If you happen to live in Tokyo, the SuperDeluxe in Nishi-Azabu (Minato-ku) is going to be screening Donald Richie’s short works under the title Japanese Cinema Eclectics: Donald Richie — A Film Anthology on November 15th (Wednesday).
While Richie is of course best known as an author and a film critic, he has also had time to work on a few short films. The works shown at SuperDeluxe this month are:
Wargames (1962, 22 minutes). A gang of children and a goat, filmed on the coast of Chiba during a typhoon, with Tatsumi Hijikata as assistant director.
Atami Blues (1962, 20 minutes). A pick-up and its consequences at the Atami hot springs, with music by Toru Takemitsu.
Boy with Cat (1967, 5 minutes). A minimalist structural experiment with a boy, a cat, and a set of pornographic photos.
Dead Youth (1967, 13 minutes). Based on a poem of Muturo Takahashi in which past and present, love and death, reflection and desires are woven together with transgression.
Five Filosophical Fables (1967, 47 minutes). The best-known of Richie’s films, this portmanteau package contains the celebrated Japanese family cannibal picnic and the exhilarating nude finale.
See the SuperDeluxe schedule for the source and for more information.
