Tatsuo, a gruff-mannered woodsman who lives in the mountains near a Japanese coastal town, refuses to sell his land for a planned tourist theme park – the only resident to oppose the project.
Director: Mitsuo Yanagimachi.
Writer: Kenji Nakagami.
Stars: Kinya Kitaoji, Kiwako Taichi, Norihei Miki, Junko Miyashita, Ryota Nakamoto, Aiko Morishita, Rikiya Yasuoka, Kenzo Kaneko, Sachiko Matsushita, Aoi Nakajima, Gozo Soma, Kin Sugai, Masako Yagi. AKA Fire Festival / 火まつり
many many thanks for this rare gem
Amazing film. Has stayed with me since seeing it in college in 1993, 28 years ago! Possibly one of the best intro films for Japanese cinema.
In a 1988 review of unsung Japanese films, New York Times critic Vincent Canby writes, “This eerie, complex film represents the kind of splendid Japanese work that may be in as much need of support and protection these days as its spectacular southern Honshu landscapes. Though environmental protection could be said to be one of the movie’s concerns, it is chiefly interested in Japan’s animistic heritage that, as Shintoism, has survived from pre-history to this present age of remarkable transitions..”
https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/movies/film-view-japan-s-best-movies-aren-t-a-leading-export.html
A very unpleasant and unsettling film. Not one likeable character throughout.