Noboru Tanaka
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese film director best known known for his Roman Porno films, including three critically respected films known as the Showa trilogy: A Woman Called Sada Abe
(aka Sada Abe: Docu-Drama) (1975
), Watcher in the Attic
(1976
), and Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
(1977
), all three starring Nikkatsu
Roman porno queen Junko Miyashita
. The first film in this trilogy recounted the story of Sada Abe
a year before Nagisa Oshima
's internationally released In the Realm of the Senses
(1976
), which told the same story. Though at the time he was working, his career was overshadowed by directors such as Tatsumi Kumashiro
and Chusei Sone
, many critics today judge Tanaka the best of Nikkatsu's Roman porno directors.
in Nagano prefecture
on August 15, 1937. He majored in French literature
at Meiji University
in Tokyo
. Tanaka said that his interest in the cinema came about through a circuitous route. Early in life he wanted to be a novelist. His interest in writing shifted to poetry
. Tanaka remembered, "I wrote a lot of poems. Each expression in a poem may contain countless meanings, otherwise it wouldn't be a good poem. In other words, each expression provides a lot of imagery. Then I thought that in reverse, I could use images to express my poetic world. I thought the image world of film-making might be what I should explore."
While working on his thesis, dealing with this interest in the relationship between imagery and literature, Tanaka took a part-time job at a movie studio to gain first-hand knowledge of film production. He served as a production assistant on Kurosawa
's Yojimbo (1961
), an experience which created Tanaka's enthusiasm for the film industry. After graduation, he applied to Nikkatsu
studios for a job as an assistant director
and passed their entrance exam. In this capacity, he worked under some of the studio's best directors of the time, including Seijun Suzuki
and Shohei Imamura
. Among the films on which Tanaka worked at this time was Imamura's The Pornographers
.
The studio gave its Roman porno directors a great deal of artistic freedom. Beyond budgetary and time restraints, the only rule was that the film meet the official minimum quota of four nude or sex scenes per hour. Patrick Macias notes the diversity of styles this format allowed. Director Chusei Sone
"specialized in ribald tales from the past," Yasuharu Hasebe
, "delivered frightening, raw, and violent images," and Tanaka created films which were "as sophisticated as they were erotic." In later years, reflecting on his work in the genre, Tanaka pointed out, "We can look at the core of human beings without disguising anything and can express ourselves very honestly. That's why working on Roman porno is such an enjoyable experience."
Tanaka was given his first chance to direct in 1972
with the early Roman porno, Beads From a Petal
. Originally called I Am Burning Up (Moeagaru Watashi), a title Tanaka always preferred, the story deals with the sexual awakening of a frigid woman. Tanaka meant the film to be an allegorical depiction of Japanese society in the post-war years, later saying, "After the war, Japan suffered from frigidity and the film described how the psychological bruises Japan suffered from would gradually be cured as time passed, through a young woman's life." Though criticized for some heavy-handed symbolism, this first film showed Tanaka's ability to give a movie a strikingly interesting look.
The same year, Tanaka directed Night of the Felines, an unusually realistic look at the lives of a group of prostitutes. This is considered one of Tanaka's early major films. Also in 1972, he gained critical approval for his Woman on the Night Train
. Even in this early work Tanaka's direction is called, "some of the best in any pink film."
As his career progressed, Tanaka's films became known for their imaginative, sometimes surreal, use of color and poetic imagery within the setting of a harsh, brutal world. In 1973
, Tanaka directed the second entry in the Secret Chronicle trilogy, Secret Chronicle: Torture Hell. In contrast to the first entry in the trilogy, a satirical depiction of a 19th-century brothel, Tanaka's film was a serious look at religious-sexual ceremonies at a temple. For this effort, Tanaka won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Citation
in 1973. The last film of this trilogy, Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (1974
) returned to the satirical style of the first film. The cast included the popular poet Sakumi Hagiwara playing the memorable role of a man who simultaneously commits suicide and wipes out a gang of yakuza
when he explodes a gas-filled inflatable sex-doll.
