Mamoru Watanabe
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese film director
, screenwriter
, and actor
, known for his work in the pink film genre. Along with directors Genji Nakamura and Banmei Takahashi
, Watanabe is known as one of the "Three Pillars of Pink".
on March 19, 1931. His father owned a neighborhood movie theater, giving the young Watanabe an early interest in and familiarity with the cinema. The family lived near the Daito Eiga studios, and Watanabe would go to watch the filming of jidaigeki
. Daito was one of the studios that would be joined into the Daiei Motion Picture Company
by the government during World War II. Watanabe's older brother, born about 1919, was also a film enthusiast. When he died of tuberculosis in 1941, Watanabe inherited his older brother's large collection of movie memorabilia, including film scripts and magazines.
in 1950 majoring in drama, and graduated with honors in 1954. Until 1958 he studied acting techniques after graduation, at the Motō Hatta Theatrical Research Center. Beginning in 1960 Watanabe worked as an assistant director and script-writer for dramas and educational programs on television. This career came to an end in 1965, when Watanabe got into a fistfight with director Michiyoshi Doi
, resulting in his banning from television.
At this time, he entered the new, booming pink film industry, directing his first film, for Ōgi Eiga studio in 1965. In his early career, Watanabe worked for Tokyo Geijutsu, a company that had broken off from Shintōhō, and directed films for several other independent pink film companies, including Koei, Mitsukuni, and Million Film
.
In discussing the source of the strongest thematic and stylistic influences on the early pink film, Watanabe, in a July 2005 interview with Jasper Sharp, pointed not to the official first pink film, Satoru Kobayashi
's Flesh Market (1962), but to Shōhei Imamura
's The Insect Woman
(1963). Watanabe became known for his intricate plotting in the pink genre, as well as for his ability to spot new talent. He gave future pink and Roman Porno star Naomi Tani
her first starring role in the film (1967). Two decades later, through his Film Workers Production Company, he gave help to the careers of Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu and Kazuhiro Sano
, both of whom would become leading pink film-makers of the 1980s and 1990s.
Watanabe collaborated with Seijun Suzuki
's screenwriter on Branded to Kill
, Atsushi Yamatoya in several of his early films. Among their collaborations, Secret Hot Sprint Town: Nightly Starfish (1970) is notable for its striking use of color sequences within a predominantly black and white film. The story of itinerant pornographers, Jasper Sharp writes, "The film plays like a pink-tinged hybrid of Ozu
's Floating Weeds
and Imamura's The Pornographers
."
, Watanabe remade it as in 1979. The remake won Watanabe the Best Director award at the first "Zoom Up" pink film awards ceremony in 1980. Always concerned with raising the quality of the pink film, in 1980 he was also awarded Best Director at the first "Pink Ribbon" ceremony in Osaka.
During the 1980s, Watanabe became regarded as one of the most important directors working in pink film. He began working as a freelance director occasionally at Nikkatsu
, making his first film there in 1982. It was at this time that he befriended Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu, who wrote the script to Watanabe's Uniform Virgin Pain (Seifuku shojo no itama, 1982), and Kazuhiro Sano
. Writer Oniroku Dan
, dissatisfied with some of the directors to whom Nikkatsu gave his scripts, hired Watanabe to direct his self-produced Dark Hair Velvet Soul (Dan Oniroku Kurokami Nawa Fujin, 1982), which became another hit.
Also in 1982, with director Chūsei Sone
, Watanabe started the Film Workers Production Company as an outlet for more mainstream projects. His first mainstream film was (1984). Watanabe has directed over 210 films in his career.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for his work in the pink film genre. Along with directors Genji Nakamura and Banmei Takahashi
Banmei Takahashi
is a Japanese film director. Takashi started his career in the pink film industry, making his directorial debut in 1972 with Escaped Rapist Criminal. Due to a disagreement with his producer, Takahashi quit the film industry for a couple years...
, Watanabe is known as one of the "Three Pillars of Pink".
Early life
Mamoru Watanabe was born in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
on March 19, 1931. His father owned a neighborhood movie theater, giving the young Watanabe an early interest in and familiarity with the cinema. The family lived near the Daito Eiga studios, and Watanabe would go to watch the filming of jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
. Daito was one of the studios that would be joined into the Daiei Motion Picture Company
Kadokawa Pictures
is a Japanese movie studio.-History:One of the most famous studios in Japan and founded in 1942 as , it is best known for having produced the giant monster Gamera film series and the Daimajin Trilogy. It also produced the Zatoichi and Nemuri Kyoshiro film series and the television series Shōnen Jet...
by the government during World War II. Watanabe's older brother, born about 1919, was also a film enthusiast. When he died of tuberculosis in 1941, Watanabe inherited his older brother's large collection of movie memorabilia, including film scripts and magazines.
Early career
Watanabe entered Waseda UniversityWaseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
in 1950 majoring in drama, and graduated with honors in 1954. Until 1958 he studied acting techniques after graduation, at the Motō Hatta Theatrical Research Center. Beginning in 1960 Watanabe worked as an assistant director and script-writer for dramas and educational programs on television. This career came to an end in 1965, when Watanabe got into a fistfight with director Michiyoshi Doi
Michiyoshi Doi
was a Japanese film director. He directed films from the 1950s to the 1970s.- Film director :He directed 30 films:* Yogoreta Nikutai Seijo * Otoko no chosen * Kigeki meoto zenzai...
, resulting in his banning from television.
