Japan’s Film Scholar Shiguéhiko Hasumi Curates New York Showcase

At the age of 89, renowned film critic and theorist Shiguéhiko Hasumi is set to make his U.S. debut with a curated film screening series in New York. The event, titled Shiguéhiko Hasumi: Another History of the Movie in America and Japan, will take place from October 9 to 18, 2023, at the Japan Society. This showcase coincides with the long-awaited English translation of Hasumi’s influential book, Directed by Yasujiro Ozu, published by the University of California Press.

Hasumi’s writings have long been revered among Western filmmakers and film enthusiasts, yet they have largely remained untranslated until now. His introduction to the U.S. film discourse offers an opportunity to address the historical imbalance in the understanding of Japanese cinema, particularly the postwar era. Critics have noted that the Western perception of Yasujiro Ozu has often been shaped by a select few writers, including Paul Schrader and Donald Richie. The arrival of Hasumi’s insights is expected to enrich discussions around Japanese film artistry.

In the 1970s, Hasumi transformed cinema scholarship in Japan through a series of rigorous lectures at Rikkyo University. His early students, such as acclaimed directors Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinji Aoyama, carry forward his legacy. More recently, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the Oscar-winning director of Drive My Car, has identified himself as one of Hasumi’s acolytes, further emphasizing the critic’s lasting influence on contemporary Japanese cinema.

Japan Society has granted Hasumi carte blanche for this program, a rare honor previously extended to notable figures like Susan Sontag. This allowed Hasumi to create a lineup that blurs the lines between American and Japanese cinema. The series will juxtapose films such as Michael Mann’s Collateral with Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter, and Richard Fleischer’s The Boston Strangler alongside Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum.

The curated selection also includes seldom-seen shorts from both Kurosawa and Aoyama, positioned alongside John Ford’s silent film Kentucky Pride. Additionally, Sho Miyake, a recent Locarno Golden Leopard winner and one of Hasumi’s students, will present his boxing drama, Small, Slow but Steady, during the series’ closing weekend. Miyake will participate in a discussion about Hasumi’s fascination with Ford, culminating in a screening of John Ford and Throwing — Complete Edition, a montage film co-directed by Hasumi and Miyake in 2022.

The screening series promises to offer New York cinephiles a rare opportunity to engage with the thoughts and methodologies of a legendary critic while experiencing a diverse range of cinematic works.

For more details about the screening schedule, visit the Japan Society’s official website. The lineup includes:

Thursday, October 9
– Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004, 120 min., 35mm, color), 19:00
– Tokyo Drifter (Seijun Suzuki, 1966, 82 min., DCP, color), 21:15

Friday, October 10
– The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1939, 144 min., 35mm, b&w), 18:30
– Beautiful New Bay Area Project (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2013, 29 min., DCP, color) & Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Shinji Aoyama, 2008, 35 min., 35mm, color), 21:30

Saturday, October 11
– Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2021, 121 min., DCP, color), 15:00
– That Night’s Wife (Yasujiro Ozu, 1930, 66 min., 35mm, b&w silent with live piano), 18:00
– Living on the River Agano (Makoto Sato, 1992, 115 min., 16mm, color), 20:15

Thursday, October 16
– They Live by Night (Nicholas Ray, 1948, 96 min., 35mm, b&w), 19:00
– The Boston Strangler (Richard Fleischer, 1968, 116 min., DCP, color), 21:00

Friday, October 17
– Small, Slow but Steady (Sho Miyake, 2022, 99 min., DCP, color), 18:30
– Q Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro (Mikio Naruse, 1938, 88 min., 35mm, b&w), 21:30

Saturday, October 18
– Kentucky Pride (John Ford, 1925, 86 min., DCP, b&w silent), 15:30
– …All the Marbles (Robert Aldrich, 1981, 113 min., 35mm, color), 17:30
– On Hasumi and Ford: Talk & Screening featuring John Ford and Throwing — Complete Edition (Shiguéhiko Hasumi & Sho Miyake, 2022, 60 min., DCP, color), 20:00