Still from The Ballad of Narayama (1958)
Keisuke Kinoshita (1912-1998) was one of Japan’s best loved & prolific post-war directors, and a master chameleon of both genre & style. Celebrated on par with contemporary Akira Kurasawa in his homeland, he is less well known in the west. From the 1940s through the 1960s, his combination of compassion & invention, humour & pathos, made him irresistible to Japanese audiences. This season of specially imported 35mm prints shines a light on one of the lesser known masters of Japanese cinema. Prints courtesy of the Japan Foundation. Screening Wednesdays from February 13 to 27 at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
7pm: The Ballad of Narayama (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1958)
A reflection on cultural relativism posing as a period melodrama, The Ballad of Narayama tells the story of a remote village in Japan’s feudal period. Highly stylised,The Ballad of Narayama makes use of Kabuki theatre traditions and tropes to throw into sharp relief the harrowing emotion of the story. Featuring the remarkable Kinuyo Tanaka. Remade in 1983 by Shohei Imamura.
8:45pm: The River Fuefuki (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1960)
The River Fuefuki spans 70 years during Japan’s Sengoku Period, and points unflinchingly to the futility of war. Shot in black and white with dazzling splashes of colourthroughout, The River Fuefuki demonstrates the combination of nobility of Japanese peasants – even when faced with ignoble and inscrutable wars.
When: Wednesday the 13th of February
Where: Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Find out more and book tickets at the Melbourne Cinémathèque website.
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