Episode 681: Heroic Purgatory (1970)

Guest Co-Hosts: Axel Kohagen, Earl Jackson

We continue our discussion of Japanese films this month by returning to the world of Yoshishige Yoshida and his 1970 film Heroic Purgatory. It's the story of Nakano (Mariko Okada). She returns home with a lost teenager, Ayu (Kazumi Tsutsui). Meanwhile, a man posing as her dad tries to get her back, causing Nanako's husband, Shoda (Naizo Kamoda) to recall his youth as a revolutionary. Like his previous film, Eros plus Massacre, Heroic Purgatory moves with its own logic moving back and forth in time in order to tell its story.

Earl Jackson and Axel Kohagen join Mike to try and parse this dense tale of revolutionaries through the mid- to late-20th century.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 681: Heroic Purgatory (1970)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy the Kiju Yoshida Collection on blu-ray

Music:
"Purgatory" - Vangelis

Watch:

Episode 680: Millennium Actress (2001)

Guest Co-Hosts: Earl Jackson, El Goro

We continue Japanese month with a request from listener Vaughn Kuhlemeier, Millennium Actress (2001). Directed by Satoshi Kon, the film tells the story of Chiyoki Fujiwara, an actress who met a fugitive when she was a young lady who spent the rest of her life looking for him. She’s approached by a filmmaker and his cameraman to celebrate the studio she helped make famous. As they learn about her life they enter into her memories and films -- as does the audience. We move seamlessly between fantasy and reality in this beautifully animated film.

El Goro and Professor Earl Jackson join Mike to discuss Kon's work.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 680: Millennium Actress (2001)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Millennium Actress on Blu-Ray

Music:
"rotation (LOTUS-2)" - Susumu Hirasawa

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Episde 583: Black Lizard (1962)

Special Guest: Earl Jackson
Guest Co-Hosts: Carol Borden, Samm Deighan

Carol Borden (The Cultural Gutter) and Samm Deighan (Twitch of the Death Nerve) join Mike to discuss two adaptations of Edogawa Rampo's Kurotokage. The 1962 was adapted by Kaneto Shindô and directed by Umetsugu Inoue while the 1968 was adapted by Masashige Narusawa and directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Both were based on the stage play version by Yukio Mishima.

Professor Earl Jackson discusses the strange bedfellows behind these amazing films about a criminal mastermind who squares off against the Japanese Sherlock Holmes.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episde 583: Black Lizard (1962)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Kurotokage (1962) on DVD
Watch Black Lizard (1968) on YouTube
Buy Black Lizard by Edogawa Rampo
Visit the official Miwa website

Music:
Black Lizard's Song - Toshirô Mayuzumi
"Song of the Black Lizard" - Pink Martini

Watch:

Kurotokage (Black Lizard) 1962 from John Hanlon on Vimeo.