Japan Society Presents Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence

Every couple of months I receive an email from the Japan Society, and I'm typically tickled pink(u). I can always count on some kind of chambara series at least once a year, and a great deal of the time the films are from the 60's and 70's, which happens to be my favorite era in Japanese cinema. This time around, the line-up looks fantastic:

This season, Japan Society is proud to present the new Globus Film Series, Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence. From March 9 to 19, Japan Society will be screening a series of 15 yakuza films, from 1960s productions featuring chivalrous kimono-clad, sword-wielding gangsters to today's ruthless gun-toting villains dealing in debt, dark trades and deeds. Featuring films by internationally acclaimed directors such as Takeshi Kitano, Seijin Suzuki, and Kenji Fukasaku (among many others), the series includes a large number of premieres and titles never-before shown in the U.S. Also introducing some of these screenings will be a few very special guests, including writer/director Paul Schrader, author Jake Adelstein, and director Takashi Miike.



Featured Films:
The Yakuza – Directed by Sydney Pollack

Onibi: The Fire Within – Rokuro Mochizuki

The Wolves – Hideo Gosha

The Walls of Abashiri Prison (pt. 3): Longing for Home - Teruo Ishii

Brutal Tales of Chivalry - Kiyoshi Saeki

Theater of Life: Hishakaku - Tadashi Sawashima

Blood of Revenge – Tai Kato

Cops Vs. Thugs – Kenji Fukasaku

Battles Without Honor and Humanity A.K.A. The Yakuza Papers (pt. 3): Proxy War – Kenji Fukasaku

Youth of the Beast – Seijin Suzuki

Dead or Alive – Takashi Miike

A Yakuza in Love A.K.A. Villainous Love – Rokuro Mochizuki

Ryuji - Toru Kawashima

Yakuza Wives – Hideo Gosha

Outrage: The Way of the Modern Yakuza – Takeshi Kitano





More information on the festival as well as past series and events is available at:

http://www.japansociety.org/film



Please visit our blog (www.japansocietyfilm.tumblr.com), which will be covering the series during its 10-day run.

Excited? I am. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be covering each film, in either promotional or review film. March is a big month for NYC in genre cinema, and I'm excited to cover as much as possible.

Big Screen Big Apple: Zatoichi the Fugitive Tonight

Until May, the Japan Society is going to be spotlighting Chambara Film, you know, samurais and shit. Tonight, denizens of The Big Apple get a rarity few eyes should miss, or at least those who love chambara cinema. Everyone's favorite blind masseuse is going to be hitting the big screen. That's right folks...Zatoichi!He slices, he dices, and he can even relax muscle tension. Tonight be sure to stop by the Japan Society for Zatoichi the Fugitive.

Zatoichi the Fugitive(1963):IMDB says "Blind swordsman/masseur Ichi (known as Zatoichi, or "Masseur Ichi") angers a local yakuza gang when he defeats several of them in a wrestling match. When he finds that his long lost love Tane is nearby and romantically involved with a tough samurai in the employ of the gang, he remains in the village. Meanwhile, the young heir to the leadership is forced to confront his own fear and weakness when the gang insists he fight Ichi. Written by Jim Beaver {jumblejim@prodigy.net}"

Zatoichi The Fugitive
January 22nd @ 7:30 pm The Japan Society 333 East 47th St.