So as to Dream: The Eternal Mysteries of Kaizo Hayashi
So as to Dream: The Eternal Mysteries of Kaizo Hayashi
October 11-19, 2024
The world of Kaizo Hayashi is one of cinematic reverie and enchantment, whose reverence for film history—transposing genre and stylistic conventions from benshi and silent era serials to jidaigeki and hardboiled noir—results in one of the most imaginative and inspiring filmographies of the post-studio era. Forever associated with the elusive search of the detective, Hayashi eludes homage and pastiche, crafting works in dialogue with his influences, wherein—as Donald Richie remarked on Hayashi’s debut—“history is used as though it were living and perhaps as a consequence, it comes alive.” Lost romanticism, dreams deferred in light of earthly troubles, untethered time and anachronisms drift through Hayashi’s oeuvre, itself filtered through a postmodernist and transcendent lens. An independent talent who miraculously emerged in the 1980s outside of the typical avenues of PIA’s jishu eiga (autonomous or self-made film) circuit or pinku, Hayashi had no formal training, endeavoring to make films equipped with only his deep devotion to cinema. Invoking the mystery and intrigue of the moving image, amidst the flutter of celluloid frames, his cinema of the past brims with ingenuity and far-flung imagination, conjuring fantasies of what dreams may come.
Curated by Alexander Fee.
Special Announcement: We regret to inform that Director Kaizo Hayashi is no longer able to attend on October 11 and 12 due to a last-minute conflict. We are excited to present So As to Dream and hope to welcome Hayashi in the future.
Admission Information
Tickets
To Sleep So as to Dream with Reception: $20 / $16 members
All Other Screenings: $16 / $12 members
Prices are inclusive of fees, where applicable. All in-person screenings will take place in Japan Society’s auditorium, located at 333 E. 47th Street in New York, NY.
Full Lineup
To Sleep So as to Dream
Imported 16mm Print. Born from the vestiges of some long forgotten dream, Kaizo Hayashi’s debut is a hauntingly beautiful ode to the silent era that yearns for a distant past—back to an illusory world teeming with new excitements, novel invention and cryptic riddles.
1986. 81 min. Directed by Kaizo Hayashi.
Circus Boys
Imported 35mm Print. Adhering to a pre-cinematic age of dream-making, Hayashi’s tribute to the bygone age of traveling circus troupes and theatrical showmanship erupts into tragedy and hardship as two brothers follow their dreams under the twilight gleam of a crescent moon.
1989. 106 min. Directed by Kaizo Hayashi.
The Most Terrible Time in My LIFE
Saturday, October 12, 8 pm
Friday, October 18, 9:30 pm
30th Anniversary—Intl 4K Premiere of Restoration. Yokohama private eye Maiku Hama (a play on Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer) gets embroiled in the disappearance of a Taiwanese immigrant’s brother, getting caught in the crosshairs of a gang war in Hayashi’s love letter to Nikkatsu B-movies and American detective film.
1994. 92 min. Directed by Kaizo Hayashi.
The Stairway to the Distant Past
Friday, October 18, 7 pm
Saturday, October 19, 5 pm
Intl 4K Premiere of Restoration. The second installment of Hayashi’s Maiku Hama Trilogy spills out in vibrant, full-blown color in this brooding and emotional sequel which finds a “Man in White” reigning over the embattled riverfront of Yokohama while Maiku’s mother returns after years of abandonment.
1995. 101 min. