Lost In Translation

Wildlife

When I first heard about actor Paul Dano's adaptation of Richard Ford's novel, I decided to read Ford's book first since I was a fan. It was a powerful book about the dissolution of a family in Montana during a summer of forest fires. Dano's film Wildfire (2018) captures the essence of the novel while creating something that is unique from the novel. The story is told from the perspective of an adolescent, Joe (Ed Overbould). His father Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a restless man who decides to leave the family to fight the forest fires-his wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan in a remarkable performance) has an odd reaction to these changes. It is a very competent directorial debut and a well-made family drama.

A Lustful Man

When I came across A Lustful Man (1961), an early period film directed Yasuzo Masumura-an under-rated director of the New Wave era, I was intrigued by the setting since I associate him with films set in contemporary Japan. It was a vehicle for 60s stars Raizo Ichikawa and Ayako Wakao based on a novel by Saikaku Ihara known for racy accounts of the financial and amorous affairs of the merchant class. Perhaps, Masumura saw it as a critique of the then current postwar economic boom to be successful at any cost. (A theme in earlier films such as Giants and Toys and Black Test Car) Here we have a character, Yonosuke (Ichikawa) who only cares for women and pleasure contrasted with his miserly penny pinching father (Ganjiro Nakamura) who hoards his money and dies unhappy. However, I was put off this film mostly by the over-the-top foppishness of the lead Ichikawa and the color film choice for this films exposes the shabbiness of the costumes and make-up especially the chomage shaved heads of the younger actors. This film strikes me as curiosity in the Masumura oeuvre more than anything-not his best work.

The Spirit Of The Beehive

Victor Erice's film The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973) is often regarded as one of the best Spanish films of all-time. It is also heralded as one of the best films about children. The performances form the two young girls playing sisters are remarkable. And that is the most powerful aspect of the film, but it is also to be said to be a political allegory since it was made after the end of Franco's military dictatorship. There's a great set piece about a traveling cinema that shows the James Wale Frankenstein from 1931 starring Boris Karlof. That experience becomes something of a touchstone for the young Ana (Ana Torrent). There is some excellent cinematography from cinematographer Luis Cuadrado that gives the film a distinctive look as well.

Dairy Of A Shinjuku Thief

Nagisa Oshima's Diary Of A Shinjuku Thief (1969) is not a conventional film. In this film the artist, Tadnori Yokoo plays “Birdey Hilltop”-a book thief who is caught by Umeko (Rie Yokoyama), who we later discover is merely posing as an employee in one of the film’s many acts of role play. Umeko drags the shoplifting Birdey up to see her “boss”, Mr. Tanabe (the real life boss of Kunokuniya playing “himself”) but he isn't interested in pursuing the matter and and send them on a journey. Oshima is obviously making some sort of statement about sexuality, but what it is I am not certain. I suspect there is some sort of societal criticism lurking in the film as well. Various guides appear during the journey including some counterculture types playing themselves such as Juro Kara. Oshima uses intertiitles to comment on the action throughout the film and sparing uses color at random points in the film as well. Perhaps the documentary footage and Shinjuku locations were of most interest to me-the Kunokuniya bookstore building still exists and operates on the south side of the station. It is a challenging film, and not among my favorites of Oshima.

They Drive By Night

Raoul Walsh's They Drive By Night (1940) is something of a hard-boiled classic. George Raft (Joe) and Humphrey Bogart (Paul) star as truck driving brothers who end up in business with a crooked moll Ida Lupino (Lana). Lana has her sights on Joe and off her husband and go to great lengths to get him in her clutches. However, things don't go as planned for her. It's an entertaining film from the man who also directed another film noir classic White Heat.

Between The World And Me

Ta-Nehisi Cole's Pulitzer Prize award winning book Between The World And Me (2015) is a modern day invective American society that is on par with the best of James Baldwin. In this extended essay written as a letter to his son, Cole reflects on his life growing up as a black man in Baltimore and takes a look around him at the current state of American society and how it is still a dangerous place for African American men -thus for his son. It is a short but powerful and timely read about race and American society.

