#Tomu Uchida

[shihlun]

Tomu Uchida

- A Fugitive from the Past

1965

[audiemurphy1945]

A Fugitive from the Past(1965)

[chernobog13]

Miyamoto Musashi V: Duel At Ganryu Island (1965).

This is the final episode of director Tomu Uchida's 5-part, 10-hour adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa's fictionalized biography of Japan's greatest swordsman.

The story concerns the final battle between Musashi and his greatest rival, Sasaki Kojirō. Kojirō was a master swordsman, with a deadly technique, the Deadly Swallow Cut. Additionally, he favored a straight-edged sword with a blade length of almost 3 feet, nine inches longer than the typical katana blade. Musashi, who mastered the art of using two swords, went into the duel carrying only a shaved-down boat oar.

The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hirsoshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune as Musashi, is more famous here in the West (thanks, in part, to the first installment winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film).

In Japan, however, this series starring Kinnosuke Nakamura as Musashi, is considered the better of the two.

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: The Mad Fox

If Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji was director Tomu Uchida’s homage to the socially conscious period dramas produced by Sadao Yamanaka (particularly Humanity and Paper Balloons), then The Mad Fox is surely intended to be his tribute to Keisuke Kinoshita’s surreal, kaleidoscopic The Ballad of Narayama.

From its opening credits—which feature impressionistic illustrations that seamlessly transition into live-action footage—to its tragic climax—during which the studio set appears to be suspended in an empty void of infinite darkness—the film embraces the inherent artifice of the medium. The framing, mise en scène, and blocking, for example, are evocative of the theatrical traditions of kabuki and Noh; the vibrant color palette, meanwhile—the eerie scarlet glow of the ominous blood moon, the warm amber hue of the silky sky, the radiant green of the gently swaying grass—is reminiscent of emakimono (painted scrolls). Indeed, the narrative frequently delves into pure abstraction, conveying conflict and character development through elaborate dances rather than dialogue or naturalistic action. Consequently, the overarching plot is somewhat disjointed, leaving several threads entirely unresolved—even the central antagonists abruptly vanish prior to the final act.

Although these experimental, unconventional qualities might alienate certain viewers (and definitely have, judging by the handful of reviews that I skimmed), I found them to be absolutely captivating. Not every movie needs to tell a coherent story; sometimes, the style is substance enough in and of itself—no further “context” required to justify the sublime imagery and immaculate cinematography. In the case of an avant-garde masterpiece like The Mad Fox, I was only too happy to simply immerse myself in the spectacle.

[genkinahito]

A Fugitive from the Past 飢餓海峡 (1965) Dir: Tomu Uchida

A Fugitive from the Past     飢餓海峡 「Kiga kaikyou」 Release Date: January 15th, 1965 Duration: 182 mins. Director: Tomu Uchida Writer: Naoyuki Suzuki, (Screenplay), Tsutomu Minakami (Original Novel) Starring: Rentaro Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Koji Mitsui, Sadako Sawamura, Susumu Fujita, IMDB A Fugitive from the Past, based on a novel by Tsutomu Minakami, is a crime film set in post-war…

[o-druida-ebrio]

"Kiga kaikyô" (1965)

Dir. Tomu Uchida.

[shiningwizard]

Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (Uchida Tomu, 1955)

souls on the road. All that matters is common compassion and humanity. The rest is just worthless, wasteful rank and propriety. Made me long for a time when everyone walked everywhere.

[thunderrabby-blog]

A Fugitive from the Past – All the Anime

A Fugitive from the Past – All the Anime

by Jeremy Clarke. Voted third in Kinema Junpo magazine’s 1999 list of the greatest Japanese film of all time, Tomu Uchida’s A Fugitive From The Past (1965) is the pinnacle of a directorial career that also includes Bloody Spear At Mount Fuji (1955) and The Mad Fox (1962). In the poll, it was beaten by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) at number one and Mikio Naruse’s Floating Clouds (1955)…

[ozu-teapot]

Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow (AKA The Mad Fox) | Tomu Uchida | 1962

Michiko Saga

[cinemaronin]

The Mad Fox (1962)

恋や恋なすな恋 The Mad Fox (1962) directed by Tomu Uchida

[shihlun]

Tomu Uchida

- A Fugitive from the Past

1965

[audiemurphy1945]

A Fugitive from the Past(1965)

[pandaemoniumpancakes]

The Mad Fox, 1962, dir. Tomu Uchida. source: movie-gifs. 

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed: Demon Pond

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

At times, Masahiro Shinoda’s Demon Pond feels like two different films awkwardly stapled together.

The first is a hauntingly atmospheric arthouse horror movie about forgotten folklore, self-destructive superstitions, and the conflict between “traditional values” and “modern rationality.” The opening montage is particularly impactful, elevated by the immaculate sound design: the oppressive howl of the scorching, dusty wind; the mocking “crunch” of parched, cracked earth underfoot; and the resounding “thud” of a stone hitting the bottom of a bone-dry well elegantly convey the borderline post-apocalyptic desolation of the setting—a remote mountain village ravaged by poverty and drought.

The second is a fairly conventional Japanese ghost story reminiscent of Daiei’s 100 Monsters and Daimajin, with all of the tropes that one would expect from the genre: morally corrupt humans desecrating the natural order, wrathful gods and guardian spirits exacting terrible revenge, cataclysms of every conceivable variety (floods, typhoons, tsunamis), and hapless innocents caught in the crossfire. Shinoda’s unmistakable authorial voice, however, enriches this familiar narrative structure. The scenes depicting the Dragon Princess’ heavenly court, for example, deliberately embrace the inherent artificiality of live theater—much like the director’s earlier effort, Double Suicide (in that case, he was emulating bunraku puppetry; here, kabuki serves as the primary influence). The relatively simple yet dazzlingly colorful makeup and costuming of the monstrous retinue—lumbering ogres, grotesque Cyclopes, wizened Shinto priests sporting fleshy catfish whiskers—reminded me of Tomu Uchida’s equally evocative The Mad Fox.

While I enjoyed each of these plots on its own merits, as a whole, Demon Pond never becomes quite as compelling as its individual components. The inconsistencies in style and tone create a sense of dissonance and disharmony; the frequent shifts between the mundane and fantastical worlds feel contradictory rather than complementary. Ultimately, it’s just a muddled, confused, incoherent cinematic experience—occasionally enjoyable, but difficult to recommend.

[genkinahito]

A Fugitive from the Past 飢餓海峡 (1965) Dir: Tomu Uchida

A Fugitive from the Past     飢餓海峡 「Kiga kaikyou」 Release Date: January 15th, 1965 Duration: 182 mins. Director: Tomu Uchida Writer: Naoyuki Suzuki, (Screenplay), Tsutomu Minakami (Original Novel) Starring: Rentaro Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Koji Mitsui, Sadako Sawamura, Susumu Fujita, IMDB A Fugitive from the Past, based on a novel by Tsutomu Minakami, is a crime film set in post-war…

[movierx]

Japanese films on Movie RX Master Post 2:

Motorbike, Her island (1986) dir. Nobuhiko Obayahi

Black Rose Mansion (1969) dir. Kinji Fukasaku

Chizuko’s Younger Sister (1991) dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi

Black Lizard (1968) dir. Kinji Fukasaku

Yumeji (1991) dir. Seijun Suzuki

The Deserted City (Haishi) (1984) dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi

Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow, AKA The Mad Fox (1962) dir. Tomu Uchida

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983) dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi

Farewell to the Ark (1984) dir. Shūji Terayama

Seven Weeks (2014) dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi