The Stairway to the Distant Past

『遥かな時代の階段を』 
Haruka na jidai no kaidan o

International Premiere of 4K Restoration. The second installment of Hayashi’s Maiku Hama trilogy spills out in vibrant, full-blown color as Maiku’s past resurfaces, setting in motion the events of this brooding and exquisitely shot sequel. Taking on puppy rescues during a slump in more weighty investigative work, Maiku hears word of the return of his long-lost mother who abandoned him and kid sister Akane years before. A legendary stripper named Lily-san, she sets up shop along the riverbanks of Yokohama where the presence of an enigmatic “Man in White” (Hiroshima Mon Amour’s Eiji Okada) begins to trouble both police and yakuza. Hayashi’s sequel lives and breathes the occupied history of the port city, its near-mythic riverfront still abiding by a postwar code of omertà. A remarkably emotive middle chapter, The Stairway to the Distant Past plunges Maiku into the darkest depths as he reconciles his past in its eerie final act, a nightmarish tableau vivant of painted faces and silent murmurs.

Dir. Kaizo Hayashi, 1995, 101 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Masatoshi Nagase, Kiyotaka Nanbara, Haruko Wanibuchi, Eiji Okada, Shiro Sano, Shinya Tsukamoto.

Part of So as To Dream: The Eternal Mysteries of Kaizo Hayashi
October 11-19, 2024

© FOR LIFE MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

Special Thanks to Bret Berg (American Genre Film Archive); Miyuki Takamatsu and Yuko Takagi (Freestone); Kaizo Hayashi; Nicolas Raffin (ICA); Kyoko Omori; and Monika Uchiyama.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Anime NYC and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, George P. Hirose, David Toberisky, Joseph Rajaratnam and Dharshini Iolanthe Sivakumarann, and Film Circle members.

Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film Program. Housing assistance is provided by the Prince Kitano New York, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film Program.