Tanaka's visual flair raised Private Life of a School Mistress (1973) above its lackluster story of a female teacher and her romantic relationship with a male student. The mainstream film journal Eiga Geijutsu put the film at eighth place on its list of the top ten films of the year. While employed at Nikkatsu, Tanaka also made a few films outside of the pink genre for other studios. For Toei
, he filmed Kobe International Gang (1975) and Escape of Gangster Ando Noboru, starring the yakuza-turned-actor Noboru Ando
himself.
A black-and-white film employing handheld camera and a fragmented, impressionistic narrative structure, Tanaka's Confidential Report: Sex Market (1974) is among the most unique-looking films in the Roman Porno series. The first film in Tanaka's Showa Trilogy, A Woman Called Sada Abe
is more conventional than most of his films, but highly regarded by critics. Tanaka was proud of his ability to produce a high-quality film on a minimal budget. Nikkatsu allotted 7,500,000 yen (approximately US$65,000) for their Roman porno films, but Tanaka used only about 6,600,000 yen to make A Woman Called Sada Abe. Tanaka later explained, "I managed to make it for about 900,000 yen under budget. I believe it depends on the initial concept. I was confident that as long as the concept was good, it would become a great film and beat any of those films made for 10,000,000 yen. I think that's the most interesting thing about film-making: it's so unpredictable. 'Abe Sada's' simple lip movement could say more and be more appealing to an audience than thousands of horses running around a field. It's possible that lip movement could be more effective than thousands of horses and that's why film-making is very creative and incredibly interesting."
The second entry Tanaka's Showa Trilogy, Watcher in the Attic
(1976
), also starring Sada Abes Junko Miyashita
, was a breakthrough for Tanaka. Magill's Survey of Cinema calls this adaptation of a Rampo Edogawa novel "a frenzied fantasy treat." In 1970 the story had been given a straight pink film treatment by actress Rumi Tama
's husband, director Akitaka Kimata, founder of Pro Taka and Million Film. Mainstream critics recognized that Tanaka's work in this film made it stand out from its modest pink film origins. The Peer Cinema Club Annual, a conservative publication which did not normally concern itself with Pink films, judged it "a perfect marriage of decadence and art." Tanaka's depictions of Edogawa's ero guro nansensu style, voyeurism
and the Taishō period
were influential on later films such as Kazuyoshi Okuyama's Mystery of Rampo (1994), Akio Jissōji
's Rampo films, including The D-Slope Murder Case (1998), and Rampo Noir (2005).
The third film in the Showa Trilogy, Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
(1977
) while still a box-office hit, was not as well-received by the critics of the time as the two preceding entries, perhaps because of its more extreme, sado-masochistic theme.
Rape and Death of a Housewife (1978
), despite its sensationalistic title, is considered one of Tanaka's masterpieces, and was his major mainstream critical break-through. Kinema Jumpo gave the film their "Best Film" award for 1979, and Tanaka was nominated for Best Director at the second Japanese Academy of Films and Motion Pictures ceremony for this film and Pink Salon: Five Lewd Women (also 1978). Pink Salon: Five Lewd Women was praised for its sympathetic view to the women characters, somewhat unusual for a Roman porno. Some critics have commented on the story's similarity to Ridley Scott
's 1991
Thelma & Louise.
series, the critical and box-office success, Angel Guts: Nami (1980
). Jasper Sharp writes that, from the point of character, plotting and construction, Tanaka's film is the most satisfying entry in the series, based on an adult manga
by Takashi Ishii
. He notes, however, that Tanaka's visuals are over-active make the film a difficult one for most viewers. Tanaka recalled, "I was determined to make a film which was much more impressive than the comic. One image of a film has to be much more impressive than one frame of the comic. That's what film is all about. For the scene in which we see Nami's eye in close-up on the screen, I shot about 3,000 feet of film just to show the details of her eye and [its] movement, including the pulsing of a blood vessel."
