Takashi Ishii (director)

Takashi Ishii ( Japanese 石井 隆 , Ishii Takashi ; born July 11, 1946 in Sendai ) is a Japanese director, screenwriter and manga artist. He started his career at Nikkatsu ; his films can best be assigned to the genre of neo-noir . His internationally best-known film is Gonin , released in 1995 with Japanese superstar Takeshi Kitano in a supporting role.

style

Takashi Ishii's films are mostly set at night, on the one hand due to the increased control over the lighting of the film, on the other hand, the costs of the films can be kept lower. His films are strongly stylized and lavishly illuminated; rain and thunderstorms are also a frequent and deliberately used motif. The films are usually dominated by a nihilistic and fatalistic tone. The focus of the plot is mostly initially weak female characters who are oppressed by a strongly sexualized male world, but gradually break free from their weak female role and try to violently defend themselves against their tormentors. The femme fatale is also a common character among Ishii. Gonin is an exception , the yakuza film thematizes homosexuality and dependence on men, embedded in a grotesque, nihilistic and yet occasionally melancholy and touching story.

Ishii often uses the same names for characters that often have little to do with each other and are portrayed by different actors. A Nami Tsuchiya appeared for the first time in the comic book for the Tenshi no Harawata films ; the name Nami can be found in many films that Ishii directed or wrote the screenplay (for example in Toshiharu Ikeda's film Evil Dead Trap ( Shiryō no Wana ), which also enjoys cult status outside of Japan).

Filmography

Direction and script

• 1988: Tenshi no harawata: Akai memai ( 天使 の は ら わ た 赤 い 眩暈 )
• 1991: Gekka no ran ( 月 下 の 蘭 )
• 1992: Shinde mo ii ( 死 ん で も い い )
• 1993: Nūdo no yoru ( ヌ ー ド の 夜 )
• 1994: Yoru ga mata kuru ( 夜 が ま た 来 る )
• 1994: Tenshi no harawata: Akai bekō ( 天使 の は ら わ た 赤 い 閃光 )
• 1995: Gonin
• 1996: Gonin 2
• 1997: Black Angel ( 黒 の 天使 Kuro no tenshi Vol. 1)
• 1999: Black Angel 2 ( 黒 の 天使 Kuro no tenshi Vol. 2)
• 2000: Freeze Me ( フ リ ー ズ ・ ミ ー )
• 2001: Tokyo GP
• 2004: Flower and Snake ( 花 と 蛇 , Hana to hebi )
• 2005: Hana to hebi 2: Pari / Shizuko ( 花 と 蛇 2 パ リ / 静 子 )
• 2007: Hito ga hito o ai suru koto no dōshiyō mo nasa ( 人 が 人 を 愛 す る こ と の ど う し よ う も な さ )
• 2010: Nūdo no yoru / Ai wa oshiminaku ubau ( ヌ ー ド の 夜 / 愛 は 惜 し み な く 奪 う )
• 2013: Amai muchi ( 甘 い 鞭 )
• 2013: Figure na anata ( フ ィ ギ ュ ア な あ な た )
• 2015: Gonin Saga ( GONIN サ ー ガ )

script

• 1979: Tenshi no harawata: Akai kyōshitsu ( 天使 の は ら わ た 赤 い 教室 ) Director: Chūsei Sone
• 1979: Tenshi no harawata: Nami ( 天使 の は ら わ た 名 美 ) Director: Noboru Tanaka
• 1981: Tenshi no harawata: Akai inga ( 天使 の は ら わ た 赤 い 淫 画 ) Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
• 1982: Dankiroku: Shōjo mokuba-zeme ( 団 鬼 六 少女 木馬 責 め ) Director: Fumihiko Katō
• 1984: Nawa shimai: Kimyō na kajitsu ( 縄 姉妹 奇妙 な 果 実 ) Director: Jun Nakahara
• 1984: Rūju ( ル ー ジ ュ ) Director: Hiroyuki Nasu
• 1985: Rabu hoteru ( ラ ブ ホ テ ル ) Director: Shinji Sōmai
• 1985: Muhan ( 夢 犯 ) Director: Naosuke Kurosawa
• 1985: Mashō no kaori ( 魔 性 の 香 り ) Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
• 1986: Saya no iru tōshizu ( GONIN サ ー ガ ) Director: Seiji Izumi
• 1987: Akai nawa: Hateru made ( 赤 い 縄 〜 果 て る ま で 〜 ) Director: Junichi Suzuki
• 1988: Evil Dead Trap ( 死 霊 の 罠 Shiryō no wana ) Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
• 1991: Gaddemu !! ( ガ ッ デ ム !! ) Director: Futoshi Kamino
• 1993: Chigireta ai no satsujin ( ち ぎ れ た 愛 の 殺人 ) Director: Toshiharu Ikeda

Web links

• Takashi Ishii in the Internet Movie Database (English)