Riben Guizi—Japanese Devils
(“Riben Kuizu”)- Director: MATSUI Minoru
2000 Japanese Subtitled in English / German Color 16mm 160 min
Production Company: Riben Guizi Production Committee & Directors System Co.
Producer: MATSUI Minoru, OGURI Kenichi
Photography: OGURI Kenichi
Editing: MATSUI Minoru
Music: SATO Ryosuke
Sound: OGURI KenichiContact: Directors System
4-19-8-203 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 JAPAN
Phone: 81-3-3746-0395
Fax: 81-3-3746-0397
E-mail: Direct704@aol.com
URL: www.japanesedevils.com
English subtitled VHS available for sale
[Festivals and prizes] Berlin Forum 2001, Muenchen Doc 2001 (Special Prize), Troi 2001 (Silver Dolphin Award), Toronto 2001, Sarajevo 2001, Hong Kong 2002, and others
[Synopsis] 14 former soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army confess to the atrocities they committed during the 15 years of war in China.
Former soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army speak plainly in detail of their experiences and crimes plundering, killing, and raping civilians in China. A work of historical relevance, as while much has been written about the Japanese victims of World War II, the perpetrators and aggressors of war have largely been silent in the post-war half-decade. “I completely lost control of myself, and I derived pleasure from killing people. The more I killed the better I felt.” The relentless confessions of these soldiers give us deep insight into humanity and reveal the dimensions of cruelty that man is capable of in wartime.
| MATSUI Minoru
Born in 1947. Graduated from Sophia University. Worked as assistant director with Kindai Eiga Kyokai, on many of Shindo Kaneto’s films. Work as director includes TV drama, documentary, and short films. Co-directed the documentary film Koroto Daihenkan. |