At this time, he entered the new, booming pink film industry, directing his first film, for Ōgi Eiga studio in 1965. In his early career, Watanabe worked for Tokyo Geijutsu, a company that had broken off from Shintōhō, and directed films for several other independent pink film companies, including Koei, Mitsukuni, and Million Film
Million Film
was one of the early independent studios which produced pink films. Along with OP Eiga, Shintōhō, Kantō and Kōji Wakamatsu's production studio, Million Film was one of the most influential on the genre during its first decade...
.
In discussing the source of the strongest thematic and stylistic influences on the early pink film, Watanabe, in a July 2005 interview with Jasper Sharp, pointed not to the official first pink film, Satoru Kobayashi
Satoru Kobayashi (director)
was a Japanese film director most famous for directing the first pink film, the type of softcore pornographic films that became the most prolific film genre in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s...
's Flesh Market (1962), but to Shōhei Imamura
Shohei Imamura
was a Japanese film director. Imamura was the first Japanese director to win two Palme d'Or awards.His eldest son Daisuke Tengan is also a script writer and film director, and worked on the screenplays to Imamura's filmsThe Eel , Dr...
's The Insect Woman
The Insect Woman
is a 1963 film directed by Japanese director Shōhei Imamura. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival where Sachiko Hidari won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award.-Plot:...
(1963). Watanabe became known for his intricate plotting in the pink genre, as well as for his ability to spot new talent. He gave future pink and Roman Porno star Naomi Tani
Naomi Tani
is a Japanese actress who is best known for her appearances in Nikkatsu's Roman Porno films with an S&M theme during the 1970s.-Early career:Born October 20, 1948, in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Naomi Tani moved to Tokyo at the age of 18. After arrival in Tokyo, she was featured in a photo layout...
her first starring role in the film (1967). Two decades later, through his Film Workers Production Company, he gave help to the careers of Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu and Kazuhiro Sano
Kazuhiro Sano
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor best known for his pink films of the 1990s. Along with fellow directors, Takahisa Zeze, Toshiki Satō and Hisayasu Sato, he is known as one of the...
, both of whom would become leading pink film-makers of the 1980s and 1990s.
Watanabe collaborated with Seijun Suzuki
Seijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
's screenwriter on Branded to Kill
Branded to Kill
is a 1967 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. It was a low budget, production line number for the Nikkatsu Company, originally released in a double bill with Shōgorō Nishimura's Burning Nature. The story follows Goro...
, Atsushi Yamatoya in several of his early films. Among their collaborations, Secret Hot Sprint Town: Nightly Starfish (1970) is notable for its striking use of color sequences within a predominantly black and white film. The story of itinerant pornographers, Jasper Sharp writes, "The film plays like a pink-tinged hybrid of Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
's Floating Weeds
Floating Weeds
is a 1959 film by Yasujiro Ozu and shot in colour by Kazuo Miyagawa, one of Japan's most highly regarded cinematographers. It is a remake of Ozu's own black-and-white silent film A Story of Floating Weeds ....
and Imamura's The Pornographers
The Pornographers
The Pornographers is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura and based on a novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Its original Japanese title is Erogotoshitachi yori Jinruigaku nyumon , which means 'An introduction to anthropology through the pornographers'. It tells the story of porn...
."
1980s
Though his first film, Hussy, is now a lost filmLost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
, Watanabe remade it as in 1979. The remake won Watanabe the Best Director award at the first "Zoom Up" pink film awards ceremony in 1980. Always concerned with raising the quality of the pink film, in 1980 he was also awarded Best Director at the first "Pink Ribbon" ceremony in Osaka.
During the 1980s, Watanabe became regarded as one of the most important directors working in pink film. He began working as a freelance director occasionally at Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
, making his first film there in 1982. It was at this time that he befriended Kazuo "Gaira" Komizu, who wrote the script to Watanabe's Uniform Virgin Pain (Seifuku shojo no itama, 1982), and Kazuhiro Sano
Kazuhiro Sano
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor best known for his pink films of the 1990s. Along with fellow directors, Takahisa Zeze, Toshiki Satō and Hisayasu Sato, he is known as one of the...
. Writer Oniroku Dan
Oniroku Dan
was a Japanese author who had been called, "the most celebrated writer of popular SM novels in Japan." Many of his stories have been filmed, most notably by Nikkatsu studio in their Roman Porno series. Dan had a close professional association with actress Naomi Tani throughout her career...
, dissatisfied with some of the directors to whom Nikkatsu gave his scripts, hired Watanabe to direct his self-produced Dark Hair Velvet Soul (Dan Oniroku Kurokami Nawa Fujin, 1982), which became another hit.
Also in 1982, with director Chūsei Sone
Chusei Sone
is a Japanese film director known primarily for his stylish and popular Roman Porno films for Nikkatsu, particularly the first two installments of the Angel Guts series. Despite a somewhat uneven career, many mainstream critics consider Sone the best of Nikkatsu's Roman Porno directors.-Life and...
, Watanabe started the Film Workers Production Company as an outlet for more mainstream projects. His first mainstream film was (1984). Watanabe has directed over 210 films in his career.
Partial filmography
| Title | Release date | Starring | Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slave Widow Slave Widow is a 1967 Japanese Pink film directed by Mamoru Watanabe and starring Noriko Tatsumi. Along with the first "Queen" of Japanese soft-core pornography, the film's cast includes Mari Imai and an early appearance by Naomi Tani, two other major stars of pink film.... Dorei mibōjin |
July 11, 1967 | Noriko Tatsumi Noriko Tatsumi is a Japanese actress known primarily for her appearances in pink films of the 1960s. During the "First Wave" of pink film, Tatsumi became known as the first "Queen" of Japanese softcore sex movies, a title which she held from 1967 through 1970... |
Mutsukuni Eiga / Chuo Eiga |