Akira Kobayashi Turns 72

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 4, 2009

Categories | Actors, Japanese Cinema, Joe Shishido, Seijun Suzuki, Kinji Fukasaku, Yasuharu Hasebe, Toshio Masuda, Teruo Ishii, Nikkatsu, Akira Kobayashi

Akira Kobayashi

One of my favorite Japanese actors turned 72 yesterday so I thought I’d make some time to wish Akira Kobayashi a very happy belated birthday. Earlier this year I had planned on paying tribute to Kobayashi during the Japanese Cinema Blogathon but at the last minute I decided to write about director Yasuharu Hasebe instead due to his unfortunate death. After mentioning this I received a few comments and emails from readers who expressed their admiration for Akira Kobayashi and asked if I would write something about him in the future so I thought I’d use his recent birthday to do just that.

Akira Kobayashi is an extremely handsome and multi-talented star who is well-known throughout Japan for his acting chops as well as his singing abilities. Kobayashi was born on November 3rd in Tokyo in 1937 and began acting early in life. At age four he was part of a children’s theatre company and while he was in high-school he became an accomplished Judo champion. His father worked in film as a lighting director so it’s not too surprising that Kobayashi was encouraged to pursue an acting career. Kobayashi joined Nikkatsu Studios in 1956 at age 19 and quickly rose to stardom with a group of young Japaneses hopefuls that included Joe Shishido, Tetsuya Watari and Yujiro Ishihara.

By 1958 Akira Kobayashi was becoming a popular star due to his good looks and obvious acting talents and in 1959 he was teamed up with Joe Shishido for a series of films called the Wandering Guitarist or Rambling Guitarist (aka Wataridori) series. In these popular films Akira Kobayashi and Joe Shishido played wandering heroes that save small villages from gangsters and other criminals. Kobayashi’s character resembled a singing cowboy in the old Hollywood tradition and he’d often whip out his guitar to belt out a tune during the Wandering Guitarist films. The series was so popular that it spawned similar films starring Akira Kobayashi such as The Rambler (aka Nagaremono) series.

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Stalking Klaus Kinski or How I Worshiped a Madman

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 18, 2009

Categories | Rants & Raves, Actors, Klaus Kinski

Klaus Kinski b. October 18, 1926 - d. November 23, 1991

Today would have been Klaus Kinski’s 83rd birthday and in honor of the event I thought I’d share something I wrote about the actor back in 2003 on Valentine’s Day.*

“One should judge a man mainly from his depravities. Virtues can be faked. Depravities are real.”
- Klaus Kinski

I don’t get star struck often. There are only a few celebrities that can make me weak-kneed and slack jawed and one of them is the deceased, but not forgotten actor, Klaus Kinski.

When Klaus appears in a film it’s impossible to take your eyes off of him. He always manages to steal whatever scene he’s in. He’s not conventionally beautiful or typically handsome, but his face is a remarkable canvas that seems to exude life itself. You can see the poverty Klaus suffered as a child, the time he spent in asylums and prisons, his unhinged sexuality, passion for life and unbridled anger pouring out of his eyes and every pore of his ragged skin. Real or imagined, this is a man who lived and loved life. The myth of Klaus Kinski the actor and Klaus Kinski the man are one and the same. And I fell in-love with the whole package.

I watched Klaus in many movies while I growing up and I was always awe struck by his presence. He appeared in countless horror films, thrillers and great spaghetti westerns throughout the ’60s and ’70s that ran on television when I was a kid and I couldn’t help but notice him. He was unlike anyone else. By the time I was a teenager I had seen at least 10 or 15 of Klaus Kinski’s films and I knew him by name. Klaus became one of my favorite performers and I started to actively seek out the movies he had appeared in whenever they played on television.

When I discovered Werner Herzog’s films in the late ’80s my interest in Klaus Kinski turned into a minor obsession. Herzog is an amazing director and his films with Kinski such as Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Woyzeck (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and Cobra Verde (1987) are all incredible movies that managed to capture Kinski’s unrestrained personality and exploit his limitless acting talents to their fullest. I was also lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Klaus Kinski’s autobiography in the late ’80s. Reading about Kinski in his own words was an eye-opening experience. His autobiography is a fascinating, lust-filled rant that is impossible to forget and to this day it remains one of the best biographies I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

I didn’t have access to the internet or eBay back in the ‘80s so I had to satisfy my cravings for more Kinski by trying to locate films he had appeared in on video that were available at local rental shops. I also tried to buy posters for films that Klaus appeared in, but that wasn’t an easy task. I did manage to get my hands on a poster for Aguirre, Wrath of God, which hung proudly on my wall announcing to anyone who noticed it that I was a card-carrying member of the Klaus Kinski fanclub.

