FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 9, 2001
Contact: Margot Gerber
Tel.: 323.461.2020 x 115
E-mail: amcin@msn.com

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR KINJI FUKASAKU TO APPEAR IN-PERSON AT AMERICAN
CINEMATHEQUE'S 15 FILM RETROSPECTIVE OF HIS WORK

First Major U.S. Retrospective of Fukasaku's Work Launches With Sneak
Preview of His Latest
Action Epic BATTLE ROYALE

Presented in association with the Japan Foundation in Los Angeles and Tokyo,
and with the assistance of Simon Field at the Rotterdam Film Festival

January 18 - 28, 2001

HOLLYWOOD - The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents
BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY: AN IN-PERSON TRIBUTE TO DIRECTOR KINJI
FUKASAKU (January 18 - 28, 2001). The series launches with a special Sneak
Preview of acclaimed director, Fukasaku's latest film BATTLE ROYALE (2000),
an ultra-controversial, action-packed examination of the institutionalizing
of violence, starring screen icon "Beat" Takeshi. Until recently, Japanese
action-master Kinji Fukasaku was known mainly in the West for his most
atypical films: the phantasmagoric cult favorite BLACK LIZARD, and the
gleefully trashy sci-fi epics THE GREEN SLIME and MESSAGE FROM SPACE. But
in Japan, Fukasaku is renowned for such gritty, high-octane yakuza films as
BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR & HUMANITY and WOLVES, PIGS & PEOPLE, movies that have
had an enormous impact on the younger generation of outlaw directors
including "Beat" Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Ishii. Fukasaku's pyrotechnic
gangster movies suggest a methedrine-fueled hybrid of Fuller/Scorsese/Woo,
with the social conscience of early Visconti. Fukasaku will appear in-person
to discuss selected films. All films are in Japanese with English subtitles
unless noted otherwise. . Following its L.A. screenings, the Fukasaku
Retrospective will tour throughout the U.S. during 2001. All screenings are
at the newly renovated Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic Egyptian
(6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood. All
guests are subject to their availability.
For nearly 40 years, Fukasaku has managed to balance the demands of genre
filmmaking with a fierce concern for political and social themes. Many of
his greatest yakuza films are set during the chaotic post-WWII years, using
his violent underworld hitmen and gang bosses to reflect the upheaval
changing all levels of Japanese society

American Cinematheque, 1800 N. Highland Avenue, Suite 717, Hollywood, CA
90028
(tel) 323.466-FILM   (fax) 323.461.9737 On the web:
http://www.egyptiantheatre.com
Kinji Fukasaku - page 2
Thursday, January 18, 2001
The Thursday, January 18 program begins at 8:00 PM with a Special Sneak
Preview of Fukasaku's latest, BATTLE ROYALE (2000, Toei, 90 min). Fascist
teacher "Beat" Takeshi Kitano murderously shepherds a high school class
through a government-sponsored survival-of-the-fittest experiment on a
deserted island, in Fukasaku's latest, an ultra-controversial, action-packed
examination of the institutionalizing of violence. Forty years after
bursting onto the Japanese film scene, BATTLE ROYALE is a testament that the
maestro has lost none of his fiery social conscience or exuberant dark
humor. Discussion following with director Kinji Fukasaku. One Press Ticket
per outlet will be issued to press with an assignment to write on the
series.

Friday, January 19, 2001
The Friday, January 19 program begins at 7:00 PM with BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR
AND HUMANITY (JINGINAKI TATAKAI) (1973, Toei, 99 min). Forget RESERVOIR
DOGS, forget A BETTER TOMORROW and every other ultra-violent gangster flick
you've ever seen. BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR & HUMANITY is an absolute chaos of
beatings, shootings and stabbings, set amongst the post-war yakuza mobs in
Hiroshima. Bunta Sugawara stars as the film's homicidal hero, a yakuza thug
with an extremely short temper. A 1990 Japanese critics' poll voted this one
of the 20 Best Japanese Movies of All Time. With Tatsuo Umemiya, Hiroki
Matsukata. Discussion following with director Kinji Fukasaku.
The Friday, January 19 program continues at 9:30 PM UNDER THE FLUTTERING
MILITARY FLAG (GUNKI HATAMEKU MOTO NI aka UNDER THE FLAG OF THE RISING RUN)
(1972, Toho, 96 min). World War II widow Sachiko Hidari pieces together the
Rashomon-style puzzle of her soldier husband Tetsuro Tanba's fate through a
maze of bureaucracy and the contradictory recollections of his surviving
comrades. What emerges is a Catch- 22 struggle against madness, as she
discovers that Tanba had been executed for killing his insanely violent
commanding officer (Shinjiro Ebara). This scathing anti-war indictment was
co-written by Kaneto Shindo (ONI BABA) and is one of Fukasaku's personal
favorites. Discussion following with director Kinji Fukasaku.

