Film

SHADOWS OF THE RISING SUN

Cinema and Empire

December 10-12, 2010

"In war, truth is the first victim."
--Aeschylus, Greek tragic poet (525 BC - 456 BC)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE © 1983 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

War! Honor and glory, the wisdom of the nations, swept away by the wind of fear and the fires of bloodshed… This winter, a new Japan Society film series tells the multifaceted story of Japan's quest for Empire and its tragic downfall, as seen through the eyes of filmmakers from Japan and China.

In four epoch-making titles, poised between past and present, Shadows of the Rising Sun explores the conflagration and its dreadful consequences: the feature films presented, from Kon Ichikawa’s 1959 arch-classic Fires on the Plain to Koji Wakamatsu’s recent and controversial shocker (which earned main actress Shinobu Terajima the 2010 Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival), go to the confines of history and truth, beyond the bright madness of battle and heroism, into the metaphysical realm of death, evil, sacrifice and the sublime.

Experience these four exceptional films during a one-weekend only event.

	Fires on the Plain 野火 Friday, December 10, 7:30 PM 1960 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Director and Cinematography
	Caterpillar Saturday, December 11, 7:00 PM New York Premiere
	Devils on the Doorstep 鬼子来了 Sunday, December 12, 4:00 PM 2000 Cannes Grand Prize winner
	Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 戦場のメリークリスマス Sunday, December 12, 7:00 PM Featuring David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Takeshi Kitano

Japan Society’s 2010-2011 Film Programs are generously supported by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund.

Additional support is provided by The Globus Family, Yoshiko and Tim Schilt, David S. Howe, Dr. Tatsuji Namba, Elaine Sheng and Samuel Jamier, Randall I. Stempler, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties.