Japanese gay films: Koichi Imaizumi

batgirl@tkb.att.ne.jp batgirl
Wed Jun 28 18:09:40 EDT 2006


Dear Jasper,

Glad to hear that the information helped!

Sarah

On 2006/06/27, at 5:32, J.sharp wrote:

> Thanks a million Sarah. Sorry for the delay in replying ? I was away 
> for the
> weekend. But this clears up the matter entirely, and falls in with 
> what I
> was thinking. I did actually meet Imaizumi a few years ago and all I
> remember was him saying something about working with Yumi Yoshiyuki on 
> some
> films and not being very happy with the way gays are portrayed in gay 
> pink
> films. But yes, I should mail him again for some more info.
> I guess this sort of thing highlights the limitations of the jmdb (not 
> to
> mention that Imaizumi the writer and Imaizumi the actor seem to be 
> listed
> under different entries)
>
> Following on to Marten?s questions:
>> Speaking about gay pink film, has anyone saw Nakamura's Genji 's
>> 'Beautiful Mystery'? Often quoted as one the first gay pink film to 
>> >made,
> is this statement true?
>
> Yes, it was the first gay pink film. It was the first release by the 
> company
> ENK in Osaka, who share the small market with Okura Productions. The 
> film
> was a parody of the years leading up to Mishima?s death in 1970.
> Interestingly, like many of the early ENK it was written by Rokuro
> Mochizuki, of ANOTHER LONELY HITMAN and ONIBI fame.
>
>> In the recent gay pink film, i think 'Sabaku' (2004) was
>> quite interesting, very reminescent of some Satou H. 'brutal flicks'. 
>> >I
> wonder if others releases from ENK company have same qualities..
>
>> From the brief scattering I?ve seen, Japanese gay pinku seems more 
>> brutal
> than the straight pink. Hard to believe audiences really get any 
> pleasure
> out of this, but then again, as Imaizumi seems to suggest, most don?t.
>
>> any hope that Artsmagic bring 'Kamen no Yuwaku' in the US?
>
> To be honest, I would say there?s absolutely no hope at all.
>
>> Takechi Tetsuji
>> - his less known work 'Dream of the Red Chamber' which had problems 
>> >with
> Japanese Censors, his 'Zankoku' dyptic. Were they similar to his >more
> famous works or something more commercial?
>
> As far as I know, like most films of this type from the 60s, the films 
> don?t
> even exist anymore. BLACK SNOW was put out on video in Japan by the 
> company
> Hummingbird, but I am pretty sure there is no print of the original
> DAYDREAM, for example, in Japan ? the US video release by Something 
> Weird,
> like their other pink films, was from a US export print, which appears 
> to be
> the only one left still around.
> All I would say is that Takechi?s films from the 60s are probably
> stylistically very similar to the two that do exist, given they were 
> made on
> a similar budget for a similar market, and also given that his work in 
> the
> 80s which is available hardly suggests any great evolution in his
> filmmaking.
>
> Hope this helps, and thanks again Sarah.
>
> Jasper
>
> --
> Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
> www.midnighteye.com
>
> ===
>
> Available now in bookstores everywhere:
> The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (Stone Bridge Press)
> by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
> http://www.midnighteye.com/features/midnighteye_guide.shtml
> "Easily one of the most important books on Japanese cinema ever 
> released in
> English."
> - Newtype USA
>
>
>
> --------- Original Message --------
> From: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu 
> <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> Subject: Re: Japanese gay films: Koichi Imaizumi
> Date: 25/06/06 10:10
>
>>
>> Hi Jasper,
>>
>> Here's the short story: Imaizumi wrote the script for the Yoshiyuki
>> version, which is a pretty standard representative of its genre as you
> described in your e-mail, then re-shot the film exactly as he had
>> imagined it when he first wrote the script. That second version, the
>> one screened at TILGFF, is the one released by Parasol Peccadillo on
>> DVD in the UK.
>>
>> Website for Imaizumi's production group, Habakari Cinema:
>> http://www.shiroari.com/habakari/
>>
>> Naughty Boys on the Parasol Peccadillo website:
>> http://www.parasolpeccadillo.com/film.php?section=review&amp;id=58
>>
>> The two versions share the same essential storyline, but have a
>> completely different tone and aesthetic (in the spirit of full
>> disclosure, I was involved in making the Imaizumi version.)
>> Imaizumi is really approachable, so you could also e-mail him 
>> directly via
> the Habakari Cinema website to find out more about his version.
>>
>> All the best,
>>
>> Sarah Teasley
>> UMass-Dartmouth
>> batgirl at tkb.att.ne.jp
>>
>> On 2006/06/23, at 13:22, J.sharp wrote:
>>
>> &gt; Hi there,
>> &gt;
>> &gt; I wonder if anyone out there with their ear to the ground in 
>> Japanese
> &gt; indie
>> &gt; filmmaking would be able to help me out of a present muddle, 
>> either
> on &gt; the
>> &gt; list or off.
>> &gt;
>> &gt; It concerns K&amp;#333;ichi Imaizumi, an actor best known for his
>> &gt; appearances in
>> &gt; Hisayasu Sat&amp;#333;?fs films.
>> &gt;
>> &gt; Imaizumi has now been fairly active in the gay pink film circuit,
>> &gt; scripting
>> &gt; several  films released through Okura directed by Yumi Yoshiyuki.
> These
>> &gt; include The Real Face of Men (Otome-tachi no Sugao, 1998),  I Am 
>> Lost
> &gt; in
>> &gt; Love (Boku wa Ai ni Much&amp;#363;, 1999), Naughty Boys (Uwaki na
> Bokura, &gt; 2001)
>> &gt; and Sad, Maybe (Setsunai Kamo Shirenai, 2004) - these are 
>> generally
> my
>> &gt; translations, btw, so they might be a bit off!
>> &gt;
>> &gt; Now, it seems that gay pink films do not screen at the Tokyo Gay 
>> and
> &gt; Lesbian
>> &gt; Film Festival, as they are considered exploitation, not art, but
>> &gt; several of
>> &gt; these titles have done. Having chased up the link for the film
> Naughty &gt; Boys,
>> &gt; it seems that there are two versions of this. The jmdb credits 
>> the
> pink
>> &gt; version as directed by Yoshiyuki, containing many of the gay 
>> cliches
> &gt; that
>> &gt; the bara-zoku sub-genre seems to adhere to, while the version
> screened &gt; at
>> &gt; TGLFF seems to have been completely re-shot by Imaizumi to be a 
>> bit
>> &gt; more
>> &gt; sensitive to gay viewers- I guess this second version is the one 
>> that
> &gt; has
>> &gt; been released on DVD recently in the UK.
>> &gt;
>> &gt; Does anyone know the behind the scenes story behind this? Are 
>> there
> two
>> &gt; versions, and if so, how different are they?
>> &gt;
>> &gt; Thanks (in anticipation),
>> &gt;
>> &gt; Jasper Sharp
>> &gt;
>> &gt; www.midnighteye.com
>> &gt; &gt;
>> &gt; Available now in bookstores everywhere:
>> &gt; The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (Stone Bridge Press)
>> &gt; by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
>> &gt; http://www.midnighteye.com/features/midnighteye_guide.shtml
>> &gt; &quot;Easily one of the most important books on Japanese cinema 
>> ever
>> &gt; released in
>> &gt; English.&quot;
>> &gt; - Newtype USA
>> &gt;
>> &gt;
>> &gt;
>> &gt;
>> &gt; ________________________________________________
>> &gt; Message sent using Hunter Point Online WebMail
>> &gt;
>> &gt;
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> ________________________________________________
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