Saturday, January 20, 2001
The Saturday, January 20 program begins at 5:00 PM with MODERN YAKUZA -
OUTLAW KILLER (GENDAI YAKUZA - HITOKIRI YOTA aka BLOODTHIRSTY MAN) (1972,
Toei, 90 min). Arrogant wannabe Bunta Sugawara tries to barnstorm his way
out of the gutter into the bigger rackets, only to be beaten down by the
established gang. Boss Noboru Ando, who remembers what it was like to be
down-and-out, is fond of Sugawara despite his big mouth. But Sugawara's
dissolute lifestyle, murderously jealous girl (Mayumi Nagisa in a bravura
performance) and messed-up pals prove his undoing. Nothing can stop the
death-dealing that ensues in this gonzo classic, in what amounts to a dry
run for GRAVEYARD OF HONOR & HUMANITY. Discussion following with director
Kinji Fukasaku.
The Saturday, January 20 program continues at 8:00 PM with an all-out
action Fukasaku double feature. First on the bill is GRAVEYARD OF HONOR AND
HUMANITY (JINGI NO HAKABA) (1975, Toei, 94 min). If there's anything
more insane and more perverse than BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY, this
is it. Sociopathic loser Tetsuya Watari can't seem to get along with his
yakuza pals (maybe it's those American sunglasses he's always wearing). His
life becomes an uncontrollable spiral of mindless violence, heroin
addiction, tuberculosis, sleazy sex and worse - climaxing with him eating
his girlfriend's ashes! With Tatsuo Umemiya, Yumi Takigawa (SCHOOL OF THE
HOLY BEASTS), Noboru Ando.
Next on the same bill is STATE POLICE VS. ORGANIZED CRIME (KENKEI TAI
SOSHIKI BORYOKU aka COPS VS. THUGS) (1975, Toei, 101 min).
Live-and-let-live cop Bunta Sugawara has his friendship with yakuza drinking
buddy Hiroki Matsukata destroyed by internecine gang warfare and the
intervention of supervisor Tatsuo Umemiya, an anti-corruption crusader and
former gangster. A searingly unsentimental, realistic dissection of the
strange symbiosis of Japan's law enforcement and yakuza underworld.
Discussion between films with director Kinji Fukasaku.

Sunday, January 21, 2001
The Sunday, January 21 program begins at 5:00 PM with BLACK LIZARD
(KUROTOKAGE) (1967, Shochiku, 87 min). Shy, stubborn detective Akechi (Isao
Kimura) descends down a rabbit hole of psychedelic depravity in his quest
for super female jewel thief Black Lizard (played by famous drag star
Akihiro Maruyama). A swirling comic book miasma of decadent happenings and
modern fairytale tableaux, with a brief appearance by legendary novelist
Yukio Mishima. With Ko Nishimura, Kikko Matsuoka, Yusuke Kawazu.
Discussion following with director Kinji Fukasaku.
The Sunday, January 21 program continues at 7:30 PM with THE GEISHA HOUSE
(OMOCHA) (1998, Toei, 113 min). 1960's female icons Sumiko Fuji (formerly
known as Junko Fuji of the RED PEONY GAMBLER series), Yumiko Nogawa (GATE OF
FLESH) and Mariko Okada (EROS PLUS MASSACRE) return as luminous as ever in
Fukasaku's guide to the emotional labyrinth that was the mid-50's Kyoto
geisha demimonde. Scripted by fellow director Kaneto Shindo.

