Stanford University Offers Free Japanese Films

Series to focus on 1960 Japan Author: Bob Johnson Sources: The San Francisco Chronicle, Japan 1960 Blog Stanford University’s Center for East Asian Studies is presenting its third annual film series, this one focusing on films from Japan that were made in the year 1960. Films are presented each Friday from now until June 1, 2007 in the Cubberley Auditorium on the Stanford Campus. Admission is free! The series’ coordinator, Jim Reichert of Stanford’s department of Asian languages, states that 1960 was the peak production year for the Japanese film industry and marked the passing of the baton from the classical directors of the prewar era to a new generation. The series, which opens this Friday, features films by directors Nagisa Oshima, Akira Kurosawa, Kon Ichikawa and Yasujiro Ozu. According to Reichert, “1960 marks a rare confluence of talent, ranging from the so-called old masters of classic Japanese cinema to the young Turks who would revolutionize the style and content of Japanese film.” Reichert goes on to describe the historical and political significance of the year, “In many respects 1960 denotes an important transition point in postwar Japanese history. The year marked a significant consolidation of the economic gains made during the second half of the 1950s and the solidification of a new era of prosperity, noteworthy for heightened consumerism and the exponential growth of the middle class. The year also saw considerable civil turmoil as students and activists demonstrated against the US-Japan Security Alliance. Related to both these developments was the emergence of a vigorous youth culture, which began to occupy an increasingly prominent position in mainstream culture. All of these economic, political, and cultural trends exerted an influence on the films released in 1960. Indeed, the sense that Japanese society was entering into a period of profound change contributed to the creative ferment that resulted in this exceptional body of work.” All films play at 7:30pm each Friday and are presented on 35mm film in Japanese with English subtitles. Following is the schedule of films being shown. More information can be found at the Japan 1960 Blog. April 13: WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS (Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki) Director: Mikio Naruse. Cast: Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Ganjuro Nakamura. Toho Studios. B/W. 111 minutes. April 20: No screening this evening. April 27: CRUEL STORY OF YOUTH (Seishun zankoku monogatari) Director: Nagisa Oshima. Cast: Yusuke Kawazu, Miyuki Kuwano, Yoshiko Kuga, Fumio Watanabe. Shochiku Studios. Color. 96 minutes. May 4: THE BAD SLEEP WELL (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) Director: Akira Kurosawa. Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi. Toho Studios. B/W. 150 minutes. May 11: HER BROTHER (Ototo) Director: Kon Ichikawa. Cast: Keiko Kishi, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Hiroshi Kawaguchi. Daiei Studios. Color. 98 minutes. May 18: THE ISLAND (Hadaka no shima) Director: Kaneto Shindo. Cast: Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto. Kindai Eiga Kyokai. B/W. 96 minutes. May 25: LATE AUTUMN (Akibiyori) Director: Yasujiro Ozu. Cast: Setsuko Hara, Yoko Tsukasa, Mariko Okada, Keiji Sada, Shin Saburi. Shochiku Studios. Color. 128 minutes. June 1: HOGS AND BATTLESHIPS (Buta to gunkan) Director: Shohei Imamura. Cast: Hiroyuki Nagato, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Tetsuro Tanba. Nikkatsu Studios. B/W. 108 minutes.