arriving at a bayside wharf to survey the site for future development, Amano (Tasuko Emoto), a young, aimless scion and president of a redevelopment company, becomes infatuated with beautiful laborer Takako. Rebuffing his advances, Takako takes measures into her own hands when Amano immaturely responds, fighting for her name within the banal architecture of a Tokyo office space. Screening with Le Petit Chaperon rouge with an introduction by William Carroll.
The Boston Strangler
Thursday, October 16th at 9:00 PM
Dir. Richard Fleischer, 1968, 116 min., DCP, color. With Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy.
Richard Fleischer’s 1968 procedural documents a fictionalized portrayal of the sensationalist proceedings of the early ’60s Boston Strangler murders. Under directive to lead a new investigative bureau, straight-laced law professor John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) probes any tip or lead—scrutinizing every reprobate and outcast living under Boston’s dreary overcast skies—in a desperate attempt to find a culprit. Fleischer and cinematographer Richard H. Kline employ elaborately-framed, multi-panel split-screen compositions, proffering up suspenseful, real-time sequencing alongside disorienting pans and zooms to anticipate the imminence of violence. Shifting partway through into a psychological study, one commanded by Tony Curtis’ tortured performance, The Boston Strangler is Fleischer at his most precise and effective—a film championed not only by Hasumi but also acolyte Kiyoshi Kurosawa who would knowingly adopt a similar structure for his eerie ’90s policier Cure.
Collateral
Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM
Dir. Michael Mann, 2004, 120 min., 35mm, color. With Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Michael Mann’s textured urban thriller transpires one sleepless Los Angeles night, its luminous stretch populated by a blur of headlights and a vast skyline overhead. Hailed by silver-haired Vincent (Tom Cruise), cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) becomes an unwilling participant in a contract killer’s pre-ordained schedule of five stops—each with an intended target—before the night is out. An expert showcase of Mann’s mastery of the genre, Collateral shapes up to be a piercing tête-à-tête between Cruise’s ruthless and calculating Vincent and Foxx’s neurotic Max. With its mix of innovative, grainy high definition and 35mm formats, coupled with noisy, low-light cinematography, Mann’s lucid nightmare renders the aching transience of his characters, torn asunder and drifting through an ambient cityscape, as they barrel into the unknown with each interminable stop.
Kentucky Pride
Saturday, October 18 at 3:30 PM
Dir. John Ford, 1925, 86 min., DCP, b&w, silent. With Gertrude Astor, J. Farrell MacDonald, Henry B. Walthall.
John Ford once proclaimed, “A running horse remains the finest subject for a motion picture camera,” which accounts for this fascinating, yet overlooked equine silent from the studio craftsman. Told primarily through the perspective of Virginia’s Future, a thoroughbred filly born and raised on Kentucky pasture, Ford’s lovely stable drama tracks the horse through her succession of owners, offering a family saga set in the bluegrass state. Commenting on the film’s capture of horses within its monochromatic palette, Hasumi wrote, “For a brief illusory moment, the real history of cinema is eclipsed. Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey’s pre-cinematic depictions of galloping horses, Auguste and Louis Lumière’s invention of the cinematograph, and Thomas Alva Edison’s development of the Kinetoscope all pale into insignificance. Such is the strange power and appeal of Kentucky Pride.”
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
Dir. Shinji Aoyama, 2008, 35 min., 35mm, color. With Alban Aumard, Lou Castel, Judith Chemla. Friday, October 10 at 9:30 PM
Imported 35mm Print. Invited by Olivier Assayas to shoot a short-length piece in Gennevilliers, France, Shinji Aoyama (Eureka, Sad Vacation) marks the occasion of his French-language debut with a mystifying evocation of the Charles Perrault fairy tale. Twenty-year-old Delphine, inspired by the post ’68 activism of her heritage, approaches a former associate of her grandfather’s to reclaim a part of her collective past. Screening with Beautiful New Bay Area Project with an introduction by William Carroll.
Living on the River Agano
「阿賀に生きる」(Aga Ni Ikiru)
Saturday, October 11 at 8:00 PM
Dir. Makoto Sato, 1992, 115 min., 16mm, color.
