Lost In Translation

Affair In The Snow

My recent exploration of the filmography of Japanese New Wave director Yoshihige Yoshida continues to impress with the latest viewing, Affair In The Snow (1968). It is another so-called "anti-melodrama" with his muse and wife-the irreplaceable Mariko Okada as Yuriko, who works at an upscale beauty salon in Saporro in Hokkaido the northern most island of Japan, known for its long cold winters and large snowfall. This film feels much less conventional due to the writing of the other two leads that complete the love triangle: Akira (Yukio Ningawa), the emotive professor and the steady, laid-back former lover Kazuo (Isao Kimura). These two are written as abstract types, Akira represents the pyhsical, he's jealous and prone to outburst and is something of a sexual outlet for Yuriko, While the steadfast Kazuo is a representative of the spiritual-he's impotent, but strong, steady and dependable. As usual there are exquisitely frame compositions throughout. Furthermore, Yoshida uses the blanketed snowfall and other natural gifts of the location shooting in the great north to his advantage throughout this gorgeously filmed movie.

La Ronde

I'm not sure where I read it, but it seems that Max Ophuls is something of a touchstone or inspiration for many contemporary film makers. So I've been waiting to see some of his films to understand his inspiration and influence on contemporary film makers. La Ronde (1950). This is a an adaptation of a scandalous play by Austrian playwright Arthur Shnizitler. And this film is revolutionary or at least ahead of its time with a film about the romantic couplings of a range of people from ordinary folk to the elite in 1900 Vienna. The progressive aspect of the film is an all seeing narrator/voyeur Jacques Natanson, an unnamed, godlike figure, played by Anton Walbrook, who tells the story and sometimes intervenes such as when a particular character has trouble completing his seduction. The broken fourth wall by this character seems very much ahead of its time-I am interested in seeing more of Ophuls' films.

Akitsu Springs

Akitsu Springs (1962) was something of a break for director Yoshshige Yoshida, who must have been a dark horse candidate for this major studio film based on a popular novel from the time.  In 1962 the fledgling New Wave sensation only had three films under his belt before being given this film, Mariko Okada's 100 feature film, which was made in color-Yoshida's first. Two years later Okada and Yoshida would wed and have many more collaborations on screen. The story reminds me somewhat of Osamu Dazai's novel No Longer Human, whose main character has a death wish. Kawamoto (Hiroyuki Nagato) is a student with tuberculosis who is returning to Okayama to evacuate during the war and finds that his aunt has fled to Tottori, however, being too sick to carry on he goes with a worker from a spa in Okayama where he is nursed to health by the spa owner's daughter, Shinko (Okada). He says she has inspired him to live, but he is a morose person who drinks in dissipation and convinces Shinko to commit a double suicide, but she cannot go through with it. over the years he continues to return to Akitsu springs always saying it is his last visit, but he continues to work in Tokyo marries and has a daughter. It is untenable romance that must end tragically. The cinematography is first rate as usual and the location in the mountains of Okayama.

Narcos: Mexico

The first three seasons of Narcos focused on Columbia and Pablo Escobar, the new series, Narcos: Mexico (2018) focuses on the establishment of the first Mexican drug cartel under Felix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna) and the War on Drugs. Again this story is based on reality and modified for drama, both aspects were effective in my mind. It is well established that the good guy, DEA agent Kiki Camarena (Michael Pena), will not survive. As usual there's a strong supporting cast and Juaquin Cosio in particular as Don Neto stands outs. Teresa Ruiz as Colombian contact Isabella is something of a revelation for me-not sure if she has been in any English language projects I have seen. It was also nice to see former Mad Men actor Aaron Staton (Ken Cosgrove) as one of the DEA agents. Also, I always enjoy the impressive location shots interspersed with many drone shots of the beautiful and tragic country. Some critics have criticized the use of documentary footage and news reports from the era-I always appreciate it, as it reminds me that this story is based on real events.

Ministry Of Fear

It has been reported that Fritz Lang thought that his 1944 adaptation of a Graham Greene novel, Ministry Of Fear was a failure. It seems he wanted to rewrite the script so that it followed Greene's novel more closely. The story is about a troubled man who accidently gets caught up in a Nazi spy conspiracy. It seems the film ignored some major plot points and the main character Arthur Rowe (Ray Millard) is not as physiologically complex as his counterpart in the novel who is suffering from having had mercy-killed his wife. However, Lang has made a film that reflects his own distinct cinematic sensibilities. It has the usual impressive cinematography and well-choreographed chase scenes. It is a tight 90 minute thriller that may not be a faithful adaption of Greene's novel, but a cinematic triumph nonetheless.

