By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
Fans of J-horror are in for a terrifying treat Friday, March 1, through Thursday, March 14, when New York’s iconic Film Forum presents the 25-film retrospective, JAPANESE HORROR. From silent-era classics such as Teinosuke Kinugasa’s A Page of Madness to Godzilla to 21st-century shockers, the festival chronicles nearly 90 years of Japan’s unique contributions to the genre. Featuring acknowledged classics and seldom-seen rarities, the festival is presented with the cooperation of The Japan Foundation.
The century-spanning retrospective covers major eras and subgenres, including kaidan (ghost stories) and kaiju eiga (monster movies), which have become synonymous with the island nation’s cinema, as well as more contemporary films like Hideo Nakata’s Ringu and Takashi Miike’s Audition that sparked a worldwide obsession with Asian horror in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Film purists take note: Many of these films are restorations and original 35mm prints imported from Japan.
“We’re very excited and proud to be collaborating with Film Forum on the Japanese Horror Festival. From among the genre’s wide variety of vengeful ghosts, sadistic killers and rampaging monsters, we’ve chosen some of the best and most influential J-Horror titles, spanning from the mid-1920s to the early 2000s, including rare films from the Japan Foundation library in Tokyo, says Masaya Shimoyama, Director General of The Japan Foundation, New York, adding, “We invite fans to join us on this terrifying look back at some of the most deranged works by many of Japan’s most prominent directors.”
SPECIAL EVENTS AND INTRODUCTIONS:
Shindō’s Onibaba, introduced by Akinaru Rokkaku and Shun Inoue of The Japan Foundation, New York, on Friday, March 1 (opening night of the festival) at 6:30 pm.
Film Forum staffer Tristan Pollack, grandson of director Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman in the Dunes), will introduce Teshigahara’s bizarre The Face of Another, starring Tatsuya Nakadai (Ran, Kagemusha) and Machiko Kyō (Rashomon), on Saturday, March 2 at 4:20 pm.
Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum Repertory Artistic Director, will compare director Ishirō Honda’s original Japanese version of Godzilla, with the heavily edited, sanitized and Americanized “Raymond Burr version,” following the 6:40 show on Sunday, March 3.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF SCREENINGS:
ONIBABA 鬼婆
Japan, 1964
Directed by Kaneto Shindō
With Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satō
Music by Hikaru Hayashi
Approx. 102 min. 35mm.
Friday, March 1 at 12:15, 6:30*
Saturday, March 2 at 6:50
Monday, March 4 at 3:00
Saturday, March 9 at 12:20
Thursday, March 14 at 7:00
*Introduced by Akinaru Rokkaku and Shun Inoue of The Japan Foundation, New York
THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA 東海道四谷怪談
Japan, 1959
Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa
With Shigeru Amachi, Katsuko Wakasugi, Noriko Kitazawa
Based on the play by Tsuruya Nanboku IV
Cinematography Tadashi Nishimoto
Approx. 76 min. 35mm print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.
Friday, March 1 at 2:30
Saturday, March 2 at 12:20
Thursday, March 7 at 5:40
Thursday, March 14 at 5:20
KURONEKO (BLACK CAT) 藪の中の黒猫
Japan, 1968
Directed by Kaneto Shindō
With Nobuko Otowa, Kiwako Taichi, Kichiemon Nakamura
Approx. 99 min. 35mm.
Friday, March 1 at 4:20
Tuesday, March 5 at 1:00
Monday, March 11 at 7:40
Thursday, March 14 at 9:10
AUDITION オーディション
Japan, 1999
Directed by Takashi Miike
With Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina
Based on the novel by Ryū Murakami
Approx. 113 min. DCP restoration.
Friday, March 1 at 8:40
Sunday, March 10 at 6:10
UGETSU 雨月物語
Japan, 1953
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
With Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka
Based on the novel by Ueda Akinari
Approx. 97 min. DCP restoration.
Sunday, March 3 at 12:40
Wednesday, March 6 at 2:20
Tuesday, March 12 at 2:40
THE FACE OF ANOTHER 他人の顔
Japan, 1966
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Based on the novel by Kōbō Abe
With Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyō
Approx. 124 min. 35mm print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.
Saturday, March 2 at 4:20*
Wednesday, March 6 at 6:30
*Introduced by Tristan Pollack, grandson of director Hiroshi Teshigahara
RINGU リング
Japan, 1998
Directed by Hideo Nakata
With Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rikiya Otaka, Miki Nakatani
Based on the novel by Koji Suzuki
Approx. 95 min. 4K DCP restoration.
Saturday, March 2 at 9:00
Thursday, March 7 at 7:20
MOTHRA モスラ
Japan, 1961
Directed by Ishirō Honda
With Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyōko Kagawa, Jerry Ito
Approx. 101 min. DCP restoration.
