Somai Shinji

[Aaron Gerow]

There was a lot of rather heated discussion about the tragedies that 
occurred in the United States, some of which was bordering on exceeding 
the rules of manner that exist on this non-moderated list.  Things were 
not so bad that I had to step in as co-owner of the list, and I want to 
thank members for agreeing to calm down in the end.  There are important 
things to discuss about the incident, even in relation to Japanese cinema 
and media, but perhaps we should wait a few days before doing that.

Unfortunately, in all the discussion, one bit of news that Dick 
Stegewerns kindly forwarded was largely ignored: the death of Somai 
Shinji.  At 53, having just released one film (Kazahana) and preparing 
another, Somai was far too young to die.  His death was significantly 
reported here because of his stature in Japan, a fame that unfortunately 
has not spread abroad.

In my mind (and in the minds of many others), Somai was the best and most 
influential Japanese director of the 1980s. This is arguable, but not 
only did he produce masterpieces like Taifu kurabu, Shonben raida, and 
Ohikkoshi, his long shot long take style had, through several variations, 
a profound influence on film in the 1990s.  Perhaps because his early 
work was for Kadokawa and in the genre of idol movies, his films were 
mostly not sent abroad, unlike Morita or Itami, who came to represent 
Japanese cinema's 1980s for most foreign viewers.

Somai's films were all, in some ways, about death, his magnificent camera 
movements themselves gaining energy from the tense feeling that when the 
camera stops, death will occur. He was apparently planning an 
autobiographical film when he died, to star Takenaka Naoto as Somai.  
Takenaka reportedly promised Somai before he died that he will film that 
movie. Perhaps, then, Somai's perpetually moving camera has stopped with 
his death, but his immense influence will continue in the still-running 
cameras of others.

Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
KineJapan list owner
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