For Immediate Release
KINO INTERNATIONAL AND KIMSTIM TO RELEASE FILMS OF STOP-MOTION ANIMATOR KIHACHIRO KAWAMOTO
Dedicated to releasing a wide variety of international animated works, Kino International and KimStim are proud to make available the celebrated works of stop-motion legend Kihachiro Kawamoto on two DVDs.
On the first DVD, Kino/KimStim brings THE BOOK OF THE DEAD (2005), Kawamoto’s feature-length puppetry masterpiece. A second disc, THE EXQUISITE SHORT FILMS OF KIHACHIRO KAWAMOTO (Various), makes available seven of Kawamoto’s most respected short works. These outstanding films display not only the stylistic plurality of Kawamoto’s excursions into the field of animation, but also showcase his unique commitment to an animated oeuvre that is both personal and yet undeniably Japanese.
Sold separately, both films will prebook on March 25th, 2008 with a SRP of 29.95 and a street date of April 22nd.
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
“Kawamoto’s puppet films are violent, erotic and disturbing.”
- Philadelphia Film Festival
In this ravishing film of mystical beauty, master animator Kihachiro Kawamoto’s tour de force adventure tale tells the story of a young noblewoman in 8th-century Japan who leaves her home to follow the apparition of an executed prince.
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD takes place as Buddhism is being introduced to Japan from China. Iratsume, a woman of noble descent, becomes obsessed with this mysterious new religion. One night, in a rapturous trance, she sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. Once there, she sees Otsu, a young prince who was executed 50 years earlier. While Iratsume mistakes the prince’s spirit for the incarnation of the great Buddha, the ghost mistakes Iratsume for the last woman he saw at the moment of his death. As an act of great devotion, she decides to make a giant shroud for the prince to heal his soul, after which he begins to haunt the young woman and those around her. The pair embarks on an impassioned battle of wills, one longing for the material world, the other striving for the spiritual.
This beguiling story of otherworldly romance is the work of stop-motion animator and puppet-maker Kihachiro Kawamoto, a former student of the master Czech animator Jiri Trnka. Already a legend in his own right, with THE BOOK OF THE DEAD Kawamoto has created an intricately detailed magnum opus, a summation of the themes explored in all of his work: the transience of existence, the ambiguity of human behavior, and the search for perfection and beauty in an imperfect world.
One final note for animation buffs: The film also features work by the acclaimed Russian animator and director Yuriy Norshteyn, who was involved in THE BOOK OF THE DEAD as a “guest animator.”
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
Japan 2005 Color 70 Min.
Full Frame (1.33:1)
Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto
THE EXQUISITE SHORT FILMS OF KIHACHIRO KAWAMOTO
Collaborating with Kimstim, Kino is proud to present this collection of short films from one of the world’s greatest stop-motion animators: Kihachiro Kawamoto. Famous for his beautiful, expressive puppets, Kawamoto began his career in the 1950s. Honing his skills at the legendary Kratky Studios in Prague (under the mentorship of celebrated Czech animator Jiri Trnka), Kawamoto harnessed Japan’s unique aesthetic traditions to create visually stunning stories. Drawing on ancient legends, contemporary short novels, as well as Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku doll theater, Kawamoto’s haunting, poetic films speak of passion and loss in worlds populated by ghosts and demons.
THE BREAKING OF BRANCHES IS FORBIDDEN (14 min / 1968 / Color)
A monk orders a young acolyte, who happens to have a fondness for sake, to guard a beautiful cherry blossom tree.
THE DEMON (8 min / 1972 / Color)
A pair of hunters encounters a ghastly demon in the woods. Escaping by severing the apparition’s arm, they make an even more grisly discovery on the journey home. Based on the 12th-century Japanese medieval legend Konjaku-monogatari.
AN ANTHROPO-CYNICAL FARCE (8 min / 1970 / B&W / In French with optional English subtitles)
A dog race is interrupted by a ringmaster who attaches fish to the animals’ collars and makes them run in circles. The crowd becomes incensed and the ringmaster finds himself in a race for his life.
THE TRIP (12 min / 1973 / Color / No dialogue)
A young girl sets off on a surreal metaphysical voyage through which she will learn all the pain and joy of life.
A POET’S LIFE (19 min / 1974 / Color)
A mysterious meditation on the power of poetic imagination. A worker fired from a factory for demanding higher wages is plagued by ghastly nightmares. Based on a story by novelist Kobo Abe.
DOJOJI TEMPLE (19 min / 1976 / Color)
Two pilgrims, an elderly monk and his young disciple, out on a
spiritual journey, encounter a mysterious woman whose frenzied passions transform her into a huge white serpent.
HOUSE OF FLAMES (19 min / 1979 / Color)
A Japanese “Drama of the Absurd.” A young village woman is torn between two suitors. Out of anguish, she decides to destroy herself. Although her intentions are pure, her death reverberates with shocking consequences.
THE EXQUISITE SHORT FILMS OF KIHACHIRO KAWAMOTO
Japan 1968 - 1979
Full-Frame (1.33:1)
Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto
|