Saturday, March 2 at 2:10
Tuesday, March 12 at 9:00
Wednesday, March 13 at 4:20
A PAGE OF MADNESS 狂った一頁
Japan, 1926
Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa
With Masao Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa
Approx. 71 min. DCP restoration.
Sunday, March 3 at 2:40
Live piano accompaniment by Steve Sterner
THRONE OF BLOOD 蜘蛛巣城
Japan, 1957
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
With Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Approx. 110 min. 35mm.
Sunday, March 3 at 4:20
Monday, March 4 at 12:30, 7:40
Tuesday, March 12 at 12:20
GODZILLA ゴジラ
Japan, 1954
Directed by Ishirō Honda
With Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
Approx. 96 min. DCP restoration.
Sunday, March 3 at 6:40*
Monday, March 4 at 4:50
Friday, March 8 at 4:40
Tuesday, March 12 at 5:10
*Followed by a post-film presentation by Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum Repertory Artistic Director, comparing Honda’s original version and The Americanized “Raymond Burr” version
HAUSU ハウス
Japan, 1977
Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
With Kimiko Ikegami, Yōko Minamida
Approx. 88 min. 35mm.
Sunday, March 3 at 8:50
Wednesday, March 6 at 12:20
Friday, March 8 at 2:40
Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00
Wednesday, March 13 at 2:20
KWAIDAN 怪談
Japan, 1964
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
With Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe
Based on a collection of folk tales by Lafcadio Hearn
Approx. 182 min. 35mm print courtesy The Japan Foundation.
Tuesday, March 5 at 3:10
Sunday, March 10 at 3:00
CURE キュア
Japan, 1997
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
With Kōji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa
Approx. 112 min. 35mm print courtesy The Japan Foundation.
Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30
Thursday, March 14 at 2:40
PULSE 回路
Japan, 2001
Directed and written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
With Kumiko Asō, Haruhiko Kato, Koyuki Kato
Approx. 119 min. 35mm print courtesy of The Japan Foundation
Tuesday, March 5 at 8:40
Thursday, March 7 at 2:40
BLIND BEAST 盲獣
Japan, 1969
Directed by Yasuzo Masumura
With Eiji Funakoshi, Mako Midori, Noriko Sengoku
Based on the novel by Edogawa Ranpo
Approx. 86 min. 35mm print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.
Wednesday, March 6 at 4:30
Saturday, March 9 at 7:10
Monday, March 11 at 5:30
Thursday, March 14 at 12:40
THE INVISIBLE MAN VS. THE HUMAN FLY 透明人間と蝿男
Japan, 1957
Directed by Mitsuo Murayama
With Ryuji Shinagawa, Yoshiro Kitahara, Junko Kano, Yoshihiro Hamaguchi
Approx. 96 min. DCP.
Wednesday, March 6 at 9:00
Monday, March 11 at 1:00
BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE 怪談昇り竜
Japan, 1970
Directed by Teruo Ishii
With Meiko Kaji, Hoki Tokuda, Makoto Satō, Ryōhei Uchida,
Approx. 84 min. DCP.
Tuesday, March 7 at 9:20
DEMON POND 夜叉ヶ池
Japan, 1979
Directed by Masahiro Shinoda With Tsutomu Yamazaki, Go Kato, Tamasaburo Bando
Based on the play by Kyoka Izumi
Approx. 123 min. DCP restoration.
Friday, March 8 at 12:15, 8:50
Saturday, March 9 at 4:40
DARK WATER 仄暗い水の底から
Japan, 2002
Directed by Hideo Nakata
With Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata
Based on a short story collection by Koji Suzuki
Approx. 101 min. DCP restoration.
Friday, March 8 at 6:40
Saturday, March 9 at 2:30
JIGOKU 地獄
Japan, 1960
Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa
With Shigeru Amachi, Yoichi Numata, Utako Mitsuya
Approx. 100 min. 35mm print courtesy The Japan Foundation.
Saturday, March 9 at 9:10
Wednesday, March 13 at 12:15, 6:30
YOTSUYA KAIDAN 四谷怪談
Japan, 1959
Directed by Kenji Misumi
Written by Fuji Yahiro
With Kazuo Hasegawa, Yasuko Nakada
Approx. 85 min. 35mm print courtesy of The Japan Foundation.
Sunday, March 10 at 1:10
Monday, March 11 at 3:10
HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN 江戸川乱歩全集 恐怖奇形人間
Japan, 1969
Directed by Teruo Ishii
Based on the novels by Edogawa Rampo
With Teruo Yoshida, Tatsumi Hijikata, Yukie Kagawa, Teruko Yumi
Approx. 99 min. DCP.
Wednesday, March 13 at 8:40
ICHI THE KILLER 殺し屋１
Japan, 2001
Directed by Takashi Miike
Based on the manga series by Hideo Yamamoto
With Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori
Approx. 130 min. DCP restoration.
Sunday, March 10 at 8:30
