Toshio Masuda (director)
Toshio Masuda | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation(s) | Film and television director and writer |
Years active | 1958–present |
Toshio Masuda (舛田 利雄, Masuda Toshio, born October 5, 1927) is a Japanese film director. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the
Early life
Toshio Masuda was born in Kobe, Japan. His father was a seaman. He enrolled in a technical training school, however, his mindset did not mesh with the school's military indoctrination, and he was expelled in July 1945. He next attended the Osaka University of Foreign Studies (now Osaka University) where he specialized in Russian literature. There he became enamoured with French cinema, which led him away from Russian grammar and toward a career in the film industry.[1] He thought he would have been bored as a salaryman and that filmmaking would better suit him but suggested he probably would not have followed through had his friends not sought similar careers.[2] After graduating in 1949, he moved to Tokyo to study screenwriting at the Shintoho Studio's Scenario Academy.[1]
Career
In 1950, the Shintoho Company hired Toshio Masuda. He worked as screenwriter and an assistant director under Umetsugu Inoue, Nobuo Nakagawa and Mikio Naruse.[1] He served as 2nd AD on Naruse's Ginza Cosmetics (1951) and Mother (1952). Inoue became a mentor figure to Masuda. They began collaborating on scripts and Masuda moved in with Inoue. He also wrote rough drafts for a number of Inuoe's scripts.[2]
Nikkatsu
The Nikkatsu Company, having ceased film production during World War II, restarted in 1954 and lured assistant directors from other companies.[3] Masuda joined the studio as an assistant director and writer. He continued to write scripts for and with his mentor Inoue, who had also made the switch. He served as 1st AD to Kon Ichikawa on the sets of The Heart (1955) and The Burmese Harp (1956). Masuda was promoted to director in 1957 and debuted with A Journey of Body and Soul the following year.[1] It was a B movie, a low-budget film meant to fill out a double feature, but he quickly ascended to the A list that same year.[4]
By the late 1960s, Ishihara had scaled back his Nikkatsu output in favour of other studios and his own production company. Nikkatsu viewed new Diamond Line star
Freelance work
Remaining a sought after talent, Masuda was approached by the
Masuda became involved in animated films when producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki decided to make his own product. Nishizaki wanted to meld a live action influence into an anime series and was a fan of Nikkatsu Action, including Masuda's films with Yujiro Ishihara.[6] He invited Masuda to direct on Leiji Matsumoto's science fiction television and film series Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers). Between 1977 and 1983, Masuda directed or co-directed all five Yamato films.[1] The original series has been credited as Japan's first animated television space opera. The eponymous first film gained popularity when it played against Star Wars (1977) in Japanese theatres and it has been cited as the beginning of the golden age of anime.[9][10]
He also made room for more intimate subject matter such as his
Filmmaking
As an assistant director and screenwriter at both Shintoho and Nikkatsu Studios, Toshio Masuda apprenticed under a number of directors. He has said Mikio Naruse had the greatest impact on him. He credited Kon Ichikawa with teaching him how to use the camera. His primary mentor at Nikkatsu was Umetsugu Inoue from whom he learned the value of linking together large setpieces to draw in audiences. Masuda was more inclined toward drama than his mentor and created the setpieces but then incorporated character-based drama into his work.[2]
Masude quickly climbed the Nikkatsu ranks to become a top director.
Many of the settings and style he used in his films came from European and Hollywood cinema, but he framed it all in a Japanese context, in the spirit of "borderless" action cinema.[1] He did not want to make typical films and the more European flavour of his work set him apart from many of his contemporaries. He made many yakuza films but considered them "youth films" put in a yakuza setting, favouring human drama over verisimilitude.[2] The actors also were favoured over a distinctive visual style which, as writer Jasper Sharp suggested, may have accounted for his popular success in the star-based studio system.[11] Despite production line genre work forming the bulk of his oeuvre, Masuda has always been able to express his views, even subversive ones,[12] and reflect on societal issues through his films.[2]
Legacy
Within the studio system, Toshio Masuda was a major figure in defining the Nikkatsu Action style. He has been called the studio's top action director and worked with the studio's biggest stars. He produced box office hits which are fondly remembered by Japanese fans into the 21st century, and are regarded as genre landmarks by Japanese critics.