After making nearly 25 films for Nikkatsu, Tanaka left the studio to try his hand at directing mainstream films for other studios. He directed several hits including the 1983
Shochiku
film, Village of Doom. He returned to Nikkatsu to direct Monster Woman '88 (1988
) and then retired from the film industry. Allmovie writes that Tanaka was a director of films "so adventurous and bizarre that he soon became one of Japan's most celebrated directors," while Jasper Sharp judges him, "[t]he most visually-gifted of Nikkatsu's directors of the period." Just as international recognition was beginning to come to Tanaka, he died of a brain aneurysm on October 4, 2006.
A Woman Called Sada Abe
aka Sada Abe: A Docu-Drama is a Roman porno version of the Sada Abe story directed by Noboru Tanaka.It is based on the true story of a woman who strangled her lover during a love-making session, then severed his penis, which she carried with her until her arrest...
(aka Sada Abe: Docu-Drama) (1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
), Watcher in the Attic
Watcher in the Attic
aka Stroller in the Attic, Edogawa Rampo Theater: Walker in the Attic and Walker in the Attic is a 1976 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita.-Synopsis:...
(1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
), and Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
aka Torture! and From the Banned Book "Wild Dance of a Beautiful Woman": Torture! is a 1977 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita...
(1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
), all three starring Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
Roman porno queen Junko Miyashita
Junko Miyashita
is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films....
. The first film in this trilogy recounted the story of Sada Abe
Sada Abe
is remembered in Japan for erotically asphyxiating her lover, , on May 18, 1936, and then cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her handbag...
a year before Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
's internationally released In the Realm of the Senses
In the Realm of the Senses
is a 1976 Franco-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Nagisa Oshima. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of an incident from 1930s Japan, that of Sada Abe...
(1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
), which told the same story. Though at the time he was working, his career was overshadowed by directors such as Tatsumi Kumashiro
Tatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
and Chusei Sone
Chusei Sone
is a Japanese film director known primarily for his stylish and popular Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the Angel Guts series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone the best of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno directors.-Life and...
, many critics today judge Tanaka the best of Nikkatsu's Roman porno directors.
Early life
Tanaka was born in HakubaHakuba, Nagano
is a village located in Kitaazumi District, Nagano, Japan.-Town:As of 2007, the village has an estimated population of 9,246 and a density of 50.71 persons per km². The total area is 182.34 km²....
in Nagano prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
on August 15, 1937. He majored in French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
at Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Tanaka said that his interest in the cinema came about through a circuitous route. Early in life he wanted to be a novelist. His interest in writing shifted to poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. Tanaka remembered, "I wrote a lot of poems. Each expression in a poem may contain countless meanings, otherwise it wouldn't be a good poem. In other words, each expression provides a lot of imagery. Then I thought that in reverse, I could use images to express my poetic world. I thought the image world of film-making might be what I should explore."
While working on his thesis, dealing with this interest in the relationship between imagery and literature, Tanaka took a part-time job at a movie studio to gain first-hand knowledge of film production. He served as a production assistant on Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's Yojimbo (1961
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
), an experience which created Tanaka's enthusiasm for the film industry. After graduation, he applied to Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
studios for a job as an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
and passed their entrance exam. In this capacity, he worked under some of the studio's best directors of the time, including Seijun Suzuki
Seijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
and Shohei Imamura
Shohei Imamura
was a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
. Among the films on which Tanaka worked at this time was Imamura's The Pornographers
The Pornographers
The Pornographers is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura and based on a novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Its original Japanese title is Erogotoshitachi yori Jinruigaku nyumon , which means 'An introduction to anthropology through the pornographers'. It tells the story of porn...
.
