Sun Legends

[Bill Thompson]

Kine-Japanners   ---

I'm not about to supply a 10-best list today (the last time
I did so, it ended up including 20 films).

However, Yuzo Kawashima's Bakumatsu Taiyo Den,
one of my all time favorites and a virtually unknown film,
will be playing tomorrow (Friday, April 17) at 6:30 PM
at the Japan Society (333 E. 47th St.) in NYC.
The English titles for this film are Sun Legends of the
Last Days of the Shogunate    and   Saheiji Finds a Way.
Twisting traditional humor, Kawashima creates a hero
in a Bakumatsu brothel.  The film was down and dirty
for 1957 and absolutely delightful.  Imamura was an
assistant director on this work, which is closest to
his own films than anything else upon which he assisted
(it will certainly not be confused with Tokyo Story, upon which
Imamura also worked).  I won't say any more about Sun
Legends at this time, but will urge anyone in the New York
area to attend the screening.

Bakumatsu Taiyo Den is the first film in a three film series
BAKUMATSU:  A Time of Turmoil, which
the Japan Society is presenting over consecutive Friday nights.
The other two are Shinoda's enigmatic Ansatsu (Assassination)
and the Okamoto cult film Daibosatsu Toge (Sword of Doom),
cult but not the best version of this story.  They will
begin a recent films from Japan series later in May.  See
http://www.jpnsoc.com/

The few films I've seen by Yuzo Kawashima convince me that he
is an undiscovered master (even though Imamura did write
a book about him).  Does anyone know if there has ever
been a thorough retrospective of his works?


Bill