[KineJapan] Hara Masato documentary

Fri Mar 2 18:55:04 EST 2018

I just finished watching the documentary and  surprisingly it was more interesting than I thought. Besides being, obviously, about Hara himself, the film is very revealing about the daily life and struggles of a filmmaker/poet/video artist, and how much “art” is often made possible by the support and at the expense of the people around him/her. I really felt a strong undercurrent of sadness in the movie, especially in the last 30 minutes or so, after his twins are born. 

As Alex pointed out (by the way, I’m looking forward to reading the interviews) Hara is continuosly reworking his movies, and basically each of his performance/singing/screening is unique, when I saw First Emperor in Tokyo, Hara reminded me of a benshi...a very off-key benshi...reinterpreting and giving new sense to his works at every screening. In the documentary I think it’s Yomota Inuhiko who says that because of this protean nature, Hara’s works are an oddity in the contemporary cinematic landscape, where everything is transferable and reproducible. 

Regards

Matteo Boscarol
ボスカロル マッテオ
記憶ただ陽炎のゆらめき
- Documentary in Japan and Asia
http://storiadocgiappone.wordpress.com
- Film writer for Il Manifesto
http://ilmanifesto.it

> On Mar 3, 2018, at 7:25, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
> 
> Apologies for being so late to this discussion. Hara is really a fascinating character, and someone who is (in several ways) central to the explosion in jishu film production in the 1970s. There are a number of reasons he hasn't gotten a lot of retrospective attention, but historically he's an incredibly important figure. I did several interviews with him three years ago, which at some point in the near future will hopefully see the light of day. In the meantime the Eiga Geijutsu site has a three-part interview with Hara up (in Japanese) here: http://eigageijutsu.com/article/154100250.html
> 
> And, for all those that have libraries they can request to purchase DVDs, some of Hara's most well-known works can be ordered from his website (there are several versions of many of his films, partially because he never stops reworking them):
> http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/hara-mov/first1.html 
> 
> Alex
> 
> 
> 
>> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 3:56 PM, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>> I agree, and was disappointed that the film didn’t deal with this——though it would be tough. 
>> 
>> Also, one of the interesting things about his late work is its protean nature. Not only is a live performance connected to the screening, but he continually reworks and re-edits. In one of them, he even started working in silent-style intertitles about Deleuze! 
>> 
>> Hara was actually up to far more than the film lets onto when it describes his youth. I mean, someone that young screenwriting for Oshima and writing theoretical criticism for a venue like Dai-2 Eiga Hihyo is really the stuff of Japanese cinema. My favorite part. 
>> 
>> Unfortunately, Hara is also exemplary of an unfortunate tendency of male filmmakers from that era. While there is something admirable about the way they stick to their aesthetic ideals, they are regrettably oblivious to the points of cruelty when it comes to recognizing the toll that takes on the people around them. There’s a key, almost heartbreaking scene near the end where he is telling his wife he needs thousands of dollars for the biggest hard drive possible; she eventually comes around and agrees to it, adding, “You really should get a job....”. 
>> 
>> BTW, I visited Sato Tadao a couple weeks ago, and dropped by a nearby furuhonya. I found a book of criticism by Hara that I didn’t know existed. Haven’t cracked it, yet. But it’s impressive he even published a book back then, and that it was published at all says a lot about his rep back then.
>> 
>> Markus
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 3:32 PM Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>>> Don’t forget that Hara-san was also an intriguing figure in the history of Japanese film theory; he has published a series of essays back in the late 1960s and early '70s using Melreau-Ponty as his inspiration. His theoretical essays appeared first in the legendary dai-2-ji Eiga Hihyo edited by Matsuda Masao and were compiled later in the book entitled “Mitai eiga no koto dake o” (1977). Given the popularity of phenomenology today, wouldn’t it be nice paying some “serious” attention to his writing, in addition to his notorious obsession with DIY music :)? 
>>> 
>>> Naoki
>>> 
>>> Naoki Yamamoto
>>> Assistant Professor
>>> Film and Media Studies
>>> University of California, Santa Barbara
>>> yamamoto at filmandmedia.ucsb.edu
