Figure 1.--Here Johnny Sokko and Agent Mano havevtaken over control of Giant Robot from the Gargoyl Gang and are on their way back to Tokyo. Johnny controls Giant Robit with his Dicky Tracy wrist watch. |
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We have only limited information on individual Japanese Films. The various monster films like 'Godzilla',, have been widely shown on American television and they often have roles for children in which the boys usually wear the short short pants so popular beginning in the 1950s-80s. In a few instances there are also parts for American boys who always wear long pants--often jeans. Wehave also found a few ordinary Jaoanese filns, all from thevpost-War period. Occasionally the Japanese boys appear in traditional clothing, although this was becoming much less common after thevWar. The best known Japamese film is Samuri saga 'Ronin', but does not concern children. There are also some American and other foreign films set in Japan. The only Japanese films to have madeit in theWestatae the mobster films. We know vurtually no Japanese filns appearin in America for several years. We are unsure if they have proven popular in other foreign markets. Or why such a major film industrybhas such limited foreign distribution.
Another dreadful Japanese monster film. Gamera is not quite as well known as Godzilla. As with several of these films, children fit in the plot. This one has a boy as part of the cast. His two school friends are also involved. The main character and his friends wears the short short pants that were so popular in Japan. This boys wears brown shorts and white socks throughout. I would say he is
about 9 years old. It is winter and he often wears a jacket. Two friends are pictured briefly, both in shorts. Later at school, one of the friends and most of the other boys wears longs, the hero and his other friend, however, stay in shorts. The other friend wears knee socks while the hero wears ankle socks. Our hero is pictures extensively throughout the film.
Here Gamera takes on the evil Guiron. This is another good example of the Japanese monster films. This one includes school children. space travel, earth's twin planet Terra, and brain earing alien babies. The main characters include an American and Japanese boy. The children's costumes see to be a good reflection of contemprary children's clothes.
The Japnaese film "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" (1985) is about the life of Yukio Mishima, the famous Japanese novelist. The director is Paul Schrader film. Curiously few Japanese have seen the film. Mishima�s family will not permit into be shown in the country. The wonderfully crafted film, as the title suggests, is divided into three chapters recealing Mishimas different lives: public, private and literary. Mishima's final day is counterpointed by sgowing his childhood and adolesence in black-and-white sequences and winderfully staged color dramatizations of his novels, Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoko's House, and Runaway Horses. Mishima is depiced as boy about 5-6 years old in the first segment of the movie. He is unhappy because he has been separated at an early age from his mother.
We only have limited information on this film at this time. The English tutor (David Niven) of a Japanese ambassador's son (Ando) finds he must live up to his greatly exaggerated tales of heroism when the boy is kidnapped by terroists. He acts out his dreams of heroism. This comedy stars David Niven. The boy wears a variety of outfits, mostly casual Japanese style "T" shirts and short and long pants. At the time it was very common for Japanese boys to commonly wear short pants, even in the winter. Ando in this film often appears in lng pants, perhaps because he is not in Japan.
The series " Otoko wa Tsurai yo " or " It's tough being a man " is arguably the most loved movie series in Japanese film history. There were 48 films made altogether in the series, 1969-95, usually two a year timed for release at New Years and the summer holidays.
The hero, known as "Tora-san", is sort of ne-er do well travelling salesman with a gruff exterior but a heart of gold. He was played by Kiyoshi Atsumi whose death in 1995 ended the series. In each of the films, Tora-san meets a woman. They become close and it looks as if they will fall in love, but something always happens to break up their relationship
(often due to a particular Japanese inability to express feelings directly). Playing the woman (known as the "Madonna" role) has been a series of Japan's top actresses -- it was almost a rite of passage for an actress entering the big time.
