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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US">Some very sad news just came in that the pink director Mamoru Watanabe
has passed away. Watanabe was the last surviving member of the pioneering
generation of pinku eiga filmmakers that also included Koji Wakamatsu, Satoru
Kobayashi, Kan Mukai and Kinya Ogawa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US">Born 19 March 1931, Watanabe made his debut with the no-longer-extant <span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Hussy (Abazure) in 1965, and his best known
work in the West is probably Slave Widow (Dorei mibôjin, 1967), which Synapse
Films released on DVD in the US about 5 years ago – I think this actually might
be his only film which has received a legit DVD release outside of Japan, and
it’s also notable for containing an early appearance by Naomi Tani. Watanabe
worked with Naomi Tani a number of times, and the image of her that appears on
the cover of Behind the Pink Curtain is in fact from his 1977 vehicle for her, Naomi
Tani: Tied Up! (Tani Naomi: shibaru!) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">My own personal recollections of him was
interviewing him for my book in Starbucks in Yotsuya, probably around 2004. He
said it was the first time he’d ever been interviewed by a foreign film critic.
I met him again some 5 years later when Nippon Connection in Frankfurt played
his last film as a director, Bed Partner (2009) and a newly subtitled copy of
his Secret Hot Spring Resort: Starfish at Night (Maruhi yu no machi: yoru no
hitode, 1970), a wonderful comic homage to the silent age focusing on a group
of pornographers who make and screen 8mm blue films in a onsen tourist town. It
was one of his best films, alongside Women Hell Song: Shakuhachi Benten (Onna
jigoku uta: shakuhachi benten), made the same year, a sort of sexy Lady
Snowblood variant. I remember Watanabe saying it was the very first time he’d
been to a foreign film festival, and he found the whole experience of
presenting his films to a new generation of filmgoers who had no knowledge or
preconceptions of what a pink film was totally energizing. I was very touched
that he singled out both Alex Zahlten and me for gratitude, for helping to
introduce his work outside of Japan. I later programmed Secret Hot Spring
Resort as part of the pink retrospective I put together for Fantasia in
Montreal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">I know a documentary on his work has recently
been produced, which Japanese readers can find out more about if they follow
this link: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">http://d.hatena.ne.jp/inazuma2006/20121215/p1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Personally he was one of my favourite pink
directors from its first few decades. His films were made with a style quite in
excess of genre requirements, paralleling Noboru Tanaka’s work in the 1970s for
Nikkatsu. It would be wonderful if more people both in and outside of Japan
could see them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:
Helvetica;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">http://d.hatena.ne.jp/inazuma2006/20121215/p1</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<!--EndFragment--><br><br><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="border-collapse:collapse;color:rgb(34, 34, 34);"><div><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="border-collapse:separate;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></div></span></div><div style="font-size:13px;"><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="Tahoma"><b><i><a href="http://www.creepinggarden.com/" target="_blank">The Creeping Garden</a> </i>- A Real-Life Science-Fiction Story about Slime Moulds and the People Who Work With them. </b></font><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family:Tahoma;"><b>Currently in production, directed by Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp. </b></span></div><div style="font-size:13px;"><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="Tahoma"><br></font></div><div style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><b style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:13px;"><i>The </i></b><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10pt;"><b style="font-style:italic;">Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema </b>(2011)</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10pt;"> </span><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family:Tahoma;">is out now from <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810857957" target="_blank">Scarecrow Press</a></span></div><font face="Tahoma" size="2" style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><div><br></div></span></span><span style="font-size:13px;"><b><i>Midnight Eye - Visions of Japanese cinema</i></b><br><font class="ecxApple-style-span" size="2"><a href="http://www.midnighteye.com" target="_blank">http://www.midnighteye.com</a></font><br></span></font><div style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span><br></span></div><div style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><b><i><span>Jasper Sharp, </span><span>writer & film curator</span></i></b></div><font face="Tahoma" style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://jaspersharp.com/" target="_blank" style="font-size:10pt;">http://jaspersharp.com/</a></font></span> </div></body>
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