01-04-2007, 09:08 PM
Also known as "Kusa-meikyu"
by Shuji Terayama (the David Lynch of Japan)
This is the tale of a young man who lives with his mother and is pursued by a wild woman (a nymphomaniac). It is told in flashback, or rather flash-sideways, since it is meant to embrace parallel worlds. While lacking a plot, it does suggest logic -- if that makes any sense. It is deftly surreal.
Many young filmmakers seem to have this skewed perception of surrealism. They think all you have to do is shoot a bunch of random stuff and stick it all together without editing and it's a masterpiece of surrealism. Well, that's my definition of junk.
So I was leery of the hype for this work, which runs only 40 minutes. To my pleasant surprise, Shuji edited his footage -- and in a very sophisticated manner. While I would hesitate to call it a masterpiece, it stands well alongside the works of Luis Bunuel, which is a weird thing to say because I've seen almost nothing by Bunuel (just his earliest two shorts).
I need to go on a Bunuel feeding frenzy. As for Shuji Terayama, the bastard died young. Grass Labyrinth is considered by many to be his most accomplished work -- though he did direct a full-feature-length film called Les Fruits de la passion which might be worth a look. Why? Well, it stars Klaus Kinski.
--craneflly
by Shuji Terayama (the David Lynch of Japan)
This is the tale of a young man who lives with his mother and is pursued by a wild woman (a nymphomaniac). It is told in flashback, or rather flash-sideways, since it is meant to embrace parallel worlds. While lacking a plot, it does suggest logic -- if that makes any sense. It is deftly surreal.
Many young filmmakers seem to have this skewed perception of surrealism. They think all you have to do is shoot a bunch of random stuff and stick it all together without editing and it's a masterpiece of surrealism. Well, that's my definition of junk.
So I was leery of the hype for this work, which runs only 40 minutes. To my pleasant surprise, Shuji edited his footage -- and in a very sophisticated manner. While I would hesitate to call it a masterpiece, it stands well alongside the works of Luis Bunuel, which is a weird thing to say because I've seen almost nothing by Bunuel (just his earliest two shorts).
I need to go on a Bunuel feeding frenzy. As for Shuji Terayama, the bastard died young. Grass Labyrinth is considered by many to be his most accomplished work -- though he did direct a full-feature-length film called Les Fruits de la passion which might be worth a look. Why? Well, it stars Klaus Kinski.
--craneflly
I'm nobody's pony.