In the summer of 1991 I was an impetuous and slightly naive young woman living with two friends who both worked at a local video store. I occasionally did part-time work there myself whenever I needed a few extra bucks. It was a popular place for film fanatics and it had one of the best selections of videos for rent in the entire Bay Area. Colorful locals like director George Lucas were regular customers as well as other filmmakers who lived in the area such as Terry Zwigoff and Les Blank. When news got to me that Les Blank had started visiting the store on a regular basis I got really excited. I knew Les had worked with both Herzog and Kinski so I tried bumping into the director on the days the staff thought he might show up, but it never happened. I didn’t have a car so when I got a call telling me Les was at the video store I could never get their quickly enough. Finally I got word in the late summer of 1991 that Les Blank had casually mentioned that Klaus Kinski was actually staying in the area for awhile. Then another customer who owned an art supply store in town started casually mentioning that a “creepy” German actor actor named Klaus Kinski was coming in regularly to buy art supplies at her shop. When this all got reported back to me I flipped out! It seems that in his later years Klaus spent a lot of his free time in the Bay Area focusing on his art. With this new information handed to me I became determined to meet Mr. Kinski.

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Lee Marvin Goes Retro

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 25, 2009

Categories | News, Actors, Cinema Retro, Lee Marvin

The latest issue of Cinema Retro arrived in my mailbox yesterday and it boasts a colorful picture of Lee Marvin during the making of Prime Cut (1972) that literally jumps right off the cover. As a long time Lee Marvin devotee I was thrilled to discover that the magazine had unearthed a lengthy interview with Marvin that had never been published before. The interview was conducted by writer Steve Mori during the making of The Klansman in 1974. Marvin offers up lots of insightful antidotes about his film career and it’s a pleasure to read. He was an incredibly smart man who lived a fascinating life and he obviously loved his job. Acting came naturally to Lee Marvin and he brought an honesty and edginess to his roles that is also on display during the interviews he did.

In Steve Mori ’s interview with Marvin the actor shares some great stories about working with other actors such as Toshiro Mifune on the set of the excellent WW2 drama Hell in the Pacific (1968). He also doesn’t shy away from discussing the disagreements he had with studios or other actors such as Paul Newman during the making of Pocket Money (1972). If you’re even the slightest bit interested in Lee Marvin the new issue of Cinema Retro is a must read!

Besides the interview with Lee Marvin, other highlights from the new issue of Cinema Retro include Steve Saragossi’s detailed look at the terrific Lee Marvin film Prime Cut, a nice overview of the Christopher Lee’s Fu Manchu films, an interview with British actress Shirley Anne Field, an interesting take on John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar (1962). It also features lots of film news, DVD and soundtrack reviews as well as many follow-up articles to pieces from previous issues such as the second part of Steve Saragossi’s interview with American actor James Caan and an ongoing look at The Man from U.N.C.L.E. films.

You can purchase the latest issue of Cinema Retro at their official website: cinemaretro.com

Lee Marvin fans might also enjoy checking out a new interview with director Jim Jarmusch that was recently posted at the Criterion Collection film site. In one of the clips Jarmusch humorously discusses his association with The Sons of Lee Marvin.

Recommended Read:
- Previous Lee Marvin coverage here at Cinebeats

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Spend Your Day With Dirk Bogarde

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 10, 2009

Categories | News, Actors, British Cinema, Dirk Bogarde, Gay Interest

All summer long Turner Classic Movies is celebrating various actors with their ongoing “Summer Under the Stars” series. But August 10th is truly something to celebrate. Today TCM will be running films that feature one of my all-time favorite actors, the extraordinarily talented and incredibly handsome Dirk Bogarde.

