Japan's powerhouse

>> Cinémathèque quèbècoise salutes Ichikawa

by JOANNE LATIMER

In the West, Ichikawa is the least known of Japan's masterful film directors. Name the others--Akira Kurosawa, Shohei Imamura, Yasujiro Ozu--and there's an inkling of recognition. But Ichikawa, an 86-year-old director who still pumps out at least one film a year, gets very few knowing nods.

The Cinémathèque quèbècoise is trying to change all that by holding a retrospective of Ichikawa's enormous output. Until October 28, the Cinémathèque will screen 24 of his films with English subtitles. For anyone else, you'd expect 24 films to be a comprehensive overview. For Ichikawa, it's just a sampling. He's a powerhouse. Anyone who managed to see his latest film Big Mama, in competition at Montreal's World Film Festival last month, can attest that Ichikawa hasn't slowed down in scale, scope or ambition.

So, how do you pick 24 films to screen? It's easier than you'd think, considering critical opinion chops Ichikawa's career in two: the first stage, when the superior films were made; and the second stage of misfires and failures after the mid '70s. The turning point is widely attributed to the retirement of his wife and long-time collaborator, Natto Wada, with her discerning eye for literary adaptations that would suit Ichikawa's sensibility.

Most of the Cinémathèques' screenings are of his earlier classics, including the acclaimed Fires on the Plain, The Harp of Burma, Tokyo Olympiad, An Actor's Revenge and Kagi. Programmers were unable to get his beloved I Am a Cat, narrated by a suicidal cat, but were lucky enough to get his darkly comic I Am Two, a manual on child-rearing.

Like almost all of Ichikawa's films, Kagi is a literary adaptation that shouldn't be missed. It's a twisted domestic story on aging and sexual jealousy. Against the backdrop of an art appraiser's mid-life crisis, we see his conniving daughter and wife use his weakness to their advantage, with the help of an opportunistic medical student. The husband, Kenmuchi, is getting injections to boost his libido. He discovers he is aroused by jealousy, so he encourages the young doctor to flirt with his wife. It gets out of control, the daughter gets involved and Polariods are taken. The wife has an ace up her sleeve and the loyal house servant gets her revenge. For all its emotional violence, it's a gorgeous black and white film that will shock with its malicious intent.

Kagi screens at the Cinémathèque quèbècoise, Sept. 13 at 8:30pm. Check repertory listing for more Ichikawa showtimes