Ishii Sogo, Kurosawa Kiyoshi request

[Steven Spinali]

Don Brown wrote:

A side note: I find it hard to understand why Japanese distributors
are 
> issuing DVDs of internationally known Japanese films ("Tetsuo: The Iron 
> Man", "Chinpira" etc.) with little more than the obligatory trailer 
> selection, and little other supplementary material let alone subtitles 
> yen after tax.  I'd appreciate it if these companies would cease regarding 
> the medium as a cash cow or a more durable alternative to VHS.
> Don Brown

Don, 

Good questions. It's interesting that Hong Kong, under British
protectorate, was obligated to subtitle all their films -- which
resulted in international popularity. There's no reason why Japanese
films wouldn't benefit from the same treatment.

A six-film neo-eiga series in Berkeley recently sold out with lines
out the door. Japanese marketers should be aware that there's a strong
demand for their films from non-Japanese audiences, whether they
believe it or not.

Steve