yep..i agree that Teshigahara is quite under-rated compared to other Japanese auteurs. Woman in the Dunes is undoubtedly his master-work. “Pitfall” and “The face of another” are his other great works which i admire. “Pitfall” has some remarkable use of stock footage and is a great mix of surrealism and social drama. Kim ki duk’s “Time” has a similar theme to that of “The face of another” on the denotative as well as the connotative level, (that of plastic surgery and identity, masks and social relations) but “The face of another” is way more complex and far more riveting and intriguing. These two films and also woman in the dunes were based on novels by the Japanese writer and playwright Kobo Abe. Do check dem out.
Well, considering that you find Woman in the Dunes a masterpiece (so do I!), I’m certain you will find a lot to admire in two of his other wonderful collaborations with Kobo Abe & Toru Takemitsu, namely Pitfall and The Face of Another. His cine-poem on Gaudi is breathtaking as well, a striking example of his unique aesthetic and artistic sensibilities.
Among his shorts, I think White Morning (Ako) — also a collaboration with Abe and Takemitsu — is the best, a beautifully intimate and naturalistic portrayal of youth in 60s Japan, followed by Tokyo 1958, an energetic and often quite humorous snapshot of the titular metropolis.
I haven’t seen some of his later works, like Rikyu and Summer Soldiers, and personally I wasn’t that impressed by The Ruined Map — the very poor quality of subtitles didn’t help matters — though I’d like to know what others think of it.
Thanks for the recs, guys. I have already added Pitfall and The Face of Another to my queue.
I haven’t seen any of his shorts… And I saw The Ruined Map without subs (Teshigahara never allowed subs to be written for it so the only in existence that I know of are ripped from a Russian dub), so don’t take my advice on that film.
Of his work with Abe, though, Woman in the Dunes is probably his most successful adaptation. For what he added, took away, and kept faithful (it’s relatively straightforward, though… especially considering the text for Face of Another and the film). I wouldn’t say I’ve seen a bad film from him, yet, though… And I would say Woman in the Dunes, Face of Another, and Antonio Gaudi are masterpieces.
The reason he may not be as discussed as much as other New Wave directors, or the generation before is probably his insistence on being independent of the studio system. Which allowed him to be far more abstract than most of his studio contemporaries. But also limits his appeal in a fashion similar to the also under-discussed Susumu Hani, Akio Jissoji, Kazuo Hara, Shinsuke Ogawa, and Noriaki Tsuchimoto among others.
This is off topic, but how do you submit a new film to the database? I could have sworn there was a March 2011 submission thread, but now I’m unable to find it anywhere.
EDIT: Never mind. Found it!
if i may ask a question about woman in the dunes: it’s a stunning film but don’t u find it a bit misogynist? plz don’t attack me
No, actually I find that, like many of his contemporaries, Teshigahara was more than willing to switch the roles of dominance between men and women.
Kyoko Kishida is the one with the power. Eiji Okada is in the role of the traditional submissive female. In fact the film could be seen from beginning to end as Japanese men being unable to cope with the more modernized and empowered Japanese woman (let us not forget the 60’s)…
^ This is a great interpretation especially if you consider Face of Another as also dealing with those same issues of male anxiety towards liberated/sexualized women.
hmm ok i can accept that, thx :)
Thanks, Machiko… I think the greatness of Abe and Teshigahara is their ability to keep abstract concepts still abstract, but accessible. Thinking about “identity”; it’s such a difficult thing to consider in its totality. But what Abe and Teshigahara do so well is layer a narrative (man gets trapped in an enormous sandpit with a woman), and commentary (usually in the manner of gender roles in the time of increasing change to them), and underneath that take into consideration what “identity” is; what “freedom” is; what “choice” is.
They remain abstract, still difficult to grapple with, but contextualized in so many ways as to offer some personality, and accessibility to them. We can find something personal that resonates with us.
Of course this was a major concern of many New Wave filmmakers, but Teshigahara may have been the best at it (though the two films I’ve seen from Yoshida and Akio’s This Transient Life give him a run)… Anyway…
Teshigahara is also underrated because of his great modesty (“I’m just a cameraman”), because Abe was to all reports the dominant figure in their collaborations, and because he stopped making films for so long for flower arranging. I think he’s an incredible director and those films extraordinary collaboration between three great geniuses.
Kate
Woman in the Dunes is one of my favorite movies, and I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a masterpiece. It’s the kind of film that sinks into your soul. So I’m a little surprised that I don’t hear Hiroshi Teshigahara’s name mentioned more on this board given how much recognition other Asian directors get. I haven’t seen his other movies, but I’d like to. Are they not worth exploring? If they are, which of his other films would you recommend?