Imported 16mm Print. Shot along the lush riverbanks of the Agano River—fondly called “The Aga” by locals—Makoto Sato’s legendary documentary depicts the lives, traditions and livelihoods of an aging community deeply connected to the land. Filmed 27 years after Showa Denko K.K.’s mercury disposal into the region—resulting in the tainting of fish and poisoning of inhabitants, with many victims not officially recognized—Agano avoids an outright focus on the Niigata Minamata disease itself, relaying its history through intertitles, and instead vies to capture the everyday lives of its subjects—their trades, customs and humanity. Studying the waterways, winds, land and its people, Sato and his crew of seven embedded themselves in the vanishing river communities for three years, putting aside their cameras to cultivate and aid in the busy seasons. Not merely a poignant testament to a fading way of life, Sato’s profound debut is a lyrical evocation of the natural world, its valleys, mountains and rivers, and the quiet tragedy that has befallen it and its people.
Small, Slow But Steady
「ケイコ 目を澄ませて」(Keiko, me wo sumasete)
Friday, October 17 at 6:30 PM
Dir. Sho Miyake, 2022, 99 min., DCP, color. With Yukino Kishii, Tomokazu Miura. Q&A with Sho Miyake. Sho Miyake’s COVID-era boxing drama, loosely based on Keiko Ogasawara’s memoir, is a decidedly subtle expression of athletic perseverance and drive. Hearing-impaired boxer Keiko Ogawa, played with striking resilience by Yukino Kishii, sets foot in the world of professional boxing as the pandemic threatens the closure of her historic gym, headed by the gentle Sasaki (Tomokazu Miura, Typhoon Club), a veteran trainer and chairman of the gym who often joins as a silent companion to Keiko’s training routines. With the warm texture of 16mm photography, Miyake’s understated sports film instills a measured yet subdued stoicism—occupying emotional spaces often intuited by Kishii’s own physicality—one not unlike the film’s own English-language title. A Several Futures Release.
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum
「残菊物語」(Zangiku Monogatari)
Friday, October 10 at 6:30 PM
Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1939, 144 min., 35mm, b&w. With Shotaro Hanayagi, Kokichi Takada, Katsuko Mori.
The heir apparent of a renowned kabuki dynasty is encircled by flattery for his insipid performances in Mizoguchi’s beautifully tragic Meiji-era romance set in Tokyo’s bustling theater district. In line to inherit his adoptive father’s illustrious name, Kikunosuke (onnagata actor Shotaro Hanayagi in his film debut) finds companionship with his infant brother’s kindhearted wet nurse Otoku (Kakuko Mori) who does not feign praise, speaking instead with candor. Determined to distinguish himself from an inherited title, Kiku renounces his birthright to master his craft whilst remaining with the devoted Otoku. Achingly realized with flowing long takes which would soon become Mizoguchi’s stylistic trademark, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum marked a turning point in the director’s career with its elegiac articulation of artistry and craft, achieved only through the heartrending pains of personal sacrifice.
That Night’s Wife
「その夜の妻」(Sono Yo No Tsuma)
Saturday, October 11 at 6:00 PM
Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1930, 66 min., 35mm, b&w, silent. With Mitsuko Ichimura, Tokihiko Okada, Chishu Ryu.
Live piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura. With all the hallmarks of an American crime drama, it comes as no surprise that Ozu’s penumbral silent, set over the course of a single night, is Hasumi’s favorite, effusively so, for its “very Hollywoodian” properties. With the simple premise of an honest yet desperate father committing armed robbery in order to treat his ailing daughter, the film retreats then to his movie poster-strewn apartment, where his bedridden child and wife count down the hours for the relief of daybreak, only to be interrupted by a policeman. This affecting drama involves the dynamics of clothing, a “sartorial story” as Hasumi puts it, hitting a notable juncture when the husband’s fedora is placed on his wife by the detective. In a moment of fantastical speculation, Hasumi remarks perhaps Godard had watched this Ozu film, for its match to Breathless’ Jean Seberg outfitted in Belmondo’s fedora.
They Live By Night
Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM
Dir. Nicholas Ray, 1948, 96 min., 35mm, b&w. With Cathy O’Donnell, Farley Granger, Howard Da Silva.