After the collapse of the studio system, Masuda's career continued unabated.[1] His best known film in the West is the blockbuster American-Japanese co-production Tora! Tora! Tora!, but his contributions somewhat are overshadowed by co-directors Richard Fleischer and Kinji Fukasaku—the latter of which later achieved international cult notoriety for his own yakuza films—despite having been responsible for the lion's share of the Japanese segments of the film.[16] Masuda's animated works, especially the Space Battleship Yamato series, are remembered by anime fans worldwide. The first Yamato film originally reached overseas audiences in 1978, including theatrical screenings in England and American television.[10] The series has since expanded into a full blown franchise.[17]
A comprehensive, Japanese language book detailing Masuda's career was released in 2007, titled Masuda Toshio: The Complete Action Films of Giant Star Toshio Masuda (映画監督舛田利雄 アクション映画の巨星舛田利雄のすべて Eiga kantoku Masuda Toshio: akushon eiga no kyosei Masuda Toshio no subete). It includes an extensive interview with Masuda, approximately 500 pictures, poster images of his 52 Nikkatsu films and notes on all 82 feature films.[18] Widely neglected by Western critics, writer Mark Schilling dedicated a section of his 2007 book No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema to Masuda, predominately focusing on said cinema.[13] Musician and writer Chris D. has expressed an interest in doing likewise.[19] No Borders, No Limits is an expanded edition of the version that accompanied the Nikkatsu Action Cinema retrospective Schilling programmed for the Far East Film Festival.[13] Abridged versions of the retrospective have appeared in the United States.[20][21][22] The Criterion Collection has optioned a number of films from the retrospective to be made available for the first time in the North American home video market.[23]
Awards
At the 1981
Filmography
Between 1958 and 1992, Toshio Masuda directed 82 feature films, 52 of those over the course of his decade with the Nikkatsu Company. He developed a reputation as a "hitmaker" and 16 of his films breached the top ten list for domestic Japanese box-office revenues. Only one other director has superseded that record. The following is a list of the 16 films.[28]
Year | Title | Japanese | Romanization | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
1958 | The Perfect Game (1958 film) | 完全な遊戯 | Kanzen'na yūgi | |
1958 | Rusty Knife | 錆びたナイフ | Sabita naifu | 7 |
1959 | The Man Who Risked Heaven and Earth | 天と地を駈ける男 | Ten to chi o kakeru otoko | 10 |
1960 | The Brawler | 喧嘩太郎 | Kenka Tarō | 4 |
1960 | Man at the Bullfight | 闘牛に賭ける男 | Togyu ni kakeru otoko | 3 |
1962 | Hana and Ryu | 花と竜 | Hana to Ryu | 2 |
1964 | Red Handkerchief | 赤いハンカチ | Akai hankachi | 3 |
1965 | Taking The Castle | 城取り | Shirotori | |
1967 | The Whistling Kille | 紅の流れ星 | Kurenai no Nagareboshi | |
1969 | Daikanbu Nagurikomi | 大幹部 殴り込み | Daikanbu Nagurikomi | |
1971 | Law of the Outlaw | さらば掟 | Saraba Okite | |
1972 | Kage Gari | 影狩り | Kage Gari | |
1972 | Kage Gari hoero taiho | 影狩り ほえろ大砲 | Kage Gari hoero taiho | |
1973 | The Human Revolution | 人間革命 | Ningen kakumei | 2 |
1974 | Catastrophe 1999: The Prophecies of Nostradamus | ノストラダムスの大予言 | Nosutoradamusu no daiyogen | 2 |
1974 | Orenochi wa Taninnochi | 俺の血は他人の血 | Orenochi wa Taninnochi | |
1976 | The Human Revolution 2 | 続人間革命 | Zoku ningen kakumei | 1 |
1978 | Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato | さらば宇宙戦艦ヤマト 愛の戦士たち | Saraba uchu senkan Yamato: Ai no senshitachi | 2 |
1980 | The Battle of Port Arthur aka 203 Koichi[29] | 二百三高地 | Ni hyaku san kochi | 3 |
1980 | Be Forever Yamato | ヤマトよ永遠に | Yamato yo towa ni | 5 |
