Teruo Ishii (çŸ³äº•è¼ ç"·, Ishii Teruo, January 1, 1924 â€" August 12,
2005) was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his
early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero
guro ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys
of Torture (1968). He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison,
which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan. Referred to
in Japan as "The King of Cult", Ishii had a much more prolific and
eclectic career than was generally known in the West during his
lifetime.Born in Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood in 1924, Ishii developed
a love of cinema early. His parents would often take him to see
foreign films, particularly French movies. Ishii worked at Toho
Studios as an assistant director beginning in 1942. His film career
was interrupted when he was sent to Manchuria during World War II to
take aerial photographs for bombing runs.In March, 1947 Ishii joined
the newly founded Shintoho studios. Ishii would later recall his time
with Shintoho as, "without doubt the most joyful period of my
professional life." While at Shintoho he worked as assistant director
to Mikio Naruse, whom he considered his mentor for the rest of his
career. He also worked for director Hiroshi Shimizu and studied script
writing with Shinichi Sekizawa, best known in the West for his entries
in the Godzilla series. Ishii's directorial debut was in 1957 with the
boxing film, King of the Ring: The World of Glory (Ring no Oja: Eiko
no Sekai).He was next assigned to direct six installments in the
children's science-fiction series, Super Giant. This nine-episode
series was later re-packaged into four films for U.S. syndicated
television as Starman. From 1958 to 1961 Ishii directed four films in
the film-noir Line (Chitai) series. For the last of these films, Sexy
Line (Sexy Chitai) (1961), Ishii took his cameras to the streets of
Asakusa and Ginza, in order to film real life on location. The film
has been called, "sharp, witty and contagious", and "a lively portrait
of the Tokyo underworld, populated by hookers, johns, crooks and cops
and shot in cinéma-verité style."
2005) was a Japanese film director best known in the West for his
early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero
guro ("erotic-grotesque") subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys
of Torture (1968). He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison,
which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan. Referred to
in Japan as "The King of Cult", Ishii had a much more prolific and
eclectic career than was generally known in the West during his
lifetime.Born in Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood in 1924, Ishii developed
a love of cinema early. His parents would often take him to see
foreign films, particularly French movies. Ishii worked at Toho
Studios as an assistant director beginning in 1942. His film career
was interrupted when he was sent to Manchuria during World War II to
take aerial photographs for bombing runs.In March, 1947 Ishii joined
the newly founded Shintoho studios. Ishii would later recall his time
with Shintoho as, "without doubt the most joyful period of my
professional life." While at Shintoho he worked as assistant director
to Mikio Naruse, whom he considered his mentor for the rest of his
career. He also worked for director Hiroshi Shimizu and studied script
writing with Shinichi Sekizawa, best known in the West for his entries
in the Godzilla series. Ishii's directorial debut was in 1957 with the
boxing film, King of the Ring: The World of Glory (Ring no Oja: Eiko
no Sekai).He was next assigned to direct six installments in the
children's science-fiction series, Super Giant. This nine-episode
series was later re-packaged into four films for U.S. syndicated
television as Starman. From 1958 to 1961 Ishii directed four films in
the film-noir Line (Chitai) series. For the last of these films, Sexy
Line (Sexy Chitai) (1961), Ishii took his cameras to the streets of
Asakusa and Ginza, in order to film real life on location. The film
has been called, "sharp, witty and contagious", and "a lively portrait
of the Tokyo underworld, populated by hookers, johns, crooks and cops
and shot in cinéma-verité style."
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