Legendary Filmmakers of Yamagata: the Actress Yokoyama Rie
In the radical era of the 1960s, Yokoyama Rie suddenly appeared on the scene as a heroine of the Japanese New Wave. After her debut in the intellectual underground, Yamagata native Yokoyama appeared in numerous films, earning a reputation as a supporting actress who created distinctive characters with great intensity. Following the tribute to Nagisa Yoko at YIDFF 2009, Yamagata once again rules the realm of the Shinjuku underground.
Diary of a Shinjuku Thief
(Shinjuku dorobo nikki)- 1969 / Japanese / Color, B&W / 35mm / 94 min
Director: Oshima Nagisa
Script: Tamura Takeshi, Sasaki Mamoru, Adachi Masao, Oshima Nagisa
Photography: Yoshioka Yasuhiro, Sengen Seizo
Cast: Yokoo Tadanori, Yokoyama Rie, Tanabe Moichi, Kara Juro
Production Company: Sozosha
Source: Toho
In 1969, in the midst of the globally surging student movement, Oshima Nagisa released this film. Yokoo Tadanori and Yokoyama Rie (as the bookstore employee Suzuki Umeko) crawl through the Shinjuku underground. Toura Rokko, Sato Kei, and others carry on discussions around them, as the film crosses the borders of documentary, fiction, and experimental film.
Ecstasy of the Angels
(Tenshi no kokotsu)- 1972 / Japanese / Color, B&W / 35mm / 89 min
Director: Wakamatsu Koji
Script: Deguchi Izuru (Adachi Masao)
Photography: Ito Hideo
Cast: Yoshizawa Ken, Yokoyama Rie, Onogawa Kozaburo
Planning, Producer: Wakamatsu Koji, Kuzui Kinshiro
Source: Toho
The film opens with “Quiet on the Frontlines” being sung in a subdued nightclub. Accompanied by the Yamashita Yosuke Trio, the voice of Friday (Yokoyama Rie) reverberates. Meanwhile, a revolutionary group that calls itself the Four Seasons Association confers over an attack on a U.S. military base. “The isolated elite is the one that will change the world.” Were they actually able to change the world?
An Interview with Yokoyama Rie