Film critics don't usually issue disclaimers, but one is in order, I think, before I launch into a review of Teruo Ishii's "Moju vs Issunboshi." Last year, I programmed a retrospective of Ishii's films for a festival in Udine, Italy. I accompanied him to Udine and spent an enjoyable and instructive week in his company. The event was a success, with Ishii's ero-guro masterpiece "Kyofu Kikei Ningen" (Island of the Malformed Men)" (1969), receiving a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd after its first overseas screening.
In short, I am not the most objective person to write a review of his 83rd feature film, the latest in a directing career that started in 1957. Ishii did his share of hack work during his nearly two decades with Toei, but his best films, from his early gang epics to his expeditions into the stranger regions of pleasure and pain, are stylishly shot, wryly funny and unmistakably Ishii. I found six neglected gems for the Udine festival, but many more are out there waiting to be rediscovered.
In Japan, however, Ishii has long struggled to get his films made and shown. This is regrettable, since he has done some of his strongest work since "Gensenkan Shujin (Master of the Gensenkan Inn)" (1993), his comeback film, after a 14-year absence from the big screen. His latest film, "Moju vs Issunboshi," languished on the shelves for more than two years before it finally found a distributor in Slow Learner.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name
in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.
Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.