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Kazuo Miyagawa
was a Japanese cinematographer. Career Born in Kyoto, Miyagawa was taken with sumi-e Chinese ink painting from the age of eleven and began to sell his work as an illustrator while a teenager. He became interested in the cinema during the 1920s, particularly admiring the German Expressionist silents. He joined the Nikkatsu film company in 1926 after graduating from Kyoto Commercial School. He began as a laboratory technician before becoming an assistant cameraman. Miyagawa is best known for his tracking shots, particularly those in ''Rashomon'' (1950), the first of his three collaborations with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. The other films with Kurosawa were ''Yojimbo'' (1961) and ''Kagemusha'' (1980). He also worked on multiple films directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, including ''Ugetsu'' (1953), but only on a single Yasujirō Ozu production, ''Floating Weeds'' (1959). He oversaw 164 cameramen for Kon Ichikawa's ''Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), a documentary which necessitated the development ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary ''Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won two BAFTA Film Awards, and the 19th-century revenge drama ''An Actor's Revenge'' (1963). His film ''Odd Obsession'' (1959) won the Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. Early life and career Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture as Giichi Ichikawa (市川儀一). His father died when he was four years old, and the family kimono shop went bankrupt, so he went to live with his sister. He was given the name "Kon" by an uncle who thought the characters in the kanji 崑 signified good luck, because the two halves of the Chinese character look the same when it is split in half vertically. As a child he loved drawing and his ambition was to become an artist. He also loved films and was a fan of "chambara" or samurai films. In his teens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ugetsu
, is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the ''jidaigeki'' (period drama) genre with a ghost story. Drawing from Ueda's tales "The House in the Thicket" and "The Lust of the White Serpent", the film is set in Japan's civil war torn Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600). In a small rural community, a potter leaves his wife and young son behind to make money selling pottery and ends up being seduced by a spirit that makes him forget all about his family. A subplot, inspired by Guy de Maupassant's 1883 short story "How He Got the Legion of Honor" ("Décoré !"), involves his brother-in-law, who dreams of becoming a samurai and chases this goal at the unintended expense of his wife. The film won the Silver Lion Award at the 1953 Venice Film Festival and other honours. ''Ugetsu'' is one of Mizoguchi's mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Geisha
is a 1953 Japanese drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, centred on the geisha milieu in post-war Gion, Kyoto. It is based on a novel by Matsutarō Kawaguchi. Plot Eiko is in the search of the okiya (geisha house) run by the geisha Miyoharu. As she approaches the screen doors, she witnesses an exchange between Miyoharu and a client. The client, greatly indebted and unable to afford Miyoharu's services, is coldly and mockingly berated by Miyoharu for his presumptuousness. Enraged by the sudden demise of her affected desire for him and her mercenary attitude, he tries to assault her but is thwarted and summarily evicted by Miyoharu's servants. As he sees the client off the premises, one of the servants finds Eiko at the door and invites her inside. In supplication, Eiko reveals that the death of her mother has left her at the mercy of her uncle, who demands that Eiko repay the debt incurred by her mother's funeral expenses by rendering sexual services to him. She pleads with Miy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singing Lovebirds
is a 1939 Japanese film directed by Masahiro Makino. It is a musical comedy. Fulfilling his reputation as a fast worker, Makino made the film in only two weeks when an opening was created in the production schedule of another film, ''Yaji Kita Dōchūki'', after its star, Chiezō Kataoka, came down with appendicitis (Kataoka's scenes in ''Singing Lovebirds'' were filmed in only a few hours). The film, however, has become "the most frequently revived Japanese prewar musical film," featuring music ranging from jazz to jōruri, and music stars like Dick Mine. Makino made other musicals like ''Hanako-san'' (1943) and was known for his rhythmic style. ''Singing Lovebirds'' also features Takashi Shimura, most famous as the lead samurai in Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', in a singing role. Plot Oharu is the daughter of Kyōsai Shimura, a rōnin who now makes his living making umbrellas. She is in love with another rōnin, Reisaburō Asai, who lives next door, but he is being pursue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Film Center
The is an independent administrative institution and one of Japan's seven national museums of art, which specializes in preserving and exhibiting the film heritage of Japan. In its previous incarnation, it was the National Film Center, which was part of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. In April 2018, it became independent of the National Museum of Modern Art and was officially elevated to the rank of a national museum. The NFAJ is located in Kyōbashi, Tokyo, and is Japan's only public institution devoted to cinema, holding about 40,000 films, and numerous other materials, in its collection. The Archive has film-related materials on permanent display; and it holds special screenings in its theaters. The NFAJ is a member of The International Federation of Film Archives. It preserves many important works of Japanese and world film history, including films designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan like '' Momijigari''. Collection The NFAJ restored a Japanese ani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Her Brother
is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. The film is based on the novel ''Otōto'' by Aya Koda. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a prize for Special Distinction. Plot 17-year-old Gen takes care of the household of her family due to her stepmother's rheumatism. Meanwhile, her younger brother Hekiro lives a carefree life, repeatedly getting into trouble and making gambling debts. Neither his stepmother interferes with his behaviour, nor does the detached father, a famous novelist. Only Gen scolds Hekiro from time to time, for which he ridicules her, although she is completely devoted to him. When Hekiro falls terminally ill with tuberculosis and is hospitalised, with his sister being the only regular visitor, he finally regrets his behaviour. After Hekiro's death, Gen is taken back home with anemia by the hospital personnel, but once she awakes, she returns to her role as the housekeeper without questioning. Cast * Keiko Kishi as G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bleach Bypass
Bleach bypass, also known as skip bleach or silver retention, is a chemical effect which entails either the partial or complete skipping of the bleaching function during the processing of a color film. By doing this, the silver is retained in the emulsion along with the color dyes. The result is a black-and-white image over a color image. The images usually have reduced saturation and exposure latitude, along with increased contrast and graininess. It usually is used to maximum effect in conjunction with a one-stop underexposure. Technique Bleach bypass can be done to any photochemical step in the process, be it original camera negative, interpositive, internegative, or release print. For motion pictures, it is usually applied at the internegative stage, as insurance companies usually are reluctant to have the camera negative bleach bypassed, or the interpositive (a "protection"/"preservation" element), in the event that the look is agreed to be too extreme, and the cost of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
