Conflagration

『炎上』

Int’l Premiere of 4K Restoration. Known as Ichikawa’s favorite of his own films, Conflagration is the pinnacle of the many acclaimed literary adaptations he and his constant collaborator and wife Natto Wada have worked on together. Loosely based on true events that also inspired Yukio Mishima’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the story involves the spiritual and psychological breakdown of an introverted, troubled youth named Goichi (Raizo Ichikawa), whose desire for pure beauty leads him to Kyoto’s Shukaku temple, where he becomes an apprentice to the priest. Haunted by the trauma of his father’s death, Goichi is unable to reconcile the sacred beauty of the temple with postwar reality, and his absolutist ideals become increasingly distorted until they lead to destruction. Ichikawa’s stark, poignant film is unforgettably rendered in stunning black and white by cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa.

Dir. Kon Ichikawa, 1958, 99 min., DCP, b/w, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Raizo Ichikawa, Tatsuya Nakadai, Ganjiro Nakamura.

In collaboration with the National Film Archive of Japan.

Part of the ACA Cinema Project, The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond
November 11—20, 2022

---

Image: © Kadokawa Corporation

ACA Cinema Project, The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond is Co-presented by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.

Lead Sponsor

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.