Roman porno
In the late 1960s, Nikkatsu began having severe financial trouble due to audiences lost to television and an influx of Western films. In order to avoid bankruptcy, Takashi Itamochi, president of Nikkatsu, made the decision to put the company's high production values and professional talent into the adult, or pink film industry as a way of attracting a new audience. Nikkatsu called its line of pink films "Roman Porno", and started the series in November 1971. Rather than work in sex films, many directors left the studio at this time, opening up positions for younger directors in their wake. Tanaka remembers his attitude about Nikkatsu's decision, "I was excited and positive about the changes, and was very eager to work in this new genre as a director."The studio gave its Roman porno directors a great deal of artistic freedom. Beyond budgetary and time restraints, the only rule was that the film meet the official minimum quota of four nude or sex scenes per hour. Patrick Macias notes the diversity of styles this format allowed. Director Chusei Sone
Chusei Sone
is a Japanese film director known primarily for his stylish and popular Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the Angel Guts series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone the best of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno directors.-Life and...
"specialized in ribald tales from the past," Yasuharu Hasebe
Yasuharu Hasebe
was a Japanese film director best known known for his movies in the "Violent pink" subgenre of the Pink film, such as Assault! Jack the Ripper , Rape! , Rape! 13th Hour and Raping!...
, "delivered frightening, raw, and violent images," and Tanaka created films which were "as sophisticated as they were erotic." In later years, reflecting on his work in the genre, Tanaka pointed out, "We can look at the core of human beings without disguising anything and can express ourselves very honestly. That's why working on Roman porno is such an enjoyable experience."
Tanaka was given his first chance to direct in 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
with the early Roman porno, Beads From a Petal
Beads From a Petal
aka Drops on the Petal and Droplets from a Petal is a 1972 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Rie Nakagawa and Keiko Maki.-Synopsis:...
. Originally called I Am Burning Up (Moeagaru Watashi), a title Tanaka always preferred, the story deals with the sexual awakening of a frigid woman. Tanaka meant the film to be an allegorical depiction of Japanese society in the post-war years, later saying, "After the war, Japan suffered from frigidity and the film described how the psychological bruises Japan suffered from would gradually be cured as time passed, through a young woman's life." Though criticized for some heavy-handed symbolism, this first film showed Tanaka's ability to give a movie a strikingly interesting look.
The same year, Tanaka directed Night of the Felines, an unusually realistic look at the lives of a group of prostitutes. This is considered one of Tanaka's early major films. Also in 1972, he gained critical approval for his Woman on the Night Train
Woman on the Night Train
aka Night Train Woman is a 1972 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Mari Tanaka.-Synopsis:...
. Even in this early work Tanaka's direction is called, "some of the best in any pink film."
As his career progressed, Tanaka's films became known for their imaginative, sometimes surreal, use of color and poetic imagery within the setting of a harsh, brutal world. In 1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
, Tanaka directed the second entry in the Secret Chronicle trilogy, Secret Chronicle: Torture Hell. In contrast to the first entry in the trilogy, a satirical depiction of a 19th-century brothel, Tanaka's film was a serious look at religious-sexual ceremonies at a temple. For this effort, Tanaka won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Citation
Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award
The is given annually by the Directors Guild of Japan to a new director of a film released that year who is considered the most "suitable" for the award. The winner is selected by a committee formed of DGJ members. All formats—feature film, documentary, television, video, etc.—are eligible for...
in 1973. The last film of this trilogy, Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market (1974
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
) returned to the satirical style of the first film. The cast included the popular poet Sakumi Hagiwara playing the memorable role of a man who simultaneously commits suicide and wipes out a gang of yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
when he explodes a gas-filled inflatable sex-doll.
Tanaka's visual flair raised Private Life of a School Mistress (1973) above its lackluster story of a female teacher and her romantic relationship with a male student. The mainstream film journal Eiga Geijutsu put the film at eighth place on its list of the top ten films of the year. While employed at Nikkatsu, Tanaka also made a few films outside of the pink genre for other studios. For Toei
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
, he filmed Kobe International Gang (1975) and Escape of Gangster Ando Noboru, starring the yakuza-turned-actor Noboru Ando
Noboru Ando
Noboru Ando is a Japanese film actor known for his yakuza roles.In fact, Ando was a real-life yakuza gang boss before becoming a movie star in 1965, when he appeared in a film about himself, "Chi to Okite"...
himself.
