Overview

Based on the vision of Eiji Tsuburaya, who came into worldwide prominence as the tokusatsu (special-effects) director in the movie "Godzilla," "Ultra Q" triggered an unprecedented boom in monster movies and was the first Japanese tokusatsu fantasy drama. With its dynamic tokusatsu technology and innovative plot development, it was truly chock full of all the elements at the heart of the entire Ultra Series. In the mid 1960s, when it came out, Japan was smack in the middle of a phase of soaring economic growth following Tokyo's hosting of the Summer Olympics. In a both comic and richly creative manner, it sounded a sharp alarm to society in an age when all hearts were filled with hopes and dreams.

In addition, from the well-known "Ultraman" and "Return of Ultraman" series, the program will show jolting episodes that overturn Ultraman's heroic image. These works sparkle with the self-admonishing message that we cannot always equate Ultraman with justice and monsters with evil.

The program will also present two works by Nobuhiko Obayashi, the masterful director known for his "Onomichi Trilogy," "The Rocking Horsemen," and other films, who regrettably passed away this year: "Emotion," an early, lyrical work produced by Obayashi himself with a 16-millimeter camera, and "Cute Devil," a legendary made-for-TV horror movie that was aired on "Tuesday Suspense Theater." We urge all cinephiles not to miss this chance to see little-known masterpieces of Obayashi, who was lauded as a "cinematic magician" and left behind many important works.

We have finally entered the year depicted in "Challenge from the Year 2020," one of the films in the "Ultra Q" series. Today, when all humankind is facing such a serious ordeal, strikes us as the perfect time for temporarily immersing yourself in a world brimming with the freedom and pleasure of day-dreaming and creation.

Program

*Doors open 15 minutes before the start of each program.
*Tickets are valid for one program only.
* Please note that some of the works shown contain discriminatory expressions and other types of depiction that are considered unacceptable by today's standards.

Program A "Ultraman" series

Eiji Tsuburaya (1901～1970)
Born in the city of Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture in 1901, Eiji Tsuburaya was a tokusatsu (special-effects) director, movie director, cameraman, inventor, and the first president of Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions (the current Tsuburaya Productions). After working for the film company Shochiku and other firms, he joined the film company Toho in 1937. There, he devoted his energies to the advancement of tokusatsu filming technology using miniatures, screen processes, etc. He became renowned worldwide with the movie "Godzilla." He was also in charge of the tokusatsu technology for many other monster and science fiction movies, including "The Mysterians," "Varan the Unbelievable," "Battle in Outer Space," "Mothra," and "King Kong vs. Godzilla." He established Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions in 1963, and was involved in production of the "Ultraman" and "Ultra Seven" series after "Ultra Q." Subsequent to his death in 1970, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class. He pioneered tokusatsu in Japan, where he is referred to as the "god of tokusatsu" for his tremendous contribution to the tokusatsu film industry through the original techniques and technologies he created.

Program B

Nobuhiko Obayashi (1938-2020)
The filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi was born in the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1938. He began making his own films with a motion picture camera he found in a closet at home when he was three years old.
After coming to Tokyo, he set about making movies of his own independent production on 16-millimeter film. After a period of work as a director for television advertisements, he made his commercial debut as a feature-film director with "House," which came out in 1977. He followed this with many other works, most notably his "Onomichi Trilogy" consisting of "I Are You, You Am Me," "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," and "Lonely Heart." More recently, he produced "Casting Blossoms to the Sky," "Seven Weeks," and "Hanagatami," which constitute his "anti-war trilogy." On April 10, 2020, the very day on which "Labyrinth of Cinema," his latest film, was slated to open at movie theaters, he died of lung cancer at the age of 82. He was awarded the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in the spring of 2004, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in the fall of 2009. In 2019, he was selected Person of Cultural Merit. "Labyrinth of Cinema" is now scheduled for release on July 31, 2020.

