In 1905, Masahira Imamura joined Shochiku Corporation in 1951 and successively served as an assistant director for Shochiku directors such as Yasujiro Ozu and Yuzo Kawashima. Shohei Imamura, the "Shochiku descendant", represents many young film creators of his time who honed their skills and grew rapidly in the film crews of their predecessors in the film industry. The trial and error on the set laid a solid foundation for their future sharpness.
Masahira Imamura, who transferred to the Nikho banner, quickly swore an oath to break with tradition with pioneering and bold images. His creations confronted many of the ills of Japanese society, and together with filmmakers such as Nagisa Oshima and Kishige Yoshida, he carried the banner of Japanese New Wave cinema.
The "Imamura Shohei style" film style has been constantly formed in a series of films such as "Japanese Insects", "Caged Woman", "Introduction to Anthropology", and "The Desire of the Gods".
Imamura is adept at using animal metaphors to dissect national character from a level that is close to the instinctive needs of animal survival. In the late 1960s, Masahira Imamura presented his first color film, The Longing of the Gods. This nearly three-hour blockbuster explores the collision between old and new civilizations.
In 1983, Masahira Imamura completed his life's work "The Examination of the Mountain Festival". This film, adapted from Shichiro Fukasawa's famous novel "Kaoru Kaoru of Kaoyama", tells the story of the villagers of Nichiyama Village, who are close to the primitive farming society, in order to alleviate the pressure of survival, and have followed the tradition of abandoning their babies and abandoning their old age for many years. Imamura's depictions of life and death and ethics in the film are bold and straightforward. Followed by "Black Rain", "Eel", "Liver Doctor" helped him become famous overseas, and his reputation fell into the annals of film history.
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the death of the master, the Beijing screening featured a special topic of "Master Review: Imamura Changping". Among them, "Stolen Love", "Japanese Insects", "Caged Woman", "Introduction to Anthropology", "The Desire of the Gods", and "Eel" are all precious film screenings. Let us follow the vein of the master's lifelong creation, and examine the origin of human nature with the eyes of the master.
Stolen Love (1958)
Shohei Imamura's directorial debut pours into Imamura's original self-projection.
Insects of Japan (1963)
The life of the rejected Matsuki, the heroine Sachiko Zuo won the Berlin queen with this film.
Caged Woman (1964)
When a woman is slighted, insulted, betrayed, whether she should resist or suffer in silence – this is the question that Masahira Imamura asks the world. Japan's "Movie Shunbao" ranked seventh in 100 works.
Introduction to Anthropology (1966)
Beneath the mask of surreality is the most nuanced observation of anthropology.
The Longing of the Gods (1968)
Japan ranked first in the top ten in 1968. Imamura's first color feature film. Sociology and folklore are a furnace, and the Japanese version of Adam and Eve's creation fable is a god work!
Kaiyama Festival Examination (1983)
Masahira Imamura's masterpiece won the Japan Academy Film Academy Award for Best Picture.
Black Rain (1989)
"Movie Magazine" won the first place in the annual top ten. Swept the Japan Academy Awards for a number of awards. Depict the world after the nuclear explosion with profound brushstrokes.
Eel (1997)
The master-level performance guidance and narrative rhythm control highlight the extremely strong creative vitality of Imamura Changping.
The Liver Doctor (1998)
An anti-war masterpiece full of black humor. Masahira Imamura conceived the film for 50 years, dedicated it to his father, who was a doctor.