Plot: Gorgeous invites her six friends, Prof, Melody, Kung
Fu, Mac, Sweet and Fantasy to come along with her on her vacation to her Aunt's
House which she has only been at one other time. On arriving at the aunt's
house, the girls are greeted by Gorgeous' aunt to whom they present a
watermelon as a thank you item. Soon the girls realize that the house and
everything inside it has its secrets and most of all is nightmarish ways.
Starring: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ohba
My Review and Thoughts:
House is a true acid trip made into a film. This a hippie
psychedelic hard to explain reality on camera unless you have seen it. A pure
comic book like 70’s retro trip. This has an odd sense to it that words can’t
express. I have never been one to be stumped at being able to describe a film
in a review until now.
This is a film that mixes trick photography and avant-garde
experimental techniques that are surreal visuals that leave the viewer in
amazement and stunned.
Gorgeous is excited to visit her mother’s home town and the
places her mother grew up. You got card board animation, Chinese hippies,
silent movie black and white flash backs. A magical green eyed demon cat. Music
playing out of nowhere. Seven girls all named weird: Melody, Gorgeous, Kung-Fu,
Sweet, Mac, Fantasy, Prof which all join together to go with Gorgeous to her
aunts out in the middle of nowhere.
Once there they find an old creepy house and many evil
spirits. I enjoy how the back of the Criterion Collection DVD case describes it
as an episode of "Scooby Doo directed by Mario Bava". All I really
can say is that this is a trippy movie filled with weird collage bubble comic
book moments.
A piano that wants blood and many visions of silly goofy
insanity is the best way to describe this. This is a mix of a waking nightmare
drenched in cotton candy. Each one of the girls names are a metaphor that
describes them. They act and follow through on how they are called such as
Kung-Fu knows Kung-Fu. Soon one by one the girls disappear or experience
strange unexplainable things.
This movie has just about everything in it, decapitation,
flying killer animated wood, dancing skeletons, watermelon, demonic moments,
kung-fu all that’s missing is Scooby Doo and Shaggy. This is described as a
comedy fantasy horror. It is possibly the most bizarre haunted house movie I
have ever seen if not the most bizarre movie I have ever seen.
This is a colorful film that as soon as the viewer pops it
in, your intrigued, and your dumb founded and you’re almost wondering are you
seeing what you think you are seeing. I think what needs to be brought up is
that what makes this a stunning and memorable movie is the production, the
sets, the overall filmed quality of the movie makes it stand out as something
unique and amazing. A child like feel with added violence and nudity.
I came across a review or a statement on line in passing in
describing this movie as a little "Beetlejuice directed by Dario
Argento" that’s a really good statement and sums it up good. This film is
filled with amazing and odd, spectacular visuals that are flooring to the
viewer. This is all CAMPY good time. I laughed out at moments and then was
floored at the overall violence.
I want to pin point Nobuhiko Obayashi because he is a gifted
artist that captured a living artwork on screen. He mastered this movie because
it’s original and fresh for its time and even today as you go into this you as
the viewer are scratching your head on just what you have stepped into. He
clearly is and was an experimental artist on this movie.
I personally feel this is a triumph when it comes to
creating something new in cinema. I want to say it’s gorgeous and yet that
sounds weird to me. There are insane moments of violent scenes mixed with
colorful coloring book comedy. I feel this would be a great way to get people
off drugs instead of getting high for a trip just watch this movie, I want to
say be warned don’t be drunk while watching because you might just go insane.
True life madness done in the style of a Salvador Dali
painting done on screen. I am reviewing the Criterion Collection DVD and its
well worth the adventure to seek out this one of kind little odd gem.
Special Features:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer.
Constructing a “House,” a new video piece featuring
interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi story scenarist and daughter of the
filmmaker Chigumi Obayashi and screenwriter Chiho Katsura.
Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi
New Video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the
Devil)
Theatrical Trailer
New and Improved English subtitle translation
Plus: An Essay by Critic Chuck Stephens.
Interesting to note is that most of the actors and actresses
in this are more or less amateur other than Kimiko Ikegami and Yoko Minamida
who both acted before this, most of them had been models or was part of
commercials or independent films.
Something I find really odd is that TOHO film studio asked
Nobuhiko Obayashi to write a script on the lines of Jaws because Jaws was such
a cool hit that they wanted something similar. Which might I add that House is
nothing like Jaws? Also Obayashi has stated when asked where some of his ideas
came from he explained that it was from his daughter Chigumi Obayashi.
Stated that: referring to adults: “only think about things
they understand…everything stays on that boring human level,” “children can
come up with things that can’t be explained.” Many of the odd moments in the
film came from his daughter such as the reflection in the mirror attacking, a
loud clock, watermelon being a head, a house that eats girls, a pile of futons
falling on you which his daughter stated was a fear of hers saying that it was
like a monster attacking. Many ideas she gave to the screenwriter Chiho
Katsura.
