Toru Murakawa in November 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on March 22, 1937, in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, Toru Murakawa is a prolific film and television director whose collaborations with actor Yusaku Matsuda, such as The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (1979) and The Beast to Die (1980), are among his best-known works. On the … Continue reading PRELUDE TO A DIRECTING CAREER! Toru Murakawa on His Years as an Assistant Director at Nikkatsu Studios!
Nikkatsu
MEMOIRS OF AN ICONOCLASTIC SCREENWRITER! Fumio Ishimori on His Scriptwriting Career in Japanese Film and Television!
Fumio Ishimori in November 2020. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on July 31, 1931, screenwriter Fumio Ishimori's work has touched just about every facet of Japanese entertainment. Hailing from from Haboro, Hokkaido, he joined Nikkatsu as a screenwriter in 1963 and later signed with Shochiku in 1969. In total, Mr. Ishimori has written more than … Continue reading MEMOIRS OF AN ICONOCLASTIC SCREENWRITER! Fumio Ishimori on His Scriptwriting Career in Japanese Film and Television!
GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
Born on January 7, 1955, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Masanori Machida was a child actor who began his career in the early 1960s. During his career as a child actor, Mr. Machida appeared in numerous movies during the 1960s, including (in order of production): Toho’s Aogeba Totoshi (1966), Daiei’s Zatoichi’s Vengeance (1966), Toei’s Abashiri Prison: Duel … Continue reading GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT, AL? Cliff Harrington on His Japanese Movie Career!
American-born actor-writer-photographer Clifford V. Harrington (1932-2013) is most recognizable to aficionados of Japanese monster movies as King Kong vs. Godzilla's Al, the terrified helicopter co-pilot who doesn’t know “what to make of it” when Godzilla bursts out of the iceberg. While he’s best known for that role, Mr. Harrington also appeared as an extra in Mothra … Continue reading WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT, AL? Cliff Harrington on His Japanese Movie Career!
GUILALA GUY! Shinichi Yanagisawa on His Decades-Long Entertainment Career
Born on December 19, 1932, in Tokyo, Shinichi Yanagisawa began his entertainment career as a jazz singer in postwar Japan but soon found himself in demand as an actor, both in front of the camera and behind the microphone as a voice talent. Mr. Yanagisawa plays the comic relief character Miyamoto in The X from … Continue reading GUILALA GUY! Shinichi Yanagisawa on His Decades-Long Entertainment Career
BODMER IN OUTER SPACE! Heinz Bodmer on His Career as an Extra in Japanese Films!
Battle in Outer Space (1959) remains a popular entry in Toho’s special effects films series, and given the sheer number of foreign talent used in the film, it’s a rather unusual one. One such player is Heinz Bodmer, who appeared in the movie as a SPIP crew member who travels to the Moon to do … Continue reading BODMER IN OUTER SPACE! Heinz Bodmer on His Career as an Extra in Japanese Films!
Vantage Point Interviews 