Kokusai Chikagekijo on Youtube

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It seems I have been missing the best part of Shinsekai! I sure hope
the theatre is still there the next time I pay a visit. Speaking of
which, while historical movie theatres are increasingly hard to come
by in Japan, they do make the occasional appearance in films. Any
prominent examples that spring to mind? There was, after all, over
7,000 theatres in Japan in the industry's heyday...

The few titles I can think of:
- the Hama Maiku films,
- Suzuki Seijun's "Yaju no seishun" (Youth of the Beast) -- the yakuza
gang that has set up shop behind the movie screen (and storms out the
front entrance of the cinema like regular moviegoers) is a brilliantly
suggestive touch,
- "Subarashiki kyujitsu", Kitano's memorable contribution to "To Each
His Own Cinema" -- although the theatre does not look like it could be
real,
- several works by Wakamatsu -- I recall a lengthy scene in the Koma
Gekijo area in "Teroru no kisetsu", glimpsing the Kokusai Meigaza in
"Riyu naki boko", and the final shootout in the latter film takes
place in front of no less than the Sasori-za.

Sasori-za is actually something I am very curious about. I am writing
my thesis on ATG (or rather it's role in the development of
independent cinema in 1960s), which involves going through a lot of
materials on the Art Theatre Shinjuku Bunka. Consequently, I have been
mulling over what the exact configuration of the cinema might have
been like. There is a handful of images in Kuzui Kinshiro's books, the
2003 Viennale program catalogue and the like, but none of them include
a significant part of the building, let alone the surroundings. I
think it is safe to assume Shinjuku Bunka stood where the Shinjuku
Bunka Biru (with Kadokawa Cinema and Cinemart on the upper storeys)
stands today, with the main entrance towards Meiji-dori. Where does
that leave Sasori-za, though? Perhaps the far corner on the southern
side, where they have a small entrance these days? Shinjuku being what
it is, the aforementioned Wakamatsu does not quite unmuddy the waters
either.

Alo Joekalda

2009/11/2 Nornes, Markus <amnornes at umich.edu>:
> I stumbled over a curious collection of youtube videos that are nothing but
> loving pans over the front of the Shinsekai Kokusai Gekijo (Naniwa, Osaka).
> It’s an old neighborhood theater, with Hollywood films running in the main
> theater and a screen for pink bills in the basement (naturally). This might
> be one of the last movie theaters out there where their billboards out front
> are all hand painted. Check it out:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/user/francedeforce#p/u/347/AksGR1cbxiQ
>
> It makes you wish you could watch youtube videos of Taisho Era Asakusa.
>
> Markus