WAITING ON THE WEATHER

[Peter Grilli]

All Kurosawa fans should rejoice in the recent publication of the English
translation of Teruyo Nogami's book TENKI-MACHI or "Waiting on the Weather."
Nogami was Akira Kurosawa's chief assistant for nearly fifty years -- from
RASHOMON to MAADA-DAYO, his last film.  Her lifelong passion for films began
with her childhood correspondence with director Mansaku Itami, and she
looked after his son Juzo Itami when he was a small child.  She began work
with Kurosawa as a script-girl and later served as one of his producers,
all-round assistant, and -- some might say -- "alter ego."   No one spent
more time with Kurosawa than Nogami, and no one knew the "Kurosawa-gumi" (or
Kurosawa family of actors, film artists and technical assistants) better
than she did.

Nogami's  book is a superb collection of short, informal essays about myriad
aspects of working with Kurosawa.   Every great director should be so lucky
as to have an assistant like this observing and recording so many incidents
and practical details of the creative process of making a movie -- and doing
it with affection, profound understanding, and even a kind of objectivity.
Kurosawa the filmmaker is fully here, with all his complex humanity, genius
and warts and everything in between!

Teruyo Nogami is considered something of a "goddess" in the Japanese film
world.  Her range of experience is extraordinary and her insights are
invaluable.  She is a tough and classy lady, with incredible intelligence,
compassion, wit and generosity of spirit.  She has been a close friend of
mine since the late 1970s, and her friendship is something that I treasure.

Nogami's book is a real treat for anyone interested in Japanese movies and
in moviemaking in general.
Mark Schilling has published a review of the book and also an interview with
Nogami in today's Japan Times.  His articles can be found at:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20070118i1.html

and

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20070118a1.html

(Marty Gross also posted a notice about this book to Kine-Jun several weeks
ago.  Just to make sure that didn't get lost in the pre-Christmas holiday
rush, I just want to add my recommendation to his.)

WAITING ON THE WEATHER can be found in bookstores and ordered through Amazon
and all other book outlets, and it can be ordered from the publisher, Stone
Bridge Press:

STONE BRIDGE PRESS, INC.
PO Box 8208
Berkeley, CA 94707
1-800-947-7271
http://www.stonebridge.com


Peter

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Peter M. Grilli
President, Japan Society of Boston
One Milk Street,  Boston, MA 02109
Tel:  (617) 451-0726
Fax: (617) 451-1191
E-mail:  grilli at us-japan.org