Terayama Shuji's films

[Michael Fitzhenry]

Just a quick note to reply to both the original request and the comments 
by Michael Raine. As you probably already know Image Forum started off 
at Terayama's theatre in Shibuya in 1970, or there abouts (the Tenjo 
Gekijo ?), and Terayama was a contrbutor to their first, and some 
subsequent festivals.  Image Forum have copies of the original programs, 
what was screened, and who was involved in those early programs.  They 
also released a 5 (or so) video collection plus book of Terayama's 
experimental film and video works through their publishing company 
(although it does not include the famous Video Letter, which was left 
incomplete after his death). In 1995 (I think) Image Forum held a large 
retrospective program in their annual festival which included many films 
by Terayama (you can probably get the catalogue from them). The Image 
Forum magazine contains retrospective reviews, articles etc and is worth 
looking through.

I wrote my thesis on 1970s Japanese Experimental Film, which includes a 
section on Terayama and submitted to Sydney University (where I am a 
postgraduate student).  Sydney University library (Fisher) holds the 
video collection (plus book), so I think you can borrow it from them on 
inter-library loan (to the University of Tasmania).  There is also a 
special edition of Eureka magazine devoted to Terayama, which includes 
articles that to some degree answer Michael Raine's 
questions/suggestions. I have this, so if you send me an e-mail I will 
photocopy the Contents pages and send it to you in Tasmania if you like.

I should also mention that Leslie Stern (of the University of New South 
Wales) has written about Terayama in English.  Although it is a short 
article.  As she does not read Japanese it is based on her own 
observations of the Films (Emperor Tomato ketchup) and her conversations 
with Image Forum.

Of course, Terayama himself is the author of many books that are, to 
some degree, about film. In addition to the Eureka edition, there are 
lots of special issues of magazines which take up some aspect of 
Terayama (the poet, the theatre director/actor, the script writer).  His 
complete works are also available (Terayama Shuji Zenshu, or something 
like that).

In terms of Terayama's involvement with the Film Industry, I think it 
would be necessary to look into his involvement with the Art Theatre 
Guild (ATG) as I think all of the films made outside his own theatre 
company were ATG productions.  The episode of the making of The Story of 
O is also interesting (co French production) and worth looking into.

I am under the impression there is an American graduate student working 
on Terayama and in Japan at the moment.  I also remember somebody 
mentioning him in a self-introduction, so perhaps you, or somebody, 
could put your student in contact with them.

Anyway, I hope this is useful and not just rehashing things you already 
know. Best of luck to your student,
Michael Fitzhenry (University of Sydney, Art History and Theory)

>From: Michael Raine <michael-raine at uiowa.edu>
>Reply-To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>Subject: Re: Terayama Shuji's films
>Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 01:40:37 -0600
>
>Terayama-scripted and directed films include at least Sho o sute yo 
machi
>ni deyo and Bokusa. But why restrict your student to just these films?
>Terayama's scripts for Shinoda Masahiro's first films are also well 
worth
>studying. What, by the way, do people regard as the best book on 
Terayama?
>I"m particularly interested in something that would cover his early
>involvement in the film industry. Why/how he ended up writing scripts 
at
>Shochiku, for example. 
>
>Michael
>
>At 03:07 PM 3/23/99 +1100, you wrote:
>>I have just rejoined the list, having taken on the teaching of a unit 
in
>>Japanese film as part of our Asian Studies major.
>>I have a graduate student who proposes to study Terayama Shuji's films 
ie
>>the ones he scripted and directed himself. Somehow I have acquired the 
idea
>>that Terayama Shuji only scripted and directed two films, Saraba 
Hakobune
>>and Denen ni Shisu. I wonder if someone would be prepared to enlighten 
me
>>on that. I would also be most grateful  for bibliographic advice (in
>>Japanese and English) from anyone studying Terayama's films.
>>Maria Flutsch
>>School of Asian Languages and Studies
>>University of Tasmania
>>GPO Box 252-91
>>Hobart Tas 7001
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com