A black-and-white film employing handheld camera and a fragmented, impressionistic narrative structure, Tanaka's Confidential Report: Sex Market (1974) is among the most unique-looking films in the Roman Porno series. The first film in Tanaka's Showa Trilogy, A Woman Called Sada Abe
A Woman Called Sada Abe
aka Sada Abe: A Docu-Drama is a Roman porno version of the Sada Abe story directed by Noboru Tanaka.It is based on the true story of a woman who strangled her lover during a love-making session, then severed his penis, which she carried with her until her arrest...
is more conventional than most of his films, but highly regarded by critics. Tanaka was proud of his ability to produce a high-quality film on a minimal budget. Nikkatsu allotted 7,500,000 yen (approximately US$65,000) for their Roman porno films, but Tanaka used only about 6,600,000 yen to make A Woman Called Sada Abe. Tanaka later explained, "I managed to make it for about 900,000 yen under budget. I believe it depends on the initial concept. I was confident that as long as the concept was good, it would become a great film and beat any of those films made for 10,000,000 yen. I think that's the most interesting thing about film-making: it's so unpredictable. 'Abe Sada's' simple lip movement could say more and be more appealing to an audience than thousands of horses running around a field. It's possible that lip movement could be more effective than thousands of horses and that's why film-making is very creative and incredibly interesting."
The second entry Tanaka's Showa Trilogy, Watcher in the Attic
Watcher in the Attic
aka Stroller in the Attic, Edogawa Rampo Theater: Walker in the Attic and Walker in the Attic is a 1976 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita.-Synopsis:...
(1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
), also starring Sada Abes Junko Miyashita
Junko Miyashita
is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films....
, was a breakthrough for Tanaka. Magill's Survey of Cinema calls this adaptation of a Rampo Edogawa novel "a frenzied fantasy treat." In 1970 the story had been given a straight pink film treatment by actress Rumi Tama
Rumi Tama
aka is a Japanese film director, actress, and screenwriter, known for her work in the pink film genre. After making her acting debut in 1965, she appeared in independent pink films throughout the rest of the decade, often for director Akitaka Kimata, whom she would later marry, and his son Seiji...
's husband, director Akitaka Kimata, founder of Pro Taka and Million Film. Mainstream critics recognized that Tanaka's work in this film made it stand out from its modest pink film origins. The Peer Cinema Club Annual, a conservative publication which did not normally concern itself with Pink films, judged it "a perfect marriage of decadence and art." Tanaka's depictions of Edogawa's ero guro nansensu style, voyeurism
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
and the Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
were influential on later films such as Kazuyoshi Okuyama's Mystery of Rampo (1994), Akio Jissōji
Akio Jissoji
was a Japanese television and film director best known outside of Japan for the 1960s TV series Ultraman and Ultra Seven, as well as for his auteur erotic ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy , , and ....
's Rampo films, including The D-Slope Murder Case (1998), and Rampo Noir (2005).
The third film in the Showa Trilogy, Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture!
aka Torture! and From the Banned Book "Wild Dance of a Beautiful Woman": Torture! is a 1977 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita...
(1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
) while still a box-office hit, was not as well-received by the critics of the time as the two preceding entries, perhaps because of its more extreme, sado-masochistic theme.
Rape and Death of a Housewife (1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
), despite its sensationalistic title, is considered one of Tanaka's masterpieces, and was his major mainstream critical break-through. Kinema Jumpo gave the film their "Best Film" award for 1979, and Tanaka was nominated for Best Director at the second Japanese Academy of Films and Motion Pictures ceremony for this film and Pink Salon: Five Lewd Women (also 1978). Pink Salon: Five Lewd Women was praised for its sympathetic view to the women characters, somewhat unusual for a Roman porno. Some critics have commented on the story's similarity to Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's 1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
Thelma & Louise.
