A Japanese Tragedy! URGENT! 1000s of rare film tapes about to disappear!

[Faith Bach]

Thanks for the thoughts.  Yes, it is catalogued pretty well, as can  
be seen from his website.
Many thanks for all ideas.
Faith
On Dec 27, 2008, at 1:13 AM, <drainer at mpinet.net> wrote:

>
> Maybe someone from a kind institutition could pull some strings and  
> attain funding to initiate a program to digitize his collection,  
> or, if it is properly cataloged, help Mr. Omori present it to  
> special collections archives for donation/sale?
>
> Just some thoughts...
>
> -d
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Faith Bach"  
> <faithbach at yahoo.co.jp>
> To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> Sent: Friday, December 26, 2008 5:22 AM
> Subject: A Japanese Tragedy! URGENT! 1000s of rare film tapes about  
> to disappear!
>
>
>>
>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> To all Kinejapanners enjoying your Xmas, in the spirit of same,
>>> please give a few minutes to this cause, so dear to the hearts of
>>> us all.
>>>
>>> For the last six years Mr Omori, who embodies all that is fine and
>>> noble about the word "geek," has been spending 12 hours a day,
>>> every day,  hunched over his ancient computer in a tiny walk-up
>>> deep in the backstreets of Kyoto, under constant threat of
>>> engulfment by the teetering floor-to-ceiling stacks of literally
>>> several thousands of VTRs of rare old films, both Japanese and
>>> Western.  There is no heat in winter and no AC in summer, for he
>>> can't afford it.  He presides singlehandedly and at great cost to
>>> his health and sanity over his realm of treasures solely so they
>>> can be viewed by all and sundry who have the time and few hundred
>>> yen he charges for his rentals.  These are not ratty old copyright-
>>> protected products either, but all pristine private copies in their
>>> original covers suitable for dubbing off on home machines.  At last
>>> count he had upwards of 7 thousand tapes, roughly half of them
>>> Japanese, which, if you think about it, would account for a very
>>> great hunk, if not close to all, of the old films still extant.
>>> Silents, subtitled versions, practically all of the late lamented
>>> Nihon Eiga Kessaku Zenshu titles in their catalog, including some
>>> "B" gems that nobody has ever heard of, trust me.
>>>
>>> Today, I was shocked to find that most of those films are packed up
>>> in cardboard boxes, for Mr Omori has thrown in the towel.  He just
>>> can't make ends meet anymore, and he is about to take his treasures
>>> away from us all.  For six years he has been unsung and starving,
>>> and he has had enough.
>>>
>>> Please, PLEASE, everybody out there, spare the time to send Mr
>>> Omori a message telling him he is loved and honored and his work is
>>> appreciated, and the whole world will suffer if his treasures
>>> disappear from view!!!  He is bitter about the cavalier disregard
>>> of the Japanese for their artistic heritage, certainly with reason,
>>> and the snotty attitudes of those Japanese institutions which
>>> allegedly exist to make old films available to the masses but in
>>> fact do not.  Please let us show him that this is NOT the attitude
>>> of the entire planet, that it fact it is swarming with geeks like
>>> himself with different-colored passports but with the same
>>> passionate love of Japanese filmdom as his own.  With enough
>>> encouragement he may be convinced that perseverance would be worth
>>> the candle, and think seriously about continuing to make his films
>>> available in some way less costly to himself.  All ideas are
>>> appreciated!  Could his wonderful work be subsidized from abroad by
>>> us all chipping in small contributions??[in return for obtaining
>>> copies of certain films privately from people like myself...?]
>>> Anything at all from you out there will help, for he has little
>>> idea of the extent of the foreign Japanese films scene, nor of the
>>> big names at heavy-hitting universities out there who  love and
>>> support it.
>>>
>>> You can reach Mr Omori [Big Forest] by e-mail either thru' his site
>>> (where a peek at his archives will convince anybody of the tragedy
>>> approaching who needs convincing):
>>>
>>> http://dejan.dyndns.tv/f_eigatown/
>>>
>>> or by personal email to:
>>>
>>> f_eigatown at excite.co.jp
>>>
>>> The address is:  Eigatown, #2 Fuyacho Biru 2F, Fuyachodori Nijo
>>> Sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0934
>>>
>>> Japanese is best but simple English is better than nothing and
>>> every message he gets will be appreciated, I know.  It just may
>>> save his treasures for those of us who care.  In either language,
>>> please say that "Bahha-san" has told you of his plight.
>>>
>>> In Tokyo, at the end of next year the wrecking ball will knock down
>>> the beautiful, historic Kabuki-za in the Ginza because the craven
>>> thugs who own it want to build an office building;  soon, too, the
>>> delightful Koma Gekijo arena, which has been delighting fans of
>>> enka/taishu engeki since 1956, will be a dust-heap.  Do not let
>>> good Mr Omori go under, too.  Please tell him you care.  Maybe it
>>> will make a difference.
>>>
>>> Faith Bach
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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