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Some funky animation from the Israeli film Waltz with Bashir.

Waltz with Bashir is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Sony Pictures Classics / Film Society of Lincoln Center, Photo Credit: Ari Folman and David Polonsky, © 2008

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The late, great Isaac Hayes checks out his hardware.

Source: Original Publicity Still, © 1974 American International Pictures

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Ava Gardner as Pandora Reynolds in Albert Lewin’s Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: The Film Foundation / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Suzzanna, the Queen of Indonesian Horror, died on October 15 at the age of 66. While most of her big films were in the 1970s and 1980s, her career had been enjoying a bit of a revitalization of late, with Mondo Macabro’s release of her Queen of Black Magic and some recent roles in Indonesian television and film.

Thanks to reader Jack J for passing on the sad news.

::: Horror artist Suzanna dies
::: CSB review of Queen of Black Magic

AKA: Porno Jidaigeki: Bohachi bushido
Country and Year: Japan (1973)
Director: Teruo Ishii
Starring: Tetsuro Tamba, Goro Ibuki, Tatsuo Endo, Ryohei Uchida, Yuriko Hishimi

Review By: David Austin
Rating: 2 ½ out of 4 stars (above average)

Bohachi Bushido is proof that, while Teruo Ishii might not always have brought the most disciplined and sophisticated visual sense to the table, when focused he was capable of some gorgeous work. Indeed, with Bohachi Bushido, Ishii shows he could be a match for the formal rigor of his colleague Norifumi Suzuki, usually by far the greater visual stylist as demonstrated in films like School of the Holy Beast and Terrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law Classroom.

Those familiar only with The Executioner series, where Ishii killed time by having Sonny Chiba pick his nose and put it in people’s drinks, will be shocked to learn that Bohachi Bushido comes from the same director. Ishii’s works have always been stagy, but here his direction tips over the line into full-blown theatrical. Characters scheme and declaim their lines as if in a Kabuki drama. Even his images of the classic Yoshiwara red light district of Edo (pre-Meiji restoration Tokyo) are drawn as if from an old ukiyoe print, with crowded horizontal planes filled with bars, theaters, and pleasure-seekers.

The entire film is stylized, with rarely a “realistic” moment. Ishii leads off with a battle that would not be out of place in the Lone Wolf and Cub films. The cold open finds us in media res as the protagonist faces off with his enemies in a highly dramatic fashion a cartoonishly backlit bridge. Slow motion is heavily utilized, as are geysers of blood. Ishii even makes a comical point of spinning the cast names out of splattering blood, dismembered bodies and sparks from shattered samurai swords, foreshadowing the seminal opening credits of Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer. Later battles showcase such eye-poppers as eight nude female killers taking on a ninja armed with a chain dagger in a field at night.

The plot is something of a clothes-hanger. Savvy viewers, familiar with the comics of writer Kazuo Koike, upon whose work this film is based, already will have some idea of what to expect. Koike, author of the original manga Lone Wolf & Cub, Lady Snowblood, and Hanzo the Razor, is a maestro of sex and violence, creating gory but intelligent samurai masterpieces that were adapted into some of the key works of Japanese grindhouse cinema of the 1970s (as the above titles should make clear). Here Ishii combines Koike’s violent aesthetic with a narcotized dreamlike atmosphere that would not be out of place in an Italian horror film.

The film is set among the Bohachi yakuza subculture of panderers and pimps in the Yoshiwara. The Bohachi – “beasts masked in human skin” – acquire and train prostitutes in a highly ritualistic and fetishistic fashion. They are presented as a fascinatingly contrary group. While the most amoral of the Yakuza tribes, they nevertheless are strictly wedded to a code. However, their code, their ethos, is expressed solely in negation. The Bohachi’s vows require the abandonment of loyalty, trust, shame, etc. – the “Forgotten Eight Virtues.” The story is as much about their customs and ways as it is about the “plot.” In that sense, it is classic Koike - the writer relished dissecting the criminal strata of Tokugawa-era Japan.

The lead, played by Tetsuro Tamba, is Shino, an aimless assassin. It is a rare starring role for the prolific Tamba, who excelled at cameos. Here Tamba shares central stage with a hairpiece that goes way past ridiculous. Shino becomes embroiled in the Bohachi’s schemes to control all of the Yoshiwara by punishing all johns and prostitutes who fail to pay their dues to the Bohachi.