Later years
After a few lean years, Tanaka made a come-back effort with the third entry in the Angel GutsAngel Guts
is a nine-film series of pink films made mostly by the Nikkatsu Corporation between 1978 and 1994. Like all pink films the major theme is sex, but there is plenty of violence involved as well. The films were based on the manga series by Takashi Ishii...
series, the critical and box-office success, Angel Guts: Nami (1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
). Jasper Sharp writes that, from the point of character, plotting and construction, Tanaka's film is the most satisfying entry in the series, based on an adult manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Takashi Ishii
Takashi Ishii
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has directed several pinku eiga erotic films, but his most notable feature was the 1995 nihilistic crime thriller Gonin starring Takeshi Kitano.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter...
. He notes, however, that Tanaka's visuals are over-active make the film a difficult one for most viewers. Tanaka recalled, "I was determined to make a film which was much more impressive than the comic. One image of a film has to be much more impressive than one frame of the comic. That's what film is all about. For the scene in which we see Nami's eye in close-up on the screen, I shot about 3,000 feet of film just to show the details of her eye and [its] movement, including the pulsing of a blood vessel."
After making nearly 25 films for Nikkatsu, Tanaka left the studio to try his hand at directing mainstream films for other studios. He directed several hits including the 1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
film, Village of Doom. He returned to Nikkatsu to direct Monster Woman '88 (1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) and then retired from the film industry. Allmovie writes that Tanaka was a director of films "so adventurous and bizarre that he soon became one of Japan's most celebrated directors," while Jasper Sharp judges him, "[t]he most visually-gifted of Nikkatsu's directors of the period." Just as international recognition was beginning to come to Tanaka, he died of a brain aneurysm on October 4, 2006.
Filmography
| Title | Cast | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Beads From a Petal Beads From a Petal aka Drops on the Petal and Droplets from a Petal is a 1972 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Rie Nakagawa and Keiko Maki.-Synopsis:... Kaben no Shizuku |
Rie Nakagawa Keiko Maki Kazuko Shirakawa Kazuko Shirakawa is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films during the 1970s. She appeared in Nikkatsu's first film in the Roman Porno series, Apartment Wife , and is considered the first of the three "Nikkatsu Queens" of the 1970s... |
1972-02-09 |
| Night of the Cats Mesunekotachi no Yoru |
Tomoko Katsura Hidemi Hara Ken Yoshizawa |
1972-05-17 |
| Woman on the Night Train Woman on the Night Train aka Night Train Woman is a 1972 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Mari Tanaka.-Synopsis:... Yogisha no Onna |
Mari Tanaka Keiko Tsuzuki Toshihiko Oda |
1972-07-19 |
| The Amorous Family: The Fox and the Badger Koshoku Kazoku: Kitsune to Tanuki |
Mari Tanaka Mikiko Sakai Hidemi Hara |
1972-09-06 |
| Excitement Class: Love Techniques Kanno Kyoshitsu: Ai no Technique |
Mari Tanaka Nobutaka Masutomi Ryoji Nakamura |
1972-11-08 |
| Love in the Afternoon: Metamorphosis Hirusagari no Joji: Henshin |
Miyoko Aoyama Keiko Aikawa Akira Takahashi |
1973-01-24 |
| Confidential: The Hell of Tortured Prostitutes Maruhi: Jorozeme Jigoku |
Rie Nakagawa Yuri Yamashina Hijiri Abe |
1973-04-14 |
| Strange Feelings During the Night Mayonaka no Yosei |
