A Fugitive from the Past

January 18, 2023
past event image
Film past event

『飢餓海峡』
In-Person Screening

Wednesday, January 18, 7 pm ET

Introduced by John David Baldwin, creator of the blog The International Uchida Tomu Appreciation Society and contributor to Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release of A Fugitive from the Past.

World Theatrical Premiere of 4K Restoration. Considered the magnum opus of the five-decade-long career of Tomu Uchida (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, The Mad Fox), the epic crime drama A Fugitive from the Past was voted third in the prestigious Kinema Junpo magazine’s 1999 poll of the Top Japanese Films of the 20th Century. In 1947, a freak typhoon sinks a passenger ferry running between Hokkaido and mainland Japan, with hundreds of lives lost. During the chaos, three men are witnessed fleeing a burning pawnshop in the Hokkaido port town of Iwanai. The police suspect theft and arson, and when Detective Yumisaka (Junzaburo Ban) discovers the burned remains of a boat and the corpses of two men, he sets about tracking the shadowy third figure. Meanwhile, the mysterious Takichi Inukai (Rentaro Mikuni) takes shelter with a prostitute, Yae (Sachiko Hidari), a brief encounter that will come to define both of their lives. A decade later, long after the trail has gone cold, Yumisaka is called back by his successor, Detective Ajimura (Ken Takakura), as two new bodies are found. (Arrow Films)

Dir. Tomu Uchida, 1965, 183 min., DCP, b&w, in Japanese with English Subtitles. With Rentaro Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Koji Mitsui.

Tickets
$15 General Admission / $5 Members
$12 Seniors and Students
$10 Person with Disability



Image: © 1950 Daiei Film Co. Ltd.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and Shiseido Americas. 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, and endowment support from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, David Toberisky, Akiko Koide and Shohei Koide, Geoff and Fumi Matters, Laurel Gonsalves, and David S. Howe. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the exclusive Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film.



  • Wednesday, January 18, 2023
  • 7:00 pm
  • In-Person Event
  • Timed Tickets
  • $15 General
  • $5 Members