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 11, 2018, at 8:22 PM, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> agree, he shouldn’t sing! I often find his DIY touch unnerving and cheap, but sometimes buried in his movies here and there there are moments of pure beauty (20th Century Nostalgia, あなたにゐてほしい, etc.) 
>>>> 
>>>> PS in あなたにゐてほしい there’s what probably is Suzuki Seijun’s last appearance on screen
>>>> 
>>>> Matteo Boscarol
>>>> ボスカロル マッテオ
>>>> 記憶ただ陽炎のゆらめき
>>>> - Documentary in Japan and Asia
>>>> http://storiadocgiappone.wordpress.com
>>>> - Film writer for Il Manifesto
>>>> http://ilmanifesto.it
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Feb 12, 2018, at 12:22, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Yup, I told him to use Vimeo. I think he’s already taken down the YouTube video.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Aaron
>>>>> 
>>>>>> 2018/02/12 午後0:18、Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> のメール：
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hmmmm. He should have told me that. I’ve written to him to apologize. (He should be using Vimeo!)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 7 hours?!?  I’ve seen it twice, clocked in at about 4 hours. I like the film very much, and at the same time I really, really, really find his inability to hold a note grating. I can admire the DIY spirit behind it, as well as some compelling songwriting. But the minute he starts singing I want to flee the theater. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Mon, Feb 12, 2018 at 11:10 AM Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>>>>>>> Just a note, but please do not share this Youtube link with others. Kaneko-san has told me it is only for festival organizers. He is planning a theatrical release of the film.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Aaron Gerow
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 2018/02/12 午前10:12、Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> のメール：
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> thank you for sharing this Markus, watching First Emperor 10 or so years ago in Tokyo (with live music by Hara and Kaneko, a 7 hours screening) is still one of the most mesmerising and demanding cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Matteo Boscarol
>>>>>>>> ボスカロル マッテオ
>>>>>>>> 記憶ただ陽炎のゆらめき
>>>>>>>> - Documentary in Japan and Asia
>>>>>>>> http://storiadocgiappone.wordpress.com
>>>>>>>> - Film writer for Il Manifesto
>>>>>>>> http://ilmanifesto.it
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Feb 11, 2018, at 23:37, Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum via KineJapan <kinejapan at lists.osu.edu> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Kaneko Yu has made a feature length documentary on the legendary Hara Masato. Hara-san was known as the "tensai seishun santoku" back in the late 60s and early 70s, when he was making experimental films on 8mm and 16mm. After winning awards and garnering lots of press, writing his own criticism, Oshima tapped him to co-write The Man Who Left His Will on Film. Not long after that Hara kind of dropped from sight and finally came up for air with a new film at the 1993 Yamagata. He also showed his most famous work, First Emperor (Hatsukuni shiramikoto, 1973). Since then, he's been showing multi-screen, multi-format films with live music......regrettably he loves to sing, which is definitely not good for the films. Kaneko's film is somewhat messy—echoing Hara-san's own life?—but is still a fascinating look at an important director from the experimental world. 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> https://youtu.be/sTWdnZNp-qM
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Markus
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> --- 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Markus Nornes
>>>>>>>>> Professor of Asian Cinema
>>>>>>>>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures
>>>>>>>>> 6348 North Quad
>>>>>>>>> 105 S. State Street
>>>>>>>>> Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>> 
>>>>>> -- 
>>>>>> --- 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Markus Nornes
>>>>>> Professor of Asian Cinema
>>>>>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures
>>>>>> 6348 North Quad
>>>>>> 105 S. State Street
>>>>>> Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> KineJapan mailing list
>>>>>> KineJapan at lists.osu.edu
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>>>>> 
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>> 
>> -- 
>> --- 
>> 
>> Markus Nornes
>> Professor of Asian Cinema
>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design
>> 
>> Department of Screen Arts and Cultures
>> 6348 North Quad
>> 105 S. State Street
>> Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> KineJapan mailing list
>> KineJapan at lists.osu.edu
>> https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan
>> 
> 
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