Obayashi also gives a touching understatement to this odd
weird mind trip of a film in that he wanted to add a touch of the tragic ideas
of WW2 and the atomic bombings which he lost many of his childhood friends
because of the bombs. The story plot of a woman ghost waiting for her lover
after WW2 never returns creating in her an evil spirit that consumes young
girls that did not become affected by the bombs.
I think what is one of the biggest realities is that
Obayashi was allowed to direct the film when he himself was not even part of
the TOHO staff which was unheard of and to me that shows you how much they
favored the idea and approach to this film. TOHO had never really thought House
would do anything at the box office so they released it as a double bill
feature alongside a romance called Pure Hearts which I find the idea laugh out
funny, watching a romance and then entering the realms of “what the hell am I
watching,” attitude of House.
House was a success to the shock of TOHO. Sadly it never ran
here in American and it took Janus Films to resurrect this little odd coloring
book masterpiece at the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival. In 2010 House was
shown for the first time in America theatrically throughout America.
What is really great about this Criterion DVD is you get a
fan video interview featuring Ti West who is an amazing modern director with
his cult like wonder House of the Devil which is a wonderful throwback to 80’s
horror films that I greatly enjoyed and recommend whoever is reading this to
give it ago to showcase and represent a retro style of film making.
So where are they now?
Nobuhiko Obayashi was born in 1930 and still directs today.
His last as of this writing was this year 2012. He had directed one other movie
and three shorts before House. He is a director, screenwriter and editor of
movies and TV and film producer. He is most known and most powerful as a surrealistic
experimental filmmaker in the 60's. Sadly he is really not known outside of his
home land of Japan. He is a celebrity there and a common name whereas here in
American he is basically unknown.
In 1956 he started working in small film. At Seijo University
he started his experimental ways on film which brought his fame throughout the
60's with his avant-garde techniques which would transcend into his later work
in films. In the 1980's he still directed and made more mainstream films
grabbing the audience. He is a master at his own game and his own reality. He
made many films but is known for three that stand out which are all related to
coming of age story plots. All three mixed with a surreal fantasy tone. House
begin the most extreme vision of this reality but also his 1982 coming of age
film Exchange Students and his 1991 coming of age film Chizuko's Younger
Sister.
Yoko Minamida who plays Auntie was born in 1933 and sadly
passed away in 2009 at the good young age of 76. She was a wonderful prolific actress
starring in over 60 films her last being in 2006. She had started acting in
1952. It would not only be her performance and starring role in this odd film
that would attract me to her but it would be her struggle of living with
Alzheimer's which she was diagnosed with in 2006. Her husband actor Hiroyuki
Nagato chronicled his care and struggle in a TV documentary taking care of his
wife. Her career was great staring in the wonderful 1956 smash hit by Takumi
Furukawa known as Season of the Sun which she became a star and acted in many
roles after. She would also meet her husband on the set of Season of the Sun.
They became a show business couple famous throughout the 60's which was the
spark and highlight of her long career. She would transcend into the television
setting of acting throughout the 70's, 80's, and 90’s all the way to her
passing.
The main star of this was played by Kimiko Ikegami she was
born in 1959 and plays the lead role of Gorgeous. She still acts today her last
as of this writing was this year 2012 in the TV series Hidamari no Ki. She had
acted in four other projects before House. She made her television debut in
1975. She made of feature film debut in 1975.
Miki Jinbo who plays Kung Fu still acts today her last role
was a TV movie in 2009. She was born in 1960.
Kumiko Ohba who played Fantasy still acts today her last
role in 2010 she was born in 1960. House was her first movie.
Mieko Sato only acted once playing Mac in House not much is
known about her.
Ai Matsubara only acted two other times after this the last
role being in the Shogun TV movie in 1980. She played Prof.
This was Eriko Tanaka's only role she played Melody and not
much is known other than that.
Masayo Miyako acted one other time in 1977, she played
Sweet.
Nobuhiko Obayashi has had a 50 year long journey in film and
his master technics never fade. He always will be remembered in my mind for
this film I am reviewing. House I feel is his landmark movie that baffles me
because it is in reality the only movie that I have ever been stuck on in not
being able to grasp in review form just what it is.
The wonderful cheesy effects and the over filmed Scooby Doo
like wonders and dark natures of nightmares come to life with this film. I for
one think it’s brilliant and also so over the top that it’s hard to recommend
or put into words just what it is. I do feel this is a major part of cinema
history and a film that should be looked at as being something so original and
fresh and new and powerful in the sense it’s never been done before.
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