Yuri Yamashina Morio Kazama Setsuko Ohyama |
1973-07-14 |
| Private Life of a School Mistress Onna Kyoshi: Shiseikatsu}] |
Ayako Ichikawa Morio Kazama Hitomi Kozue |
1973-08-25 |
| Confidential: Sexual Market Maruhi: Shikijo Mesu Ichiba |
Meika Seri Genshu Hanayagi Junko Miyashita Junko Miyashita is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films.... |
1974-09-11 |
| A Woman Called Sada Abe A Woman Called Sada Abe aka Sada Abe: A Docu-Drama is a Roman porno version of the Sada Abe story directed by Noboru Tanaka.It is based on the true story of a woman who strangled her lover during a love-making session, then severed his penis, which she carried with her until her arrest... Jitsuroku: Abe Sada |
Junko Miyashita Junko Miyashita is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films.... Hideaki Ezumi Nagatoshi Sakamoto |
1975-02-08 |
| International Gang in Kobe Kobe Kokusai Gang |
1975-10-14 | |
| Watcher in the Attic Watcher in the Attic aka Stroller in the Attic, Edogawa Rampo Theater: Walker in the Attic and Walker in the Attic is a 1976 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita.-Synopsis:... Edogawa Rampo Ryoki-kan: Yaneura no Sanposha |
Junko Miyashita Junko Miyashita is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films.... Renji Ishibashi Tokuko Watanabe |
1976-06-12 |
| Sex Life and Escape of the Gangster Ando Noboru Ando Noboru no Waga Toto to Sex no Kiroku |
1976-10-01 | |
| Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture! Beauty's Exotic Dance: Torture! aka Torture! and From the Banned Book "Wild Dance of a Beautiful Woman": Torture! is a 1977 Japanese film in Nikkatsu's Roman porno series, directed by Noboru Tanaka and starring Junko Miyashita... Hakkinbon Bijin Ranbu Yori: Semeru! |
Junko Miyashita Junko Miyashita is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films.... Hatsuo Yamaya Maya Kudo |
1977-02-23 |
| School Mistress Onna Kyoshi |
Eiko Nagashima Yasuo Furoya |
1977-10-29 |
| Rape And Death Of A Housewife Hitozuma Shudan Boko Chishi Jiken |
Hideo Murota Noriko Kurosawa Akira Sakai |
1978-07-08 |
| Pink Salon: Five Amorous Women Pink Salon: Koshoku Gonin Onna |
Erina Miyai Kyoko Aoyama Kyoko Aizome is a Japanese erotic actress, singer, AV director, and writer who has been called, "the first hard-core porn actress in Japan."-Early life:Kyōko Aizome was born on February 9, 1958 in Noda Chiba Prefecture. Aizome grew up in a troubled household. Her father was a police officer who beat his wife,... Miyako Yamaguchi |
1978-11-03 |
| Angel Guts: Nami Tenshi no Harawata: Nami |
Eri Kanuma Takeo Chii Minako Minushima |
1979-07-07 |
| Target of Lust Aiyoku no Hyoteki |
Erina Miyai Minako Mizushima Shin Nakamaru |
1979-12-22 |
| Hard Scandal: Drifter of Sex Hard Scandal: Sei no Hyoryu-sha |
Ako Rie Kitahara Yudo Yoshikawa |
1980-10-04 |
| "Love Me Strong... Love Me Hard" Motto Hageshiku Motto Tsuyoku |
Maki Kawamura Izumi Shima Izumi Shima is a Japanese actress known especially for her roles in Nikkatsu Roman Porno series of films.-Life and career:Shima was born Keiko Ishida in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan on December 3, 1953. She made her debut with the Nikkatsu studio in the August 1977 Roman Porno film Lady Chatterley In... Tatsuo Yamada |
1981-05-15 |
| Village of Doom Ushimitsu no Mura |
1983-01-15 | |
| View of the Bud Tsubomi no Nagame |
Yōko Kon Mitsuru Hirata Kōichi Satō |
1986-04-26 |
| Monster Woman '88 Yojo Densetsu '88 |
1988-09-23 |
Sources
(Retrospective program of Tanaka's work)- "Noboru Tanaka -Director". 2005. in Angel Guts - The Nikkatsu Series - 5 Disc Collector's Edition. www.artsmagicdvd.com ATU 017. Disc three: Angel Guts: Nami. Biographies.