Friday, January 26, 2001
The Friday, January 26 program begins at 7:00 PM with YAKUZA BURIAL -
JASMINE FLOWER (YAKUZA NO HAKABA - KUCHINASHI NO HANA) (1976, Toei, 96 min).
Brooding, misfit cop Tetsuya Watari slowly realizes he has more in common
with his yakuza nemesis Tatsuo Umemiya and his lover, mob boss's daughter
Meiko Kaji (spectacular star of the FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION Series), than
he does with his hypocritical superiors. This realization ignites a
spiraling chain of betrayals and murders in Fukasaku and Watari's explosive
follow-up to GRAVEYARD OF HONOR & HUMANITY.
The Friday, January 26 program continues at 9:15 PM with an early Fukasaku
double feature. First on the bill is WOLVES, PIGS AND PEOPLE (OKAMI TO
BUTA TO NINGEN), 1964, Toei, 95 min. One of the first yakuza films by
Fukasaku to receive critical acclaim. Legendary tough guy Ken Takakura
plays a lone-wolf hood who convinces his younger sibling (Kinya Kitaoji) to
recruit his youth gang to help rob elder brother Rentaro Mikuni's mob.
Fukasaku's gritty noir tragedy moves like a runaway freight train.
Next on the same bill is HIGH NOON FOR GANGSTERS (HAKUCHU NO BURAIKAN aka
VILLAINS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT) (1961, Toei, 82 min). Gangster maverick Tetsuro
Tanba recruits a motley crew including a Korean, two Americans (one black,
one white) and three women to rob a U.S. Army base payroll. Unfortunately
there's another gang with the same idea, and things go awry when they begin
squabbling amongst themselves. Believed lost until just last year, this is
one Fukasaku's earliest films and has all of the trademarks of unnerving
violence, social realism and unsentimental narrative that we've grown to
love.

Saturday, January 27, 2001
The Saturday, January 27 program begins at 5:30 PM with MESSAGE FROM SPACE
(1978, MGM/UA, 105 min). Vic Morrow and Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba lead a cast
of interplanetary heroes in response to a distress signal from a planet in
trouble, in this imaginative, STAR WARS-inspired sci-fi/fantasy. This was
the big screen counterpart to the popular Japanese TV series known as
"Swords of the Space Ark." With Tetsuro Tanba, Etsuko "Sue" Shiomi.
The Saturday, January 27 program continues at 8:15 PM with a
Tsuruta/Ando/Wakayama double feature. First on the bill is JAPAN'S VIOLENT
GANGS - BOSS (NIHON BORYOKUDAN - KUMICHO aka SYMPATHY FOR THE UNDERDOG)
(1969, Toei, 96 min). Koji Tsuruta returns from jail to assume control of
his gang, but he's in for a rude awakening courtesy of the newly allied
corporate yakuza. Tsuruta was a traditional actor of chivalrous roles, and
Fukasaku uses this to heighten the already white-hot tension between the
dwindling numbers of ethical outlaws and the emerging faceless, dog-eat-dog
gangs. Moral dilemmas are punctuated with slam-bang action and prodigious
bloodshed. With Noboru Ando (THE WOLVES), Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND
CUB series), Bunta Sugawara.
Next on the same bill is GAMBLER - FOREIGN OPPOSITION (BAKUTO - GAINJI BUTAI
aka GAMBLERS IN OKINAWA aka YAKUZA COMBAT FORCES) (1971, Toei, 93 min).
Sunglasses-wearing Koji Tsuruta is banished by mainland yakuza to Okinawa,
where he ends up allied with old pal Noboru Ando and young Tsunehiko Watase.
They go head-to-head with not only the local rival gang led by scarred,
crazed Tomisaburo Wakayama, but American gangsters as well. Their new
hard-earned gains are threatened when the corporate mainland boss arrives at
the climax with his gangster army. Brutally unrepentant with a subtle sense
of humor (Tsuruta keeps his sunglasses on even in bed with his girl!).

Sunday, January 28, 2001
The Sunday, January 28 program begins at 5:00 PM with SHOGUN'S SAMURAI
(YAGYU ICHIZOKU INBO aka YAGYU CLAN CONSPIRACY) (1978, Toei, 130 min).
Fanatical, power-obsessed Lord Yagyu (Kinnosuke Yorozuya Nakamura) will do
anything to keep disfigured, going-mad Shogun Hiroki Matsukata in office --
including genocide and warring with his own son, one-eyed Jubei (Shinichi
"Sonny" Chiba), in this all-star, big-budget samurai action spectacular.
This is the feature length film version of another phenomenally popular
seventies Japanese TV show, "Yagyu Clan Conspiracy." With Yoshio Harada,
Etsuko "Sue" Shiomi, Hiroyuki Sanada.

Separate admission for each program, except those listed as double features.
There will be a 5-10 minute intermission between films presented as double
features. Tickets: $5 Cinematheque Members and $7 general admission. Please
check our website for updates regarding additional guests.

BLACK & WHITE PHOTO COMPOSITES ARE AVAILABLE.
Call Jasmine for B/W composites at 323.461.2020, ext. 116. If you would
like BATTLE ROYALE artwork e-mailed to you PRIOR TO JAN. 17th please send an
e-mail to amcin@msn.com.

