Ep #43 - Japanese New Wave Cinema in 1969

As part of our mission statement, Cinema60 boldly claims that modern cinema was born in the 1960s. However you want to look at that assertion, there’s no denying that cinema before the ‘60s was (well, at least since the mid-1930s) safe family-friendly entertainment with bits of adult content creeping in around the edges little by little–to a greater or lesser degree depending on where in the world you lived. But by the end of the ‘60s, adults in a majority of cinema-producing countries could legally see on a movie screen just about any kind of bloody violence or lewd sex act they could possibly imagine.

In this episode, Bart and Jenna discuss one of their favorite New Waves of the decade, Japan’s ヌーベルバーグ (Nuberu Bagu). They pick up the story at the extreme end of the decade, when there were very few boundaries left for what could be shown in a movie. The films discussed certainly make this our most “not suitable for children” episode yet, but also just happen to be some of the greatest cinematic jewels produced, not only in the Japanese New Wave, but in the entire history of Japanese film. So pop in your earbuds or send your obaasan to bed, ‘cos anybody who listens to tonight’s episode is gonna need a shower afterwards.

The following films are discussed:

• Boy (1969)
Shônen
Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
Starring Fumio Watanabe, Akiko Koyama, Toshi Amatsu

• Double Suicide (1969)
Shinjû: Ten no Amijima
Directed by Masahiro Shinoda
Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Shima Iwashita, Shizue Kawarazaki

• Eros + Massacre (1969)
Erosu purasu gyakusatsu
Directed by Yoshishige Yoshida
Starring Mariko Okada, Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Yûko Kusunoki

• Blind Beast (1969)
Môjû
Directed by Yasuzô Masumura
Starring Eiji Funakoshi, Mako Midori, Noriko Sengoku

• Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
Bara no sôretsu
Directed by Toshio Matsumoto
Starring Pîtâ, Osamu Ogasawara, Yoshimi Jô

• Go, Go, Second Time Virgin (1969)
Yuke yuke nidome no shojo
Directed by Kôji Wakamatsu
Starring Mimi Kozakura, Michio Akiyama, Yôko Yamamoto