The Betrayal

The 60s in Japan was truly a golden age when you saw highly skilled second tier genre directors like Tokuzo Tanaka making artistic B movies, like The Betrayal (1966). I am familiar with Tanaka for his work on the Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi series (New Tale of Zatoichi, Zatoicihi the Fugitive, and Zatoichi's Vengeance). Here he uses his classic skills (learned as a second unit director under Akira Kurosawa for Rashomon) in a Raizo Ichikawa samurai vehicle. The film questions samurai values in a way that calls to mind great films such as Kobayashi's Hara Kiri. However, this one is more conventional in setting the scene for massive body counts of defeated foes by Ichikawa. The Kiso Valley on location shooting is a marvel as are Tanaka's classic framing and dynamic camera work.

Red Sparrow

Red Sparrow (2018) starring Jennifer Lawrence is an entertaining spy thriller. It is a cold war spy story about a Russian double agent (Lawrence) and her romance with an American spy, Joel Edgerton. It was well-made and has a great ensemble cast. The film feels overlong and drags at points, but the plot twists at the end feel earned.

Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas

Okinawa is a fascinating place as it sits between Japan and China and has elements of both cultures and has been the home of US military bases since the end of WWII. This book Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas provides insight into the post war condition of the Ryukyu Islands at the southern most part of the Japanese archipelago. There are two novellas: The Cocktail Party by Tatsuhiro Oshiro and Child of Okinawa by Mineo Higashi. However, the introduction and afterword by translator Steve Rabson are enlightening with the historical and cultural context in which these works were written. The principal characters in the first story, "The Cocktail Party" by Oshiro, are an Okinawan, a Japanese, a Chinese, and an American who are friends and have several cross-cultural discussion about events that take place over the story. The biggest being the rape and prosecution for bodily harm of the Okinawan's teenage daughter with an American soldier. These political and cultural questions weigh in more heavily than literary devices. I have read this was turned into a play and see how that might have been a more effective vehicle for this particular story. In fact, it would probably make a compelling film as well. The second story is a more conventional coming of age story about Tsuneyoshi a preadolescent boy who is unhappy about his current living conditions-he lives in a town that serves the American military base and his parents run a bar with girls for sale and when there is a need for two simultaneous beds he is usurped. He has to do chores, deliver papers, and attend school where is looked down on by teachers and students alike. He dreams of escape to a desert island like Robinson Crusoe the hero of his favorite book. As pointed out by Rabson, these stories are both journeys that lead to separation from the communities in which they feel marginalized. These are powerful stories that reflect the contentious and diverse culture of Okinawa in the face of American military economic occupation. 

Fukui, Fukui

As usual I have some dead time in between my last class and my last test date (9 days), so I decided to go on a short trip in Japan to one of the prefectures I haven't been to yet (this is my 44th out of 47)-Fukui on the Japan Sea side of Honshu near Kyoto and Ishikawa. I also decided to save some money so I took a ¥5000 night bus for the first time in 20 some years.

The first thing I did was eat a hearty breakfast of Sauce katsudon, a local specialty, since I was planning to do some major sightseeing before checking into my hotel later in the afternoon.

At first i had planned to go to Fukui's famous Dinosaur Museum, but the kindly staff at the station informed me it was closed on the 23rd of each month-today!

I decided to visit a famous temple instead and this was photo of an old brick building with mountains in the background taken en-route.

The monk residence at Eiheiji temple ("The Temple of Eternal Peace").

The approach.

The overgrown moss was exceptional.

Back at Fukui station to go north to visit a castle.

First some Fukui soba-it's know for their soba that comes from fresh clean water from the yearly snows of winter.

Maruoka castle is one of twelve original castles that still remain in Japan.

More dinosaurs at Fukui station, time to check into the hotel.

The Fukui castle ruins.

Old style European house in Fukui.

Pre-dinner beer and appetizers.

Another interesting looking restaurant in Fukui.

I found a gem in Fukui, Rice Bar.

Getting into the nihomshu.

Appetizer set.

It's colder here than Tokyo-so atuskan (heated nishonshu).

More appetizers.

Another nihonshu stop.

Service oden.

One last attraction, Yokokan Garden.

Nothing like ramen on a cold snowy day, it is significantly colder in Fukui than Tokyio.