Imamura, winning film director

TOKYO – Award-winning film director Shohei Imamura (79), known for unsettling portrayals of common people and cinematic studies of life at the bottom of Japan’s rigid social structure, died yesterday.

Imamura won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for ‘The Ballad of Narayama’ and another for ‘The Eel’ in 1997. ‘The Eel’ is the story of a murderer who gradually relearns how to get along with people after rescuing a girl from attempted suicide, with a pet eel as his only companion.’The Ballad of Narayama’, one of his most haunting films, takes place in a small village where the elderly are routinely carried to a remote mountain to die.The custom is carried out to make room and reserve food and resources for the young.Born in Tokyo in 1926, Imamura debuted as a director with ‘Stolen Desire’ in 1958.He followed that with ‘My Second Brother’ and ‘The Insect Woman’, both of which brought him international recognition.Imamura developed a reputation for portraying the resilience and energy of common people, as seen in the 1961 satire ‘Pigs and Battleships’.’The Insect Woman’ (1963) and ‘Unholy Desire’ (1964) depict lives of lower-class, uneducated women forced to rely on their sexual instincts for survival.’Vengeance is Mine’ (1979) and ‘Black Rain’ (1989), also won Imamura acclaim.- Nampa-AP’The Eel’ is the story of a murderer who gradually relearns how to get along with people after rescuing a girl from attempted suicide, with a pet eel as his only companion.’The Ballad of Narayama’, one of his most haunting films, takes place in a small village where the elderly are routinely carried to a remote mountain to die.The custom is carried out to make room and reserve food and resources for the young.Born in Tokyo in 1926, Imamura debuted as a director with ‘Stolen Desire’ in 1958.He followed that with ‘My Second Brother’ and ‘The Insect Woman’, both of which brought him international recognition.Imamura developed a reputation for portraying the resilience and energy of common people, as seen in the 1961 satire ‘Pigs and Battleships’.’The Insect Woman’ (1963) and ‘Unholy Desire’ (1964) depict lives of lower-class, uneducated women forced to rely on their sexual instincts for survival.’Vengeance is Mine’ (1979) and ‘Black Rain’ (1989), also won Imamura acclaim.- Nampa-AP