Shochiku 100 laps of paintings
For all fans of Japanese cinema, the long-established Shochiku Company is undoubtedly a thunderous name. Shochiku is a treasure trove of Japanese cinema, without which the history of Japanese cinema would be eclipsed. Hiroshi Shimizu, Yasujiro Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi, Nagisa Oshima, Yoji Yamada... the masters of the history of the shadow have left countless classics here.
Shochiku was founded in 1895, the birth of film, and was first engaged in theater. One of the founders, Takejiro Otani, held the belief of "striving for the international mission, artistic mission and industrial value of event photography (film)", and led the company to officially enter the film industry in 1920.
The first sound film "The Lady and the Wife", the first color film "Carmen Homecoming", from silent to sound, from black and white to color, from Kamata Studio to Ofune Studio, in the long history of Japanese film, Shochiku has always been at the forefront of the Japanese film industry.
Shochiku is known for its folk comedies and popular dramas, as well as the artistic masterpieces of masters such as Yasujiro Ozu, as well as the "Shochiku New Wave" that led the times. The films produced are varied, but what has always remained unchanged is the concept of Shochiku's old company, Great Wall Toshiro: "The most important thing in a film is to give hope, and it must not disappoint the audience." ”
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Shochiku's official film business, that is, the 100th anniversary of Shochiku Film, for which Shochiku has launched a series of commemorative activities at home and abroad. The "Special Planning" section of the Shanghai International Film Festival also included "The 100th Anniversary of Shochiku's Paintings" as a special screening of five classic films produced by Shochiku Corporation, namely: "Movie Emperor" Akira Kurosawa's first Shochiku work "Scandal", Nomura Yoshitaro's successful adaptation of Matsumoto Kiyoharu's classic "Instrument of Sand", Ozu Yasujiro's first sound drama film "Only Son", one of Kinoshita's masterpieces of video aesthetics, "Kaeyama Seikao", and one of the highest masterpieces of Japanese samurai films directed by Masaki Kobayashi. Cut the abdomen".
Here's a closer look at them:
scandal
Scandal
-1950-
Highlights: The first Shochiku work by "Movie Emperor" Akira Kurosawa
Many people know that Akira Kurosawa, known as the "Emperor of Movies", is the signature of Toho Corporation, but in fact, during his temporary departure from Toho Company due to the "Toho Controversy" incident, he also made two works for Shochiku, and "Scandal" is one of them. Akira Kurosawa, who was disgusted by the violence of the media, created the film after seeing an advertisement for a tram with a sensational headline. The story tells that a male painter and a female singer meet and play together, but because of the false reports of gossip reporters, they cause a series of troubles. The film starred Akira Kurosawa's royal actor Toshiro Mifune and the legendary actress Shuko Yamaguchi (Lee Kaoru), and won the sixth place in the top ten movies of that year.
Sand vessel
The Castle of Sand
-1974-
What to watch: The most successful adaptation of Matsumoto Kiyoharu's legendary reasoning classic
"Sand Instrument" is one of the most influential masterpieces of Japanese social mystery novel master Kiyoharu Matsumoto, which has been adapted into a TV series for five times so far, and the 1974 film version is the most classic immortal masterpiece, ranking 17th in the film Shunbun Japanese Film History Top 100, and its historical status is beyond doubt. Directed by Akira Kurosawa's disciple Yoshitaro Nomura, and written by two great masters, Shinobu Hashimoto and Yoji Yamada, the film features young and promising musicians and He Yingliang as the main line, through a series of murders and investigations, unveiling its unknown dark side. Shanghai Film Translation Studio translated and introduced the film in the 1980s, and this is a great opportunity to revisit the original version on the big screen.
Son
The Only Son
-1936-
Highlights: Yasujiro Ozu's first sound drama film
A single mother living in a difficult rural area, she was persuaded by her elementary school teacher to do her best to send her only son to Tokyo to continue her education. Many years later, his son graduated from university and took up a job in Tokyo, marrying and having children. She came to Tokyo full of expectations, but what she saw was that her son was living the same poor life. Although Japan had its first sound film, The Lady and the Wife, in 1931, the cautious filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu did not make his first sound drama until 1936. This film not only adheres to the many experiences of the Ozu Silent Film Era, but also can see the hint of the unique "Ozu Tune" in the later period, ranking fourth in the top ten of the film newspapers that year.
The Mountain Festival
The Ballad of Narayama
-1958-
What to watch: Truffaut is a stunning masterpiece
Keisuke Kinoshita, a master of Shochiku melodrama who is equally famous as Yasujiro Ozu, is not obsessed with fixed aesthetic forms like Ozu, but has always been at the forefront of the exploration of images. For example, the first color film in the history of Japanese cinema, "Carmen Homecoming", and the world's only partially dyed film "Flute River", are all written by Kinoshita, and this film is also one of his representative works of image aesthetics. Adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Shichiro Fukasawa, the film is based on the Japanese folklore of "abandoning the old man" and tells the tragic story of his son carrying his elderly mother on his back to the mountain and waiting for death. The film uses full-set photography, integrating the beauty of kabuki into the film, brilliant colors, clever scheduling, breathtaking, has been shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival, and has been praised by Truffaut as a god.
seppuku
Harakiri
-1962-
Highlights: One of the highest masterpieces of Japanese samurai films
In the seventh year of Kanei, an old ronin named Tsuyun Hanshiro came to Thei's house and said that due to his difficult life, he asked to commit suicide by cutting his abdomen through his mansion. In front of the old Saito Kansuke of the Ii family, he told his experience. As the first samurai film directed by the master of humanitarian cinema Masaki Kobayashi, this film exposes the hypocrisy of samurai society and the cruelty of Bushido, and mercilessly mocks the samurai spirit revered by the Japanese. The fight scenes in the film are also unambiguous, and a real knife duel scene between Tatsuya Nakayo and Tetsuro Tanba has become a classic passage and is still talked about by fans today. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was also ranked among the top 100 films in the history of Japanese cinema.
Welcome to continue to pay attention to us and grasp the blockbuster list of the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival in 2020 for the first time.
Note: In case of change in the film schedule, the actual schedule shall prevail.
2020 Shanghai International Film Festival film list summary
Tribute to the Master 丨 Federico Fellini
Wandering Child 丨 Liar 丨 Sweet Life 丨 Eight and a Half Parts 丨 Juliet and the Devil 丨 Clown 丨 Roman Style Painting 丨 AmaCord 丨 Interview Record 丨 Moon Yin
The essence of the film festival
Olig 丨 Ava's Garden of Eden 丨 Control Point 丨 Abu Lyra 丨 Adam 丨 Tropical Rain 丨 Time Machine 丨 Air Conditioning 丨 Salt of Tears 丨 Baby Teeth 丨 Young Ahmed 丨 Death of a Dog
kaleidoscope
Next happiness 丨 Love in the human world 丨 Truth and Justice 丨 Wish you a happy birthday 丨 Long time no see丨 Red Moon 丨 Barefoot Emperor 丨 Love Isolation 丨 Blood Crazy Flower 丨 Desperate Crocodile Mouth 丨 Accompany the Old Cannon