The final two films in the series Shinjuku Ecstasy: Independent Films from the Art Theatre Guild of Japan will be shown at Japan Society at separate screenings tomorrow, Sunday, March 1, 2009. The first screening will be of Pitfall at 3:00 PM
Pitfall / Otoshiana
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Japan, 1962, b&w, 97 min.
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Japan, 1962, b&w, 97 min.
The ghost of a miner killed by a mysterious stranger stays on because he can't understand the reason for his death. Based on a novel by Kobo Abe, ATG-co-founder Teshigahara's first feature film is a surreal and atmospheric study of alienation, moral descent and spiritual bankruptcy.
Pitfall webpageDirect link to order Pitfall tickets
The final film that will be shown is Ecstasy of the Angels, which will screen at 5:15 PM.
Ecstasy of the Angels / Tenshi no kokotsuDirected by Koji Wakamatsu
Japan, 1972, b&w with color in part, 89 min.
In it, a militant revolutionary group is torn apart by betrayal as its members descend into paranoia and sexual decadence. Wakamatsu marries sexploitation with radical politics and anticipated the real-life bombing of the extreme left, making this ATG's most controversial film.
Ecstasy of the Angels webpage
Direct link to buy Ecstasy of the Angels tickets
