Over the years, and especially recently, as more such titles have been released by specialty companies I peruse, such as Arrow Video and The Criterion Collection, I have learned, not simply to appreciate but also to adore the yakuza, or Japanese gangster, movie. This book came to my attention through my local University library. The tome is neatly designed: An eight-page Foreword, 24-page Brief History of the genre, Profiles/Interviews of seven prominent directors, and 14 great actors, of the genre, then Film Reviews of the best examples. In all, there are 123 films. There are nine subjects the films lie within: Edo Era (seven films; pre-1868); Meiji Era to early Showa Era (18 films; 1868-1945); Postwar Period (30 films; 1945-1975);…
Over the years, and especially recently, as more such titles have been released by specialty companies I peruse, such as Arrow Video and The Criterion Collection, I have learned, not simply to appreciate but also to adore the yakuza, or Japanese gangster, movie. This book came to my attention through my local University library. The tome is neatly designed: An eight-page Foreword, 24-page Brief History of the genre, Profiles/Interviews of seven prominent directors, and 14 great actors, of the genre, then Film Reviews of the best examples. In all, there are 123 films. There are nine subjects the films lie within: Edo Era (seven films; pre-1868); Meiji Era to early Showa Era (18 films; 1868-1945); Postwar Period (30 films; 1945-1975); Women and the Gangs (28 films); Comic Takes (13 films); Punks (seven films); International Connections (19 films); Crossing Genres (ten films); and Loners and Outsiders (28 films). That of course, equals 160...so some films are counted in more than one category.
Notes:--#19-21, a trilogy ('Diary of Chuji's Travels'), is only considered as one entry in the book.
--Though the film is not included per se, the book has photo on pg. 196 for 'Gokudo no Onnatachi: Akai Kizuza'; aka 'Gang Wives: Blood Ties'; Ikuo Sekimoto, 1996)
Those films included in the book that AREN'T (as yet) in Letterboxd are:
--Don e no Michi (aka 'The Road to Bossdom'; video; Shigeru Ishihara, 2003)
--Don o Totta Otoko (aka 'The Man Who Shot the Don'; Sadao Nakajima, 1994)
--Gang tai G-men (Postwar Period [1945-1975]; in IMDb, listed as 'Gyangu tai G-men'; aka 'Gang versus G-men'; Kinji Fukasaku, 1962)
--Gokudo no ane Reiko (Women and the Gangs; book has photo on pg. 194; aka 'Gang Lady: Reiko'; Kazuo 'Gaira' Komizu, 1995)
--Gokudo no onnatachi: Kejime (Women and the Gangs; aka 'Gang Wives: Decision'; Sadao Nakajima, 1998)
--Gorotsuki (Punks; aka 'Tough Guys'; Yasuhiro Horiuchi, 1992)
--Jinsei gekijô: Hishakaku to kiratsune (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945]; book has photo on pg. 223; aka 'Theater of Life: Hishakaku and Kiratsune'; Tomu Uchida, 1968)
--Jitsuroku Ando Gumi Gaiden: Garo no Okite (Postwar Period [1945-1975], and Loners and Outsiders; book has photo on pg. 225; aka 'The True History of the Ando Gang: Rules of the Starving Wolf'; Shunichi Kajima, 2002)
--Kaoyaku (Postwar Period [1945-1975]; aka 'Boss'; Teruo Ishii, 1965)
--Kutsukake Tokijiro (Edo Era [pre-1868], Women and the Gangs, and Loners and Outsiders; Yoshiro Tsuji, 1929)
--Kyohansha (International Connections; aka 'Partners in Crime'; Kazuhiro Kiuchi, 1999)
--Level (Women and the Gangs; book has photo on pg. 248; not mentioned in IMDb either; Tetsuya Matsushima, 1994)
--Mukokuseki no otoko: Chi no shûkaku (International Connections; aka 'Pinocchio: A Man without Nationality'; Rokuro Mochizuki, 1997)
--Nihon Kyokakuden: Naniwahen (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945]; Masahiro Makino, 1965)
--Nihon Kyokaku-den: Shira-ha no Sakazuki (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945]; Masahiro Makino, 1967)
--Otoko no monshô (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945]; book has photo on pg. 267; aka 'Symbol of a Man'; Akinori Matsuo, 1963)
--Otokotachi no kaita e (Crossing Genres; aka 'The Man with Two Hearts'; Hidehiro Ito, 1996)
--Shiawase ni naro ne (Women and the Gangs, and Comic Takes; aka 'Let's Get Happy'; Akio Murahashi, 1998)
--Shin jingi naki tatakai/Bousatsu (aka 'Another Battle: Conspiracy'; Hajime Hashimoto, 2003)
--Shinjuku Yokubo Tantei (Loners and Outsiders; book has photo on pg. 282; aka 'The Hungry Shinjuku Detective'; not listed on IMDb either; Etsu Totoku, 1994)
--Shôwa zankyô-den: Shinde moraimasu (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945], and Women and the Gangs; aka 'Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era: I Want You to Die'; Masahiro Makino, 1970)
--Shuraba ga Yuku (book has photo on pg. 284; aka 'The Carnage Comes'; Akiyoshi Kimata [aka 'Seiji Izumi'], 1995)
--Shuraba no Ningengaku (Postwar Period [1945-1975]; aka 'The Anthropology of a Fight Scene'; not listed in IMDb either; Shunichi Kajima, 1993)
--Tôkyô gyangu tai Honkon gyangu (Postwar Period [1945-1975], and International Connections; book has photo on pg. 293; aka 'Tokyo Gang versus Hong Kong Gang; Teruo Ishii, 1964)
--Wakaki Hi no Jirocho (Edo Era [pre-1868]; aka 'The Young Days of Jirocho'; not listed in IMDb either; Masahiro Makino, 1962)
--Yaju Shisubeshi: Fukushuhen (aka 'The Beast Must Die: Revenge'; not listed in IMDb either; Masato Hironishi, 1997)
--Zankyo (Meiji Era to early Showa Era [1868-1945]; book has photo on pg. 317; aka 'Remnants of Chivalry'; not listed in IMDb either; Ikuo Sekimoto, 1999)
As always, if you hit 'Read Notes', I'll eventually have nice tidbits from the book you may find stimulating, but buy the book if you can, and have it in your collection for yourself. It's that good. And cheers! =)
Sincerely,
William Wood Windsor, Ontario, Canada October, 2018