1982 | The Great Japanese Empire | 大日本帝国 | Dainippon teikoku | 3 |
1982 | High Teen Boogie | ハイティーン・ブギ | Hai tiin bugi | 2 |
1985 | Love: Take Off | 愛・旅立ち | Ai: Tabidachi | 7 |
1987 | Tokyo Blackout | 首都消失 | Shuto shōshitsu | |
1991 | Doten | 動天 | Dōten | 9 |
1991 | Hissatsu!5 Ōgon no Chi | 必殺!5 黄金の血 | Hissatsu!5 Ōgon no Chi | |
1991 | Edo Jō Tairan (1991) | 江戸城大乱 |
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-903254-43-1. Archived from the originalon October 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Schilling, Mark (2007). Ibid. pp. 124–132.
- ]
- ^ a b c Mes, Tom (May 2007). "Monument to the Girls' Corps". Midnight Eye. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ Schilling, Mark (2007). Ibid. pp. 55–58.
- ^ a b c d e Sharp, Jasper; Stefan Nutz (August 2005). "Interview: Jo Shishido and Toshio Masuda". Midnight Eye. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-2621-8. Archived from the originalon June 4, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2008.
- ^ Pavlides, Dan (2008). "Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-8166-5266-2.
- ^ ISBN 1-880656-92-2. Archived from the originalon July 4, 2008.
- ^ Sharp, Jasper (August 2005). "Velvet Hustler". Midnight Eye Round-Up: Nikkatsu Action special. Midnight Eye. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ Rucka, Nicholas (March 2007). "Shadow Hunters". Midnight Eye. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ Gangster VIP(1968).
Schilling, Mark (2007). Ibid. pp. 5–10. - Japan Society. 2007. Archived from the originalon January 13, 2009. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ISBN 0780021851.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (May 23, 2006). "New DVDs: A Box of DeMille". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
- ^ "About Us". Star Blazers. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ISBN 978-4-401-75117-4. Archived from the originalon January 13, 2008.
- ^ D., Chris (2005). Ibid. p. 4.
- ^ "Monthly Classics: NO BORDERS, NO LIMITS: 1960s Nikkatsu Action Cinema". Japan Society. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (February 2008). "The Listings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ League, Tim (September 2007). "Nikkatsu Action Retrospective". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved July 13, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Brown, Todd (July 2008). "Criterion Picks Up Nikkatsu Action Flick A COLT IS MY PASSPORT". Twitch. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- Japan Academy Prize. Archived from the originalon February 26, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- Japan Academy Prize. Archived from the originalon April 28, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ ブルーリボン歴代主要賞 (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. Archived from the original on July 24, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Mainichi Film Awards. Archived from the originalon September 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ Hotwax ~日本の映画とロックと歌謡曲~ 責任編集 映画監督 舛田利雄~アクション映画の巨星 舛田利雄のすべて~ (in Japanese). Ultra Vybe. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
English language excerpt from the book's cover: "There was a year his 16 films have reached the TOP 10 in the yearly charts. It is the second highest record in the history of Japanese movies. He also has been in the chart from the 1950s through until 1990s, for about 5 decades." - ^ The Battle of Port Arthur (203 Koshi) in the Internet Movie Database
Further reading
External links
- Midnight Eye interview: Joe Shishido and Toshio Masuda
- Toshio Masuda at IMDb
- Toshio Masuda at AllMovie
- Toshio Masuda at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)