In the dusty backroads of the Deep South, Nicholas Ray’s impassioned American myth unfolds a tale of innocence as star-crossed lovers head for the open road, away from the long arm of the law. Escaping from the penitentiary, three fugitives—Farley Granger’s doe-eyed Bowie among them—make passage to a safe house where the diffident Keechie (Cathy O’Donnell) resides. After a bank job goes awry, Bowie and Keechie elope under the cover of night. Ray’s masterful direction imbues the film with a poetic naturalism, one brought to life by the sensitive performances of its young leads whose roadside journey forms an evocation of their tender-hearted dreams. With a lyrical romanticism eclipsed only by its forlorn tragedy, They Live By Night finds a love held true, even in the sobering elucidations of daybreak.
Tokyo Drifter
『東京流れ者』(Tokyo Nagaremono)
Thursday, October 9 at 9:15 PM
Dir. Seijun Suzuki, 1966, 82 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Tamio Kawaji.
In this deliriously unhinged yakuza film, a recently paroled ex-con attempts to go straight but is immediately hounded by former cohorts and rivals who want him dead. A highlight of 1960s avant-pop Japanese cinema replete with over-the-top set design from art director Takeo Kimura and swinging enka ballads performed by actor-singer Tetsuya Watari, Tokyo Drifter displays the full breadth of Suzuki’s unique visual style and surreal sensibilities.
Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro
「鶴八鶴次郎」(Tsuruhachi Tsurujiro)
Friday, October 17 at 9:30 PM
Dir. Mikio Naruse, 1938, 88 min., 35mm, b&w. With Kazuo Hasegawa, Isuzu Yamada, Kamatari Fujisawa.
Imported 35mm Print; Introduction by Sho Miyake. Naruse’s wartime backstage drama set during the Meiji era concerns the musical tandem of Kazuo Hasegawa’s tayu (singer) Tsurujiro and Isuzo Yamada’s shamisen player Tsuruhachi—a performing duo growing ever popular onstage yet curtailed by their own tempestuous offstage relationship, characterized by an endless cycle of infighting and reconciliations. Declaring their affection for one another, the pair gets engaged, only for pride and jealousy to get in the way. Hasumi has praised Naruse’s ability to portray “seemingly ordinary scenes of a man and woman in an intimate relationship walking side by side,” particularly in the mist-laden confessional shot under rustling trees midway through the picture.
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
「偶然と想像」(Guzen To Sozo)
Saturday, October 11 at 3:00 PM
Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2021, 121 min., DCP, color. With Kotone Furukawa, Ayumu Nakajima, Hyunri.
Partly inspired by Eric Rohmer’s process of producing short-length works, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s playful triptych of coincidence, chance and imagination remains a standout in the filmmaker’s filmography, vibrant in its playfully excursive meanderings. Ruminations on modern existence are framed across three delightful episodes entitled Magic, Door Wide Open and Once Again wherein a young model discovers her friend is seeing an old flame; a novelist finds himself seduced by a former student; and old acquaintances reunite by chance encounter. Erotic, beguiling and often surprising, Hamaguchi entreats one to observe the miraculous fortuities of life and its intervening properties of fate, love and recollection—all the while accompanied by the animated pianoforte works of Robert Schumann.
TALK/SCREENING EVENT:
On Hasumi and Ford
Saturday, October 18 at 8:00 PM
Approx. 90 min.
Free Event. Equally known for his work on John Ford as Ozu, this rare talk event features a discussion on Hasumi and Ford with acolyte Sho Miyake, 2025 winner of Locarno’s prestigious Pardo d’oro, followed by a brief recorded lecture from Hasumi and a rare screening of Miyake and Hasumi’s John Ford montage film.
John Ford and Throwing—Complete Edition
「ジョン・フォードと『投げること』完結編」(Jon Fodo To Nagerukoto Kanketsuhen) Dir. Shigehiko Hasumi, Sho Miyake, 2022, 60 min., DCP, color.
Produced by the Film School of Tokyo for educational use, John Ford and Throwing—Complete Edition accompanies Hasumi’s own writings on Ford. Co-directed together with Sho Miyake, Hasumi’s directorial debut puts together an assemblage of throwing sequences from across John Ford’s filmography.
The post Exclusive: Japan Society Announces October Series Shiguéhiko Hasumi: Another History of the Movie in America and Japan first appeared on The Film Stage.