The Little Drummer Girl

I haven't read many John LeCarre novels, but I have seen plenty of adaptations in the guise of a film or miniseries. I was excited about the latest, The Little Drummer Girl (2018), because it was directed by one of my favorite Korean directors Park Chan-woo (Old Boy and The Handmaiden). The six part miniseries tells the story of a young English actress, Charlie (Florence Pugh), who gets recruited by Mossad to engage in a mission to capture a Palestinian terrorist, Khalil (Charles Ghattas). She is recruited by the handsome and mysterious Gabi (Alexander Skarsgard). The spy circle is run by the enigmatic Kurtz (Michael Shannon). It is a great ensemble piece and Park and his production team do an excellent job of recreating 70s Europe. Furthermore, Park employs some impressive cinematography throughout the series as well as a distinctive color scheme. It was a very satisfying English language debut for the Korean master. 

Freaky Deaky

Elmore Leonard novels have consistently entertaining reads in my experience, and Freaky Deaky (1988) is no exception. It is the story of Detroit bomb squad detective, Chris Mankowski, who gets mixed up with a struggling starlet and some radical ex-hippies, one of which is an expert bomb maker who is being manipulated by a greedy flame form the past. The mark is an alcoholic ex-hippie wanna-be, Woody, who has a massive trust fund and produces cheesy musicals. He is being looked after by his chauffeur/care-taker an ex-Black Panther, Donell, who is also looking to score from his benefactor somehow. I found some of the action less than plausible and Mankowski is no Rayland Givens, but it was an entertaining ride nonetheless.

The Affair

With each 60s era film I see by Yoshishige Yosida the greater my respect for his prowess as a director grows. The latest film I saw was The Affair (1967), starring his wife Mariko Okada as Oriko an a woman unhappily married to a philandering executive. It is an adaptation of a novel by Masaaki Tachihara. It's also a year after her mother's death, and she encounters her mother's lover, a sculptor, Mitsuharu (Isao Kimura) and falls for him. I found the cinematography astounding in this film-inventive and fresh in many ways. For example, there's a rape scene between Oriko and a laborer that is mostly shot through a window in a door that emphasizes the entrapment of Oriko. There's an eerie recurring image of Oriko's mother walking through a vast plain and run over by a driver-less truck. Later in the film there's a scene where Oriko approaches Mistsuharu working on a sculpture outside where her approach is timed with a rock slide in the background. The film is filled with these types of memorable images, Yoshida was certainly one of the masters of Japanese New Wave cinema.

Bar Trench

I've often heard good things about Bat Trench in Ebisu, but every time I've tried to visit it was already fully occupied as there are few seats in the small space. I finally managed to get in and indeed it is a fine bar like its sister shop Tram. I enjoyed an original whisky cocktail called the the Lion's Tail.

The Clinton Affair

Last month I listened to the Slate podcast, Slow Burn 2: The Clinton Impeachment and found it fascinating, but somewhat overly generous to the interview scoop with Linda Tripp-a deplorable person who taped a supposed friend in order to bring down the president. Tripp claims that she was protecting Lewinsky, but in the Alex Gibney produced series, The Clinton Affair (2018), it is much clearer that she had an agenda, she was hoping to get a book deal and was advised by a conservative book agent to tape her conversations with Lewinsky. She also clearly had a dislike for democrats and the Clintons in particular, which resulted in her being ousted from the White House and put in  exile at the Pentagon like Lewinsky. Somehow all this tawdriness somehow has left the door open for an openly lying serial sexual harasser in Trump. It's hard to draw a direct line from Clinton to Trump. And the there's  the over reach of Ken Starr and waste of money and resources to take Clinton down were staggering $70 million dollars spent and no indictments-the Trump administration has steadily been chalking them up and Mueller isn't even close to finishing his investigation-while Trump cries witch hunt all the while. SO basically the most galling thing for me is sanctimoniousness of the those who against Clinton and put up with Trump's lies-pure hypocrisy on the right's part. Trump frequently lies about things of consequence not a personal matter like Clinton and Trump's tax fraud and shady business dealings make Whitewater look like nothing. It's impossible to watch this and not think of the current presidential administration.