Hiroshi Teshigahara

 Hiroshi Teshigahara




Pitfall (1962)

Woman in the Dunes (1964)

The Face of Another (1966)


RANKED:


3. Pitfall (1962)


Based on the play "Rengoku" by Kobo Abe, Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1962 film "Pitfall" is an often surreal experience. Although not completely in the surrealist camp, Teshigahara's unique directing style and experimental editing makes it a very kinetic watch. Centering on a conspiracy involving the exploitation of coal miners, "Pitfall" dives into the avant-garde with its inclusion of undead spirits.




2. The Face of Another (1966)


Although it was a critical and commercial failure, the 1966 Japanese film "The Face of Another" still manages to be a critical link in the chain of director Hiroshi Teshigahara's filmography. Its gothic-noir style is a unique tone for a Japanese production, making it a singularly one-of-a-kind film. It centers on an engineer who hides his disfigured and burned face with bandages - until he uses new scientific technology of a human face mold and becomes a completely new person. The film raises Promethean questions about the nature of technology and the unravelling consequences of total anonymity. "The Face of Another" plays very much like an eerie science fiction film, while also staggering between horror, psychological drama, and neo-noir.




1. Woman in the Dunes (1964)


Often regarded as one of the greatest Japanese films ever made, 1965's "Woman in the Dunes" is celebrated as an allegorical tale akin to Sisyphus. It centers on a schoolteacher trapped by seaside villagers in a sand dune, where he is forced to shovel sand along side an unnamed woman for food and water. Its allegorical nature is often debating, with some believing it represents the economic futility of modern society. However, the film's utter uniqueness makes varied interpretation fruitful. This unique quality extends to the direction by Hiroshi Teshigahara, who takes heed to make the continuous flow of sand a main character in the story. Like with our protagonist, the film will make its viewers reach a breaking point and forces us to reconcile with our own sense of entrapment. 



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