Ringu was directed by Hideo Nakata, based upon the novel "The Ring" by Koji Suzuki. starring Nanako Matsishima (Reiko), Hiroyuki Sanada (Ryuji), and Takashi Yamamura (Yoichi).The title, "the Ring" refers to a water well and the lid that covers it and the secret surrounding the young girl entombed within it. A chilling supernatural chiller with a moralistic ending that doesn't qute work in today's humanistic culture, where there are no absolute "right" or "wrong," good or evil choices. A mysterious video tape was discovered by a group of high school kids; onced watched, the legend has it you have seven days before you die. Reiko's neice has recently died in a bizarre way. Being a newspaper reporter, Reiko decides to look into the strange deaths of her neice and the three other high school students who had shared a weekend at a remote cottage, all dying on the same day, at the same time. While she and her son attend the funeral wake for her neice, Reiko follows
Yoichi, her son, up to neice's room and discovers a receipt for photgraphs; the photographs reveal the location of the cottage, and one bizarre image of distorted
faces brings about the revelation of the cursed video. Reiko herself discovers the video at the cottage, watches it, and recieves a phone call thereafter (as the legend
says).
Starman (USA versions late 1960's) aka SuperGiant (Japan, circa late 1950's). The series starred Ken Utsui as Satman (Super-Giant, the man of steel). Japan's first cinematic super-hero influenced by the American television show, "The Adventures of Superman," and created by the Toho Studio's rival Shintoho Studios. Imported to the US by Walter
Manly Enterprises, re-edited and re-titled into four Starman features which aired on American television from late 1960's through the 1970's. Staman was the creation of The High Council of the Emerald Planet from the Marpet Galaxy, being a lone agent for the High Council to intervene in the affairs of Earthmen when disaster threatened Earth
and the universe. Little is known about Starman, the character, except that he was literally a "man of steel" created by the High Council, but being a robot, android of
some organic sper-creature is unknown. Starman is an excellent fighter with the strength of a thousand mortal men, and is equipped with The Globe Meter. The Globe Meter is worn on the wrist and has three functions: to fly through space, to detect radiation, and to translate all Earthly languages. Starman wears a simple costume of white tights and boots, an open-faced cowl equipped with a single antennea, and a rounded cape which is attached to his sleeves fluttering like wings when he flies; he also has a black waist belt with a large crystal as a buckle. Like the gigantic flying turtle called Gamera, Starman is the friend to all earth children.
A little Japanese boy, Johnny Sokko, and his giant flying robot in this film fight tomsave Tokyo from an evil alien monster--Daconian. There is also Emperor Guillotine. Evil space monsters for some reason all seem to go after Tokyo. one reviwer describes as a 'dog-faced lizard' monster. That is as good a descroption as we cam come up with. It has been described as campy, writing, "It doesnt get any campier than this." But that was not what the director had in mind. 'Voyage Into Space' follows the adventures of Johnny Sokko, played by Mitsunobu Kaneko. Unlike many American child stars, he did not have an extensice career. He was, however, emacuately dressed in a doubke-breasted short pants suit. Johnny has gained control of a giant flying robot from the evil space invading Gargoyle Gang led by Draconian. The Gargoyle has an endless supply of horrid giant monsters and su-glaased imiformed men atg his disposal. Actually the film was based on the 'Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot" TV serie (1967-68). Rather than actually shoot the film, the producers stitched together four episodes of the TV series. Draconian has his heart set on destroying Tokyo which Johnny and his giant robot friend along with the Unicorn secret agents are defending. This was of course just one of many monster films taht became a Japanese genre after World War II like 'Ultraman' andofcourse 'Godzilla'. Many of which were done with childrren. We are not sure why monsters were such popular fare in Japan. Or why they were so often pared with children. The speceal effects were particularly cheesy. But in the days before 'Star Wars' this was usually the case and rememnber this was made as a TV program. We think it was made a children's program. We are not sureabout Japanese destribution, but in the States was released by American International. It was mostly viewed by boys in after-school TV programs for children. American boys would have liked Johnny's adventurs, but I doubt that they were too impressed with his fancy duds. Girls did not share the boys' viewing tates. And now it is a classic of goofy Japanese monsters and TV vieewrs who see it as a campy 1970s cinena.
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