January Film Tidbits

A new year film update for you all.

The big item is the April release by Radiance of Seijun Suzuki's return to filmmaking after Branded to Kill, and before the first film in his celebrated Taisho trilogy; yes, Radiance has bragging rights on the world first blu-ray release of his satire: A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness. As far as I am concerned more Suzuki is always good, such a shame Radiance had tried but could not get an HD version of Pistol Opera (I am still gutted).

More obscure perhaps is that the BFI Southbank on the 19th February have a talk on The Japanese House on Film, a talk that explores how Japanese architecture is portrayed in Japanese cinema from 1950 to 1980. This can be combined with a ticket to see Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon. Details here.

Finally, JFF Threatre have shared two interesting articles from a few years back that serve as an introduction to Yakuza movies: part 1 from hero to anti-hero; part 2 covering the yakuza as outsiders.

As always we have to steal a synopsis and here it is courtesy of Radiance:

A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness

The editor of a sports magazine grooms fashion model Reiko (Yoko Shiraki) to become a pro golfer, while retaining exclusive rights to her likeness. Reiko’s popularity soars after she wins her first tournament and she becomes a media sensation, but when she and her manager (Yoshio Harada, Zigeunerweisen) cause a hit-and-run accident, the victim begins to blackmail Reiko, intruding further and further into her personal life. This was Seijun Suzuki’s comeback film after being blacklisted by the film industry for ten years. Though adapted from a popular manga, the bold visuals and absurdist plot twists are vintage Suzuki.