INTERVIEWS: Mr. Fukasaku will be in Los Angeles Jan. 18-23. Please send a
detailed request (type of outlet, description, time, date & place for
proposed interview) may be faxed to Margot Gerber/Jasmine Ong at
323.461.9737.

WE DO NOT HAVE GUARANTEED PRESS PASSES TO PUBLIC SCREENINGS. IT IS
RECOMMENDED THAT YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ADVANCE PRESS SCREENINGS ON TAPE OR IN THE
THEATRE.

SHOGUN SAMURAI & BLACK LIZARD WILL BE AVAILABLE ON VIDEOTAPE (NTSC) IN OUR
OFFICES. PLEASE CALL TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE TAPES IN OUR OFFICE.
THE VIDEO STORES MENTIONED BELOW MAY HAVE SOME TITLES. CALL IF YOU ARE
INTERESTED IN BEING NOTIFIED OF THEATRICAL PRESS SCREENINGS. TITLES THAT
WILL BE SHOWN ARE YAKUZA BURIAL & JAPAN'S VIOLENT GANGS - BOSS.

The following video stores may have copies of the films we are showing in
this series:
Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee (Burbank) Walk in only no phone.
Jerry's Video (1904 Hillhurst, Los Feliz - 323.666.7471)
Rocket Video (726 N. La Brea - 323.965.1100)
Cinefile (11280 Santa Monica Blvd. - Corner of Sawtelle Ave. - 310.312.8836)
Vidiots (302 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica - 310/392-8508)

REQUESTS FOR PRESS TICKETS TO PUBLIC SCREENINGS MUST BE IN WRITING. FAX TO
323.461.9737 ATTN: MARGOT GERBER/JASMINE ONG, 24 HOURS PRIOR TO SHOW TIME.
FRIDAY AT NOON IS THE ABSOLUTE DEADLINE FOR WEEKEND OR HOLIDAY SCREENINGS.
JOURNALISTS WISHING TO AUDIO OR VIDEOTAPE DISCUSSIONS MUST ALSO SEND A
WRITTEN REQUEST. IF WE DON'T KNOW YOU PLEASE FAX CLIPS AND BACKGROUND ABOUT
YOUR OUTLET.

THE PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

Please note that Margot will be out of the office between Jan. 18 and 28.
E-mail sent to amcin@msn.com cannot be retrieved. Jasmine's e-mail is
amcine@4link.net

PRESS SCREENING

These films are being shown to the press in advance of the American
Cinematheque Kinji Fukasaku Festival that will be held at the Egyptian
Theatre on Jan 18-28, 2001

At the Pickford Screening Room, Raleigh Studios (5300 Melrose Ave. between
Bronson & Van Ness).

There will be two choices of dates & times. The films will screen in the
same order on both days. Between screenings there will be a 5-10 minute
break.

Thursday, January 11, 2001 @ 10:00 AM
Monday, January 15, 2001 @ 11:00 AM

1. YAKUZA BURIAL - JASMINE FLOWER (YAKUZA NO HAKABA - KUCHINASHI NO HANA),
1976, Toei, 96 min.
Brooding, misfit cop Tetsuya Watari slowly realizes he has more in common
with his yakuza nemesis Tatsuo Umemiya and his lover, mob boss's daughter
Meiko Kaji (spectacular star of the FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION Series), than
he does with his hypocritical superiors. This realization ignites a
spiraling chain of betrayals and murders in Fukasaku and Watari's explosive
follow-up to GRAVEYARD OF HONOR & HUMANITY.

2. JAPAN'S VIOLENT GANGS - BOSS (NIHON BORYOKUDAN - KUMICHO aka SYMPATHY FOR
THE UNDERDOG) 1969, Toei, 96 min. Koji Tsuruta returns from jail to assume
control of his gang, but he's in for a rude awakening courtesy of the newly
allied corporate yakuza. Tsuruta was a traditional actor of chivalrous
roles, and Fukasaku uses this to heighten the already white-hot tension
between the dwindling numbers of ethical outlaws and the emerging faceless,
dog-eat-dog gangs. Moral dilemmas are punctuated with slam-bang action and
prodigious bloodshed. With Noboru Ando (THE WOLVES), Tomisaburo Wakayama
(LONE WOLF AND CUB series), Bunta Sugawara.

To RSVP please call 323 461 2020 ext. 116
www.egyptiantheatre.com

More info is on our website about this film and others in the series.

Please note that we have some Karel Zeman photos if you need them. Karel
Zeman is the Czech animator we will tribute in February. They can be
e-mailed.