●Program A (Sat. 15 & Sun. 16 August 10:00-12:50)

"The Devil Child" (25th episode in the "Ultra Q" series)
「悪魔ッ子」/1968/ 25min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production
Director: Toshitsugu Suzuki/ Script: Bunzo Wakatsuki/ Special Effect: Koichi Takano/ Starring: Jun Hamamura, Hiroshi Yamanaka, Keisuke Tate and others

A spate of traffic accidents occur late at night. The drivers all say they saw the ghostly image of a child, and later find that a flashlight, doll, or other object is missing. Then these articles turn up in a music box that belongs to Lily, a girl who is a member of a magic troupe and was near the sites of the accidents…

"Open Up!" (28th episode in the "Ultra Q" series)
(1968/ 25min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Toshihiro Iijima/ Script: Shozo Uehara/ Special Effect: Toru Matoba/ Starring: Yoshio Yoshida, Setsuo Wakui, Hiroyuki Takano and others

Certainly everyone has considered "escape from reality" at least once. What if we could really escape from the troubles of this life and flee to a Shangri-la? The white-collar employee Sawamura suddenly finds himself riding on a train that is speeding across the sky. In the next car, he comes upon Tomono, a science-fiction writer…

"The 1/8 Project" (the 17th episode in the "Ultra Q" series)
(1968/ 25min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Toshihiro Iijima/ Script: Keisuke Fujikawa/ Special Effect: Toru Matoba/ Starring: Isao Sasaki, Maya Kitajima, Hiroshi Sekita and others

Yuriko sees a sign calling for a third round of volunteers for the 1/8th Project, which is aimed at shrinking people and buildings to one-eighth of their size in order to solve overcrowding and population problem. After mistakenly getting herself shrunk, she desperately heads for Manjome and the others…

"My Home is Earth" (the 23rd episode in the "Ultraman" series)
(1968/ 25min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Takashi Nagano/ Script: Shozo Uehara/ Special Effect: Koichi Takano/ Starring: Osamu Kato, Sinjiro Asano, Shunsuke Ikeda and others

There has been a succession of incidents in which planes and ships carrying people coming to Tokyo to attend an international peace conference were blown up. To attack the unknown enemy, the Science Patrol develops a special ray gun and succeeds in downing an invisible enemy rocket. Seeing the monster that emerges from the flames, Alan, a Science Patrol member at its Paris headquarters, begins to explain that the monster Jamila is actually a human being. Hearing his remarks, Ide is deeply shaken.

"The Monster User and the Boy" (the 33rd episode in the "Return of Ultraman" series)
(1968/ 25min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Takashi Nagano/ Script: Shozo Uehara/ Special Effect: Koichi Takano/ Starring: Osamu Kato, Sinjiro Asano, Shunsuke Ikeda and others

Ryo, a boy who lives in an abandoned house on a river bank, is rumored to be an alien with supernatural powers, and abused by the local residents. He and the alien Meits, who came to the earth to investigate its environment, live together like father and son. However, the residents are turned into an ugly mob by their fear of aliens, and kill Meits. Then, the monster Muruchi makes its entrance!

Program B

●Program B (Sat. 15 & Sun.16 August 14:00-16:15)

"Emotion" (directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi)
(1973/ 48min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Eizo Yamagiwa/ Script: Shinichi Ichikawa/ Starring: Kara Juro, Mako Midori, Isao Hashizume, Noboru Mitani and others

Shot before maestro Nobuhiko Obayashi's debut as a commercial film director, "Emotion" exerted a great influence on cinema-loving youth afterward. Opening with a dedication to "Blood and Roses," the vampire movie directed by Roger Vadim, it is a personal farewell to adolescence that incorporates extensive use of stop-motion photography and subtitles, and lyrical melodies. This classic film leaves viewers with a bittersweet sentiment that lingers long after it is over.

"Cute Devil" (directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and aired on "Tuesday Suspense Theater")
(1973/ 48min/ 16mm/ color/ Tsuburaya Production)
Director: Yasuharu Isebe/ Script: Hiroyasu Yamaura/ Starring: Koreharu Hisatomi, Mieko Nishio, Sanae Nakahara and others

Dr. Mizukami, a surgeon who teaches anatomy at a university, runs over and kills a corporate employee while taking a drive with his student and lover Ryoko. He hides the corpse and attempts to continue advancing his career, as if nothing had happened.
The piece is also notable for the special makeup, which makes the wounds and sores on the corpse look remarkably real.