In addition to Tamba, Bohachi Bushido stars a number of other Japanese genre stalwarts. The Bohachi’s second-in-command, Kesazo Shirakubi, is played by Goro Ibuki (of the superb Battles Without Honor and Humanity series) in wonderfully surreal fashion. Shirakubi makes no secret of his intentions to profit from Shino’s downfall and his willingness to perform any act necessary. Perhaps as a result, Shirakubi comes off as a worthy and even ambiguously appealing adversary. Ibuki and Tamba share one of the film’s best moments – a gun versus sword showdown featuring a spotlight and faux slow-motion that is one of Ishii’s most effective in-camera tricks.

Boss Shirobei of the Bohachi is played by the distinctive Tatsuo Endo, who specialized in such roles as evil authority figures, be they Yakuza Oyabuns, clan elders or corrupt politicians. Endo is one of those actors whose name you might not know, but whose face you have seen a thousand times. And finally, the ninja who takes on the pack of naked beauties is Ryohei Uchida, who had a similarly busy career in Yakuza films.

Bohachi Bushido almost could pass for a Criterion-approved Kihachi Okamoto masterpiece like Sword of Doom or a Hideo Gosha film but for the sheer volume of naked flesh on display and the tongue-in-cheek approach to the material. Indeed, Bohachi Bushido actually achieves the odd effect of making nudity commonplace. Almost every frame of the film is so packed with naked women that breasts become background noise. You can see it in the resignation on star Tetsuro Tamba’s face – “ What, more naked women running around? Oh, if we must.” Of course, that blasé attitude may reflect more on Tamba’s lifestyle than any on the film.

Recommended? I had low expectations for this one, especially given the title “Porno Jidaigeki” or “Pornographic Period Piece.” I did not find it to be pornographic, though it is quite sleazy, and I was pleasantly surprised to find one of Ishii’s better films.

If you like this, you might like: Lone Wolf & Cub, Lady Snowblood, Hanzo the Razor, Female Convict Scorpion, Sword of Doom

::: See additional coverage of Teruo Ishii
::: See additional coverage of Tetsuro Tamba
::: See additional coverage of Discotek releases

DVD DETAILS

DVD Production Company: Discotek (www.discotekmedia.com)
Run Time: 81 Mins
Extras: Audio commentary with J-Taro and Takao Nakano, Liner Notes, Interview with Yuriko Hishimi, Interview with author J-Taro Sugisaku, Manga to Film

Discotek’s 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen print looks gorgeous. The disc also contains a number of interesting extras. First up are two essays, liner notes by Chris D. of American Cinematheque and a discussion of the screening of the film at a recent retrospective by film critic Mark Schilling. Also included are two interviews – one with Yuriko Hishimi who plays a prominent woman of the Bohachi in the film and another by J-Taro Sugisaku, contributor to a book on Toei Pinky Violence. Sugisaku also participates in an audio commentary with cult director/writer Takao Nakano. Finale there are lengthy excerpts from the original manga provided for comparison purposes and a photo gallery with a number of stills from the film as well as shots of director Ishii and his notes on the film. Also included are trailers for a number of Discotek releases.

© David Austin

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Some funky animation from the Israeli film Waltz with Bashir.

Waltz with Bashir is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Sony Pictures Classics / Film Society of Lincoln Center, Photo Credit: Ari Folman and David Polonsky, © 2008

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Benico del Toro in Steven Soderbergh’s Che. Check out Charlie’s review here.

Che is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Wild Bunch / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler.

The Wrestler is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Wild Bunch / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Iron Claw the Pirate
AKA: Demir Pence Korsan Adam
Dir. Cetin Inanc (Turkey 1969)
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars (above average)
Capsule Review by: David Austin

Fans of Spy Smasher and Iron Fist: The Giants Are Coming will want to check out Onar’s recent release of Iron Claw the Pirate, another great costumed hero revival. Iron Claw features yet another masked adventurer (Demir Karahan) fighting dastardly villains. Like Spy Smasher, Iron Claw has a two-fisted female sidekick, Mine, and cruises around on a motorcycle to some sweet jazzy tunes. Iron Claw, however, is not your typical superhero. He can’t even be bothered to protect his identity and on more than one occasion he charges into battle without putting on his mask. Moreover, he’s just as likely to use a gun as his fists.

