About the films
A Flame On The Pier
The film tackles Unionization, the scars of WW2, masculinity, the role of women in Japanese society, how the rich are the real bastards and crush as all and more. Sabu’s boss is just as much a victim of the system. We spent a lot of time showing the vapid rich assholes sitting around doing nothing. Sabu despite being under his Boss’s care for 10 years regularly doesn’t have enough to eat.
It uses the images of the Yakuza to show corporations are the real monsters crushing the little man.
Meanwhile Yuki is a weird complex character who knows Sabu’s a bastard and doesn’t seem to care. She also has a long term fuckboi friend that is also involved in the Unionizing.
It’s also shot beautifully with these moments of silence and natural sound that only bring further weight to the scene.
Then I gotta talk about how 60s japanese films always had an accompanying single. You didn’t have dvds or vhs or home releases. The only long tail thing you had was next month’s film with the same actors or the single. To advertise the single in the film you had to well sing the songs. So this film has two normal songs and then…that scene.
The Most Terrible Time In My Life
Part one of the Hama Maiku trilogy. Each film is of a different genre and this was taken further when after the films they did a 11 episode TV show where each episode had a different director.
Steal this film the only western release was shown tonight and it is of horrendous quality. It is maybe the best Hama Maiku thing, but I do love the whole series. If only because his outfits only get more and more outrageous.
