1970's Japanese Movie Blog

January 19, 2018

DIARY OF A SHINJUKU THIEF (1969)

新宿泥棒日記

directed by Nagisa Oshima

Production: Creativity Inc.
Distributed by ATG　
February 16, 1969
94 minutes Black & White with some Color

Tadanori Yokoo as Birdy Hilltop

Rie Yokoama as Umeko

Yes, I know... another pre-1970's movie!

Trust me... it just fits better on this blog than the other....

An experimental film that has it’s appealing aspects to it, director Nagisa Oshima takes a basic story: a book thief Birdy Hilltop (Tadanori Yokoo) gets apprehended by a pretty clerk, Umeko (Rie Yokoyama), and they begin a relationship. But, the relationship, especially it’s sexual peculiarities, PARTICULARLY it’s sexual peculiarities, are examined in ever changing creative film methods. From documentary style psychoanalysis, to kabuki style theater, to fantasy play that turns into a reality gang rape - all of which is also interspersed with performance art, live acoustic song, and real footage of the Shinjuku area at the time. In fact, much of the cast simply play themselves, a part of the Japanese underground youth scene of the time and place. (Which IS cool to see)

Much of it is interesting to watch, actual extremely appealing to watch, but some of it isn’t, and seems to go on far too long, and try way to hard to convince us of it’s authenticity as a amateur shot hand held film- it was most likely a labor of love for Oshima, far from being an amateur, who wanted to capture the feel of the times, amidst a sexual examination of two complex individuals. Worth seeing for film buffs - not sure if this was even available to the public for many years - it IS a cool underground Japanese artifact of it’s times.