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Black River (Japan) 1957
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wlah...@gmail.com
May 24, 2012, 12:40:17 AM5/24/12
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Hey,
Due to the US occupation, Japan’s postwar films – with some notable exceptions – really didn’t start until 1953 when the US censorship ended. Masaki Kobayashi’s “Black River” deals with a university student who takes up residence among the down-and-outers in a shantytown near a US airbase. Here he faces the strange characters, low-lifes, corrupt landlords, and criminals that have washed up in this nowhere environment. There is a love triangle although the film is more impressive in forming an attitude that exists in other Japanese films of the time.
And what an ending: It sums up that attitude in no uncertain terms.
Due to the US occupation, Japan’s postwar films – with some notable exceptions – really didn’t start until 1953 when the US censorship ended. Masaki Kobayashi’s “Black River” deals with a university student who takes up residence among the down-and-outers in a shantytown near a US airbase. Here he faces the strange characters, low-lifes, corrupt landlords, and criminals that have washed up in this nowhere environment. There is a love triangle although the film is more impressive in forming an attitude that exists in other Japanese films of the time.
And what an ending: It sums up that attitude in no uncertain terms.
gtr
May 25, 2012, 7:36:07 PM5/25/12
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When possible, or if convenient and/or if you don't mind, could you
indicate where you find these films that you review? I'd love to see
this, but after hunting my usual avenues cannot find it.
wlah...@gmail.com
May 25, 2012, 8:05:56 PM5/25/12
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On Friday, May 25, 2012 7:36:07 PM UTC-4, gtr wrote:
>
> Sounds great, but you had me at the title.
>
> When possible, or if convenient and/or if you don't mind, could you
> indicate where you find these films that you review? I'd love to see
> this, but after hunting my usual avenues cannot find it.
Funny thing about this film is that I got it from a collector that I trade with who has a stall in Union Square in NYC. I had never heard of the film even though the director has other well-known films available in the US. When I posted it to FaceBook numerous friends who know far more about Japanese cinema than I do had never heard of it either. I just did a search for his DVDs and "Black River" doesn't come up although others do. Don't know what to tell you except it's worth finding.
>
> Sounds great, but you had me at the title.
>
> When possible, or if convenient and/or if you don't mind, could you
> indicate where you find these films that you review? I'd love to see
> this, but after hunting my usual avenues cannot find it.
Manfred Polak
May 25, 2012, 8:52:16 PM5/25/12
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gtr wrote:
>When possible, or if convenient and/or if you don't mind, could you
>indicate where you find these films that you review? I'd love to see
>this, but after hunting my usual avenues cannot find it.
Japan Eiga has it on DVD-R:
>When possible, or if convenient and/or if you don't mind, could you
>indicate where you find these films that you review? I'd love to see
>this, but after hunting my usual avenues cannot find it.
http://japaneiga.free.fr/classics.html
Manfred
Tom
May 25, 2012, 11:32:40 PM5/25/12
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Tom
gtr
May 26, 2012, 1:26:38 AM5/26/12
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