This would be worthy of mention no matter what films they were showing, but TCM has gone out of their way to showcase many of Dirk Bogarde’s best films from the ’50s and ’60s today that are rarely shown in the US and not available on DVD. Some highlights from today’s programing include The Spanish Gardner (Philip Leacock; 1956), Penny Princess (Val Guest; 1952), So Long at the Fair (Terence Fisher & Antony Darnborough; 1950), The Blue Lamp (Basil Dearden; 1950), The Servant (Joseph Losey; 1963), Our Mother’s House (Jack Clayton; 1967) and Darling (John Schlesinger; 1965). They’ll also be playing three films from the popular “Doctor series” (Doctor in the House; 1954, Doctor at Large; 1957, and Doctor in Distress; 1964). The Doctor films were huge hits in the UK and helped make Bogarde a world-renowned film star, but American audiences rarely have the opportunity to see them.

If you happen to be as obsessed with Dirk Bogarde as I am you’ll want to spend the entire day in front of your television. Of course that’s not always possible so consider recording some of these hard to see films for future viewing. Many of these films are not even available in the UK and they’re directed by British luminaries such as Val Guest, Basil Dearden, Jack Clayton and Terrence Fisher. This is truly a rare opportunity to see some great British movies and the event shouldn’t be missed by my fellow Dirk devotees.

Previously at Cinebeats: At Home with Dirk Bogarde.

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Clint Eastwood in Swinging London

by Kimberly Lindbergs | July 22, 2009

Categories | Actors, Italian Cinema, Westerns, Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone

Clint Eastwood during the ‘67 promotional tour in London for A Fistful of Dollars

Over the last few years I’ve come across various photos taken during the promotional tour that Clint Eastwood did in London for the release of A Fistful of Dollars (Sergio Leone; 1967) and recently Cinema Retro uncovered an interview that Eastwood did with a British reporter during that same promo tour. It’s a great interview and I highly recommend giving it a look if you happen to like Clint Eastwood and the westerns he made in the ’60s as much as I do. Eastwood looks incredible in the clip, but he also has a lot of smart and insightful things to say about Italian westerns. I only wish the clip was a little longer.

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“She is a happening all to herself.”

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 15, 2009

Categories | Actors, British Cinema, Actresses, Alain Delon, 1968, Bikers, Marianne Faithfull, Girl On a Motorcycle, Jack Cardiff

The October 1968 issue of ABC Film Review features a great piece by Philip Bradford about the making of Jack Cardiff’s Girl On A Motorcycle. In the article the movie’s two stars (Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon) briefly discuss what it was like to work with one another on the film. I thought it would be fun to share their quotes here along with some lovely still shots of them together on the set. I assume that most (if not all) of these photographs were taken by Jack Cardiff himself but if anyone knows otherwise, please feel free to let me know.

Alain Delon on Marianne Faithfull:
"She is a happening all to herself. She is the type of girl men fought dragons for in mythology, the type that duels have been fought over."

Marianne Faithfull on Alain Delon:
"We think alike in a lot of ways and he’s a totally dedicated actor. He helped me a lot through his ability to ignore outside things when he’s working. You have to keep cool when you’re filming. Shooting intimate love scences with swarms of technicians around you - for that you really need to learn to concentrate.  You have to shut off everyone else and make a world in which there are only two people."

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10 Questions with Shane Briant

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 4, 2009

Categories | Books, Actors, British Cinema, Hammer Horror, Interviews, Featured, Gay Interest

Shane Briant in Straight on Till Morning (1972)

The talented British’ born actor Shane Briant made his screen debut in the Hammer horror film Demons of the Mind. Since then he’s gone on to appear in over 60 films and television productions including Straight On Till Morning (1972), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), The Mackintosh Man (1973), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1981). Currently Briant is focusing his attention on writing and he has recently completed a psychological thriller called Worst Nightmares that will be released in the US on May 12th. I’ve admired his film work for many years so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask Shane Briant a few questions about his early movies and current writing projects. READ MORE

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Feroz Khan 1939-2009

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 27, 2009

Categories | News, Actors, Directors, Bollywood

Sad news this morning from India. Bollywood legend Feroz Khan has died at age 69 due to complications from cancer. Feroz Khan is beloved by Bollywood fans for his work as a director and actor who appeared in many of his own productions such as Apradh (1972), Dharmatma (1975), Qurbani (1979), Janbaaz (1986) and Yalgaar (1992). READ MORE

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