Death, Sex, and Honour in post-war Japan

Here's an obscure cinematic gem that is latterly, unfairly, being marketed as a sexploitation classic: Slave Widow! In fact, while the prurient aspects of the film likely caused a stir on its release in 1967, the work is unfailingly artistic, evocative, and beautiful throughout.


The story concerns a widow who is tempted and bullied into sexual servitude by her recently-deceased husband's chief creditor, a suave and amoral businessman. She is subsequently fallen for by the man's son, who possesses far greater sensitivity than does his brutal father, and events are thus led to an inevitably tragic conclusion.

The acting ranges from naturalistic to somewhat stylised, but is always highly effective. Cinematography (in B&W) is striking throughout. This is a superb and distinctive film.

Cinema Epoch have produced an anamorphic NTSC transfer of the movie onto DVD (region 1) that is really quite good. There is considerable damage to the source material (scratches, dirt, etc.) which has not obviously been cleaned up, but the image is stable and detailed enough to provide a pleasant viewing experience. Digital compression artefacts are not noticeable, a major plus in my book.

Highly recommended for fans of art-house cinema.

Sublime, Late Solos from a Master

Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, both deceased, are giants of Brazilian cultural life. They were at the heart of the Bossa Nova boom that swept both men to fame in the 1960's and, contrary to the light-hearted work that often represents that movement, they have each produced work of great depth and sensitivity - Powell as guitarist and composer, and de Moraes as composer, lyricist and poet.



"Baden Plays Vinicius" features Baden recorded solo just months before he died in 2000 (Vinicius de Moraes had passed away 20 years earlier). Here we have deeply personal arrangements and playing, by a truly masterful, unique guitarist, of great popular compositions written by a long-time collaborator and friend. There's a richness of tone and expression, and a profundity of feeling here that make this record quite sublime.



Additional recommendations: "Os Afro Sambas", an important 1966 collaboration between the two men, and a seminal reaffirmation of the African roots of Samba; "Mares Profundos", a gorgeous modern reprise, by black Brazilian vocalist Virginia Rodrigues, of those same recordings; plus too many other Brazilian recordings to name!

A Quintessentially English Production

Sir John Betjeman was a British Poet Laureate, and a popular public figure. He was recorded several times in the 1970's reciting his wonderful, accessible poems to specially composed music, and the resulting albums are available at super-bargain price on CD.


Betjeman's Banana Blush is one such album, and I recommend it highly. Betjeman's voice is worldly, expressive, and marvelously precise, and his poetry is a delight. The words and music conjure up the exquisiteness of first love, the ache of lost love, the power of exotic places, and much more, with a quintessential Englishness and at times a wry humour.

The enjoyable light orchestral accompaniment, composed by Jim Parker, is varied and mostly very effective. I particularly liked the dramatic and poignant accompaniment to the reading of "The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel".

Not everything works: the faux-American accent used for "Longfellow's Visit to Venice"; the odd bluster and jauntiness accompanying the moving words of the final track "A Child Ill", but these quibbles hardly detract from the whole.

In addition to its availability on CD, the album is available for digital download (with sound samples).

p.s. I thought the track "A Shropshire lad" was rather strange... here is some background on the Captain Webb mentioned therein.

Spaghetti Giapponese

Here's a stylish Spaghetti Western with, oddly enough, a Japanese twist or two...


Oggi a me... domani a te! (Today it's me... tomorrow it's you!) was directed by the little-known Tonino Cervi in 1968 (co-writing credits include Dario Argento). Cervi hasn't directed much of note, but seems to have been all over the Italian film industry like a rash for decades: he produced Antonioni's Il Deserto Rosso, no less.

The film stars the taciturn Franco Nero, of Django fame, Bud Spencer (who surely needs no introduction), and none other than Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays the sword-wielding(!) baddie-in-chief. The acting is good, and it's particularly fun seeing Nakadai hamming it up. There's some nice cinematography, and the soundtrack music, which at times mines a sub-Morricone vein (naturally), is effective. I enjoyed the film and definitely recommend it to Western fans, all the more so if they have an interest in Japanese cinema.

Availability for home viewing by English speakers is not great: it seems only the Japanese have put out a suitable edition (which has an English audio track). The quality of this is superb, but it is quite costly.

UPDATE: English-language availability is better than I had thought: low-priced Dutch and German editions are available, both with English audio.

Avant-Garde Cinema Deserving Attention

Seijun Suzuki's Pistol Opera is a post-modern reprise of his 1960's work in the Yakuza (gangster) genre, which itself was audacious enough to get him fired from a commercial studio, Nikkatsu.

Expect shot after shot of stunning, minimalist compositions, bursting with vibrant color. Expect a seriously cool soundtrack. Expect symbolic gestures that replace normal dialogue. Expect a certain amount of head-scratching - I'm still decoding the film, and enjoying doing so.


There are no top-quality DVD options for English-speakers. The US print is more than watchable, but flawed. The UK print is the result of a standards-conversion, a process which practically guarantees artefacts. The Japanese edition likely offers the highest visual quality, but doesn't seem to come with English subtitles. I'd suggest just getting hold of a cheap US or UK DVD and tolerating the occasional glitch.

For some grounding I highly recommend "Branded to Kill", the 1967 film on which "Pistol Opera" is based. And for an accessible introduction to Suzuki's wonderful world, go straight to "Tokyo Drifter".

Note that "Pistol Opera" was filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio, which means you may need to adjust a widescreen television (by selecting size 4:3) in order to view it correctly at home.

Mystical and... Swedish?

Jola Rota is a super-obscure record of psychedelic, folk(ish) music that manages to be mystical rather than gimmicky. Recording in 1972, Joakim Skogsberg drew on his native Swedish folk music, what sounds at times like African field recordings, and doubtless many other influences, to produce a unique and fascinating set of songs and soundscapes. Instrumentation is comprised of voice, percussion, cello, plus ambient electric bass and guitar.


The record's been reissued by boutique Japanese label Tiliqua, in an allegedly limited edition, as part of their ECHOES FROM YESTERYEAR series ("Acid Folk & Entropic Rumblings"...). Sound samples are available here, and the cd is available here and here. I haven't managed to find a (legitimate) source of a digital download.

In the Tradition of the Classic Guinean Bands

Some of the most glorious music of the twentieth century was recorded in Guinea-Conakry, under the auspices of Sékou Touré's harsh dictatorship (1958 - 84). Guinea was doubtless not a great place to be during this time, due to the repressive political climate. Musically, some great players were frustrated by the nationally mandated musical policy of modernising local folklore (to the exclusion of exploring Jazz or other international developments) - nevertheless the results, recorded and distributed by Syliphone, the state record company, were marvellous. Sterns does a great job of making this superb music available, both as publisher and retailer.

But enough about the past... the band Kaloum Star look set to bring this great music into the twenty-first century. Survivors from the classic period (founded 1969), their album Felenko (1997) is truly worthy of the great Guinean band tradition, and one of the most treasured of my recent musical discoveries.


Cuban charanga flutes, soul/funk arrangements, bluesy ambience, gorgeous saxophone and vocals, typically inventive Mande guitar playing - all add up to a joyous stew just begging to be discovered by lovers of African music everywhere. For dancing or listening, this is a gem.

mp3 Downloads available (with sound samples) from emusic.