Iron Claw does introduce some other variations on the formula – specifically extreme patriotism and a notorious villain. Like the Tarkan films before it, Iron Claw is bursting with Turkish pride. One associate of Iron Claw’s who dies heroically protecting his country says as he expires, “I’m content with the outcome” (oddly anticlimactic last words). Fortunately, the patriotism does not stand in the way of lots of gratuitous belly dancing. And in that respect, Iron Claw is a sleazy high point with scantily clad dancer after scantily clad dancer shaking it for the camera.

My favorite thing about Iron Claw (besides the belly dancing, which is no small pleasure) is that, like Kilink Istanbul’da, it guests stars an imported villain, in this case none other than French criminal mastermind Fantomas. This was not the first or last time the villain of a Turkish film would be a famous European pulp heavy - Iron Fist: The Giants Are Coming would follow this trend by having its hero fight Fu Manchu. This version of Fantomas has some peculiar quirks – he eschews the traditional tuxedo and mask and always travels with a bevy of beautiful girls as well as henchmen in black with large “F” symbols on their shirts. Most oddly, he is positively obsessed with meetings. When he first calls his troops in Turkey, it is to set up a meeting. When he moves into his new Turkish headquarters, he declares that “All our meetings will take place here.” Basically, he’s the middle management of super villains. Luckily for him, in addition to his fairly useless ‘F’lunkies, he also has Behcet, a rather portly fellow with pointy sideburns and a furry Russian hat. Behcet is not much better in a fight, but he does meet the apparent Turkish requirement that some character in a masked hero film have a metal hand, though, par for the course, the hand serves no purpose. Yildirim Gencer (Kilink) also has a role as another of the hero’s sidekicks.

All the twists and turns lead up to a wild finale with an sprawling shootout and chase scene involving all the main characters. Director Inanc even gets a chance to show some flair with a surprisingly impressive extended shot of Iron Claw and his allies fighting Fantomas’ goons on different levels from the perspective of an descending elevator. Iron Claw delivers on its promises.

Overall, Onar’s print of Iron Claw is surprisingly good. For whatever reason, the picture seems to have stood the test of time better than many of its contemporaries. Extras include a number of trailers along with photos and bios, as well as a foldout poster for the film and a documentary on director Cetin Inanc. Maybe some day Onar will bring us the sequel, Demir Pence Casuslar Savasi.

The Red Plume – Genghis Khan
AKA: Kizil Tug – Cengiz Han
Dir. Aydin Arakon (Turkey 1952)
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars (above average)
Capsule Review by: David Austin

Kizil Tig – Cengiz Khan, unlike Iron Claw, is something I’ve never seen before – a true, old-fashioned sword-fighting peplum (by the time the Tarkan films came around, Turkish historical films had assimilated the increased sex and violence of the late ’60s and ‘70s). It is the oldest Turkish film I’ve seen besides Tarzan Istanbul’da, but Kizil Tug mines more original territory.

Kizil Tug is set during the days of Genghis Khan. Our hero, Otsukarci (Turan Seyfioglu), a sloppy, surly Yojimbo-esque hero, gets into a duel with Genghis Khan’s right-hand man Gelman the Lion Slayer, and then, after saving the Khan’s life, is sent on a mission to collect funds for the Khan. Instead Otsukarci finds himself embroiled in the politics of the medieval Arabic principality of Horasan (represented by a great old school matte painting), where he happens to be a dead ringer for the Sheik’s prodigal son Halit. A number of battles, identity mix-ups and assorted hijinks later, Otsukarci is in love with the Sheik’s daughter Sabiha and things get really complicated.

Kizil Tug never reaches the insane heights of the beloved Tarkan films, but it is filled with action. While an early melee is filmed in too static a fashion, a later duel with morningstar and shield and a massive clash between armies do not disappoint. In a way, Kizil Tug feels like a preview of what the Russians would accomplish in epics like Ruslan and Ludmila or Ilya Muromets. Though nowhere near as accomplished, Kizil Tug shows an interesting new dimension of classic Turkish cinema.

Onar’s print of Kizil Tug is sadly not as well preserved as that of Iron Claw. However, while the deficiencies of the source material are readily apparent, the film is never less than watchable. Fortunately, Onar compensates with a near-essential package of extras. First are the standard series of trailers and photos – Altan Cocuk (Golden Boy), the James Bond of Turkey, looks particularly entertaining, as does sexy spy thriller Maskeli Ucler.

Next, there is the first part of a documentary on Turkish fantastic cinema. This enjoyable featurette is packed with rare footage and interviews and includes segments on actor Cuneyt Arkin, the Tarkan films, comic book film heroes Kara Murat, Malkocoglu and Karaoglan and the female action film Aybice Kurt Kiz (the Wolf Girl).

However, by the far the best extra is a lengthy booklet titled the “Turkish Fantastic Cinema Guide” - a lovingly compiled and comprehensive survey of Turkish film. With sections organized into Horror/Mystery, Fantasy/Fairy Tales, Karate, Historical, Western, Science Fiction, Superheroes and General, the guide lists hundreds of films – many sadly lost for ever. Onar’s Bill Barounis (see our interview with Bill here) includes many posters images along with titles, years, directors, casts and some details on the key films. Frankly, I am going a little crazy now, knowing I may never get a chance to see films like Super Woman Spreads Terror, Ringo vs. the Gestapo, and Ninja: Night Warrior (a Turkish Ninja movie with black magic elements!). If you’ve seen Kilink Istanbul’da, but never knew that in the course of his ten films he fought such fictional titans as Jimmy Wang Yu’s One Armed Boxer, Dr. No, Frankenstein’s monster and Mandrake the Magician, this is the book for you.

© David Austin

::: Additional Coverage of Onar Films Releases

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A scene from Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film Tokyo Sonata. Frankly, Kurosawa has been spinning his wheels since Bright Future, which represented a genuine step forward. Doppelganger was amusing but not much else, and both Loft (see review here) and Retribution (see review here) were weak echoes of his earlier J-horror masterpieces like Kairo. Tokyo Sonata promises to be a real change and CSB expects to have a review up in the next few weeks.

Tokyo Sonata is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Fortissimo Films / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Jacky Cheung as “Hong Qi” in Wong Kar-wai’s’s revised version of his 1994 film, Ashes of Time.

Ashes of Time Redux is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Photo by Lau Wai Keung and Chan Yuen Kai © 1994, 2008 Block 2 Pictures Inc., Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved

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“Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery) and Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) discuss a plan to stop Al Capone’s reign of terror in Prohibition Chicago in Paramount Pictures’ ‘THE UNTOUCHABLES’”

It is amazing the way Connery saves this movie from Costner, the nominal hero.

Source: Original Publicity Still, © 1987 Paramount Pictures Corp., Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal

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Jacky Cheung as “Hong Qi” in Wong Kar-wai’s’s revised version of his 1994 film, Ashes of Time.

Ashes of Time Redux is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Photo by Lau Wai Keung and Chan Yuen Kai © 1994, 2008 Block 2 Pictures Inc., Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved

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Matteo Garrone illustrates the modern Mafia in Gomorrah.

Gomorrah is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Mario Spada / IFC Films / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Tony Leung Chiu Wai as “Blind Swordsman” in Wong Kar-wai’s’s revised version of his 1994 film, Ashes of Time.

Ashes of Time Redux is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Photo by Lau Wai Keung and Chan Yuen Kai © 1994, 2008 Block 2 Pictures Inc., Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved

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Benico del Toro in Steven Soderbergh’s Che. Check out Charlie’s review here.

Che is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Wild Bunch / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Brigitte Lin as “Murong Yin/Murong Yang” in Wong Kar-wai’s’s revised version of his 1994 film, Ashes of Time.

Ashes of Time Redux is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Photo Credit: Lau Wai Keung and Chan Yuen Kai © 1994, 2008 Block 2 Pictures Inc. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. I’m looking forward to this one. Aronofsky has always showed a lot of potential but I’ve yet to see a film of his that really worked for me. I am curious to see how he will handle a grounded story after the metaphysical flights of The Fountain.

I’ve said it before - only the Asians and Mexicans have proven capable of making good movies about professional wrestling, with greats like The Foul King and wacky entries like the Santo films and The Calamari Wrestler. I hope Aronofsky can break this trend.

The Wrestler is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Wild Bunch / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Matteo Garrone illustrates the modern Mafia in Gomorrah.

Gomorrah is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Mario Spada / IFC Films / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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Tony Leung Chiu Wai as “Blind Swordsman” in Wong Kar-wai’s’s revised version of his 1994 film, Ashes of Time.

Ashes of Time Redux is playing during the 2008 New York Film Festival hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center.

Source: Photo Credit: Lau Wai Keung and Chan Yuen Kai © 1994, 2008 Block 2 Pictures Inc. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics / Film Society of Lincoln Center

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::: Discuss this with others in the Movie Lounge Forum