The Unsung Eastern Cinema

Last week saw the arrival of one of the greatest Asian releases in recent memory- in fact, more than that, The Good, The Bad & The Weird can truly be counted as one of the finest releases of modern cinematic history. But what of those Eastern movies that fail to pick up the justifiable accolades of any beyond the commited Asiaphiles and global film obsessives- a worrying amount of Asian films fail to even make a dent in Western cinematic consciousness (a fact that could be claimed of every "foreign" country's body of work, including the roaring behemoth that is the Russian film industry). As an indicative drop in the ocean, recent releases like Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers, The President's Last Bang and Fine, Totally Fine are all excellent films, but will be no more than familiar to the majority of readers than the upcoming Russian epic Tzar, which I was fortunate enough to see at Cannes. There is perhaps a stigma attached to the Asian product, which is partly to do with the success it has enjoyed in the past- I happily admit that prior to broadening my global film horizons, I believed that particularly side of the global market to be dominated by horror movies. Korean and Japanese horrors are genre defining- and more often than not inform the direction that the same sub-genre takes in Hollywood (all too fequently when it comes to straight adaptations) and it is often easier to assume that they are the best examples of their region, as opposed to of their genre (Brit movies suffer a similar fate in that they are often viewed as all unflinchingly hyper-realistic and grim). At the other end of the scale epics like Red Cliff are the other expectation- the wake created after the phenomenal success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (newly available on Blu-Ray from the 6th ofJuly) and its ilk has combined with the success (though not universal) of the horror productions to shape expectations in a way that makes progression or diversity a difficult thing to command across the waters of the world. Likely it doesnt help that marketing budgets for such "smaller" films as those mentioned earlier is limited to a minute percentage of those attributed to grander projects: companies such as my personal favourite The Associates do valiant work to put the message (and a frankly jaw-dropping amount of new releases) out but they are fighting a faltering battle when it comes to anything that hasnt already began to snowball with the force of the almighty dollar behind it (meaning comedies are often the most overlooked of Eastern movies). With that in mind, and an acknowledging nod towards Neil Johnson of Substance (another PR company to be commended for their dedication) I present to you a selection of the best in unsung Eastern cinema (though some of you may well be more aware of more than one of them)... Casshern (2004) Director: Kazuaki Kiriya By no means an unheard of movie, Casshern has nonetheless failed to recall the same phenomenal success in the West that it enjoyed back home in Japan, where it is now part of the massively successful franchise- with several spin-off TV shows and comics- that was borne out of the original 1970s sci-fi anime series Neo-Human Casshern. The intricate and dynamic movie concerns an ongoing conflict between The Eastern Federation and Europa, the genetic creation of superhumans (Neo-Humans), robotic battles and ghostly apparitions, and was shot on a digital backlot, resulting in a visually arresting CGI epic (and thankfully a million aesthetically beautiful miles away from later inferior CGI projects like Mutant Chronicles). Although received well in native Japan, the Western critical reception was more split, with Empire calling it 'flawed and messy' and Variety labelling it 'not entirely originial'- those comments aside (the originality aspect is an unfortunately convincing evaluation in places) Casshern deserves to have been watched by a larger percentage of the Western film-watching community than it so far has been. The Mysterians (1957) Directors:Ishiro Honda (drama), Eiji Tsuburaya (special effects) Absolutely slated on its US release, The Mysterians nevertheless represents a landmark in Japanese cinema, for its visionary use of day-for-night shots and bright colours (still a scarce characteristic of 1950s cinema), and for having the distinction of being the first Tokusatsu (or live action Japanese special effects movie) to be filmed in TohoScope- the Japanese version of cinemascope. Curiously, and rather unfairly, The Mysterians was slated for the same features upon which the entire Western B-Movie industry has built its foundations (and which allow Bruce Campbell to continue living the quality of life he has grown accustomed to) on its release. Had this wonderful, garish gem of a film been released into today's market, I have no doubt that it would enjoy as fervent a cult status as the best of the B-Movies: particularly thanks to the epic robot Moguera and the aliens' desires not to conquer the Earth, but merely to cohabit and have the right to intermarry with human lady people. Can't we all just get along?! Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992) Director:Shinya Tsukamoto This colour reworking of Tsukamoto's far better received Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) gained a lot of negative critical press because of its unfavourable comparison to the original. Okay so the plot is less enchanting- rather than the metamorphosis sufferer being haunted by the ghost of the slain Metal Fetishist, who curses his body to transform into metal, this time the metamorphosis is brought on Hulk-style by rage- and there arent the same cult scenes (there is no penis to drill transformation that represented the high/low point of the first film), but considered as a singular unit, Tsetuo II is still far better than most reviews would have you believe. This is pure fetishistic cinema at its best- with only the most flippant attitude for plot and conventional cinematic conventions like action or suspense, the film feels more like a series of overlayed visual motifs and has more in common with a grim, grotesque heavy metal video than anything conventionally cinematic. Perhaps the film might have been taken more seriously were it not available in vending machines across Japan. Happy Together (1997) Director: Kar Wai Wong After some serious early critical acclaim, including the coveted Best Director gong at the 1997 Cannes film festival interest in Happy Together seemed to unfortunately wane, and it was never really able to match the successes of either Chungking Express before it or 2046 subsequently. This despite the fact that it is the superior movie of the three, and in all honesty represents the thus far uneqalled high-point of Wong's directorial career. Quite apart from the power of the subject (Wong's portrayal of love and friction is deeply affecting stuff), it is the aesthetic manifesto of the film that really makes it zing- the kaleidoscopic imagery drips with emotion, and justifiably inspired a lot of critical acclaim in the early days of its release, though it was identified as a luxury at the expense of classical narrative progression. I am an outspoken critic of the bias towards beauty over soul in film- having criticised the forthcoming Spring Fever for that very sin- but in the case of Happy Together, the aesthetic is as important to the narrative as any traditonal story-telling mechanisms: every layered vision is invested with power and emotion enough to carry this tale of turbulent love. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990) Producer: Steven Spielberg While a series of shorts based upon the actual dreams of director Akira Kurosawa might appear to be the most nepatistic of all artistic endeavour, and akin to someone showing you pictures of their excrement, or God forbid, their kids, Dreams is in fact a marvel of modern art. Another movie that wont be for those strictly dedicated to the narrative school of cinema, but it is an undisputed triumph of visual artistry. Utter vanity? Yes. But, the dreamscapes Kurosawa commits to film are unrivalled in any other filmic project, andfor that alone the film's merit soars. And finally... The Good, The Bad & The Weird (2008) Director: Ji-woon Kim Barely released, but already destined to be denied the adoration and sustained critical exhaltation it deserves, Ji-woon Kim's epic, mad-cap Sergio Leone mutant offering at times flirts with stepping over the line into campy slosh, but always manages to retain its dignity thanks to its unashamed self-consciousness. Okay, so plot resolution isnt anywhere near the top of the list of objectives here (if it appears at all), but it is becoming obvious that such an approach is eponymous with this curious little subgenre of Eastern Westerns (derisibly called Noodle Westerns in some quarters)- that is if this and Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django (reviewed here) are to be held as the benchmark, that is. What is offered in terms of narrative inevitably draws from the same page as The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, with the three titular figures embroilled in a race for treasure, but this is merely a loose matrix upon which the artistic ideas of the film are slung. But- whisper it- plot isnt always the be-all-and-end-all in these situations. The film that Kim has created is a genuine work of art- it is heart-stoppingly beautiful, and manages to balance both familiar ressurectionist Western imagery and he ultra-modern uber-strange visuals that are key to the success of these Surrealist gems. Such is the intricate precision with which every frame is created that each feels like an artesan product in their own respect. The film is an epic parody of the Western genre, as much as it is an homage to it: the "plot" is so littered with the ultra-recognisable tropes of Messrs Leone, Peckinpah and Ford- the imagery of the sets, the mongrelised characters, the drawn-out setpiece shootout and the stand-off finale- that it works as a sort of caricature seen through deliciously deranged eyes. I wont lie to you, it is hard work, and will unfortunately alienate a lot of audiences who are more invested in narrative and resolution, which is a major shame, but it is unquestionably worth the effort. I unreservedly urge you to watch this film. And to love it. Let me know what you think out there- any other classics that you feel should be given greater light of day? The Good, The Bad & The Weird is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray now.