Tatsumi Kumashiro

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Tatsumi Kumashiro

#1 Post by Finch » Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:53 pm

As per togg's request, a thread for:

Tatsumi Kumashiro (神代 辰巳, Kumashiro Tatsumi) (1927-1995)

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"My films are about people not biology."

Filmography:
Front Row Life a.k.a. A Thirsty Life a.k.a. Fan Life (かぶりつき人生, Kaburitsuki Jinsei) (1968-04-13)[24]
Wet Lips a.k.a. Twisted Path of Love (濡れた唇, Nureta Kuchibiru) (1972-01-29)
Ichijo's Wet Lust a.k.a. Ichijo Sayuri: Wet Desire (一条さゆり 濡れた欲情, Ichijo Sayuri: Nureta Yokujo) (1972-10-07)
Lovers Are Wet (恋人たちは濡れた, Koibito-tachi wa Nureta) (1973-03-24)
Female Hell: The Moist Forest a.k.a. Woods are Wet: Woman Hell (女地獄 森は濡れた, Onna Jigoku: Mori wa Nureta) (1973-05-23)
Yakuza Justice: Erotic Code of Honor a.k.a. Yakuza Goddess: Lust and Honor (やくざ観音 情女仁義, Yakuza Kannon: Iro Jingi) (1973-07-14)
The World of Geisha a.k.a. A Man & a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen (四畳半襖の裏張り, Yojo-han Fusuma no Urabari) (1973-11-03)
Moist Desires: 21 Strippers (濡れた欲情 特出し21人, Nureta Yokujo: Tokudashi 21-nin) (1974-01-03)
Behind the Sliding Door: Chaste Skin a.k.a. Man and Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen: Enduring Skin (四畳半襖の裏張り しのび肌, Yojo-han Fusuma no Urabari: Shinobi Hada) (1974-02-16)
The Key (鍵, Kagi) (1974-05-04)
Failed Youth aka Bitterness of Youth (青春の蹉跌, Seishun no Satetsu) (1974-06-29)
Street of Joy a.k.a. Red Light District: Gonna Get Out (赤線玉の井 ぬけられます, Akasen Tamanoi: Nukeraremasu) (1974-09-21)
宵待草 (Yoimachigusa, 1974-12-28)
櫛の火 (Kushi no Hi, 1975-04-05)
Light of Africa (アフリカの光, Africa no Hikari) (1975-06-21)
Black Rose Ascension (黒薔薇昇天, Kurobara Shoten) (1975-08-09)
Moist Desires: The Open Tulip a.k.a. Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip (濡れた欲情 ひらけ!チューリップ, Nureta Yokujo: Hirake! Tulip) (1975-12-24)
Painful Bliss! Final Twist (悶絶!!どんでん返し, Monzetsu Donden Gaeshi) (1977-02-01)
Dannoura Pillow War (壇の浦夜枕合戦記, Dannoura Yomakura Kassenki) (1977-04-23)
The Woman with Red Hair (赫い髪の女, Akai Kami no Onna) (1979-02-17)
Hell (地獄, Jigoku) (1979-06-03)
Faraway Tomorrow (遠い明日, Tooi Ashita) (1979-11-03)
Path of the Beast (少女娼婦 けものみち, Shoujo Shofu: Kemonomichi) (1980-03-29)
Forbidden Games a.k.a. Pleasure Campus: Secret Games (快楽学園 禁じられた遊び, Kairaku Gakuen: Kinjirareta Asobi) (1980-11-21)
Mr- Mrs- Ms- Lonely (ミスター・ミセス・ミス・ロンリー) (1980-12-20)
Viva the Women! The Dirty Songs a.k.a. Oh! Women: A Dirty Song (嗚呼!おんなたち 猥歌, A! Onnatachi: Waika) (1981-10-23)
Woman with the Red Hat [ja] (赤い帽子の女, Akai Boshi no Onna) (1982-10-16)
River of No Return a.k.a. Modori River (もどり川, Modori-gawa) (1983-06-18)
Mika Madoka: A Woman Who Moistens Her Finger a.k.a. Woman With Wet Fingers (美加マドカ 指を濡らす女, Mika Madoka: Yubi o Nurasu Onna) (1984-04-20)
Love Letter (恋文, Koibumi) (1985-10-05)
A Woman Who Doesn't Divorce (離婚しない女, Rikon Shinai Onna) (1986-10-25)
Bedtime Eyes (ベッドタイムアイズ) (1987-04-25)
A Woman Who Bites (噛む女, Kamu Onna) (1988-07-01)
Like a Rolling Stone (棒の哀しみ, Bo no Kanashimi) (1994-10-01)
Immoral: Indecent Relations (インモラル・淫らな関係, Immoral: Midarana Kankei) (1995-04-25)

Letterboxd page

some writing on Tatsumi Kumashiro includes:

Crow, Jonathan. "Tatsumi Kumashiro (Biography)"
Sharp, Jasper (2008). Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema. Guildford: FAB Press.
Weisser, Thomas; Yuko Mihara Weisser (1998). Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films. Miami: Vital Books : Asian Cult Cinema Publications.

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togg
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 9:00 pm

Re: Tatsumi Kumashiro

#2 Post by togg » Wed Feb 28, 2024 2:58 pm

I got to discover the films of Kumashiro thanks to this interview with Haruhiko Arai who wrote the script of The Woman with Red Hair, https://asianmoviepulse.com/2024/02/int ... hiko-arai/.
I had never heard of Kumashiro before, so him being called the best of the pink or whatever films of that period surprised me. I have already watched Wakamatsu, Adachi and multiple others, so how could I have missed this one?

It's strange because it really seems like he enjoyed real notoriety and positive critical reception in the 70s, so my best guess is that with time his very human and honest film about the human condition got forgotten because the pretty blunt sexual themes couldn't fit in any of the categories that started to settle with time. For exemple Oshima is still venerated because he is very clean, pret-à-porter poetry, Mizoguchi for the slowly burning socially complex rebellion, Wakamatsu (while being less known) because he is more pointy and ruthless in his social critique, etc. Kumashiro is something else. After watching The Woman with Red Hair I was taken aback. The main girl character is such a strong rebel, the armonization of violence and rapes while still trying to find something else for me was stronger than other japanese narratives with similar themes. The sex scenes are all full of human novelties, I don't think I have actually seen another movie where a specific sexual position is developped so well in the script.

The good thing is that all his biggest movies seems to be available on bluray. Fans have kept filling the gaps of missing english subtitles so little by little I'll be able to watch all of his. Which isn't the case for Wakamatsu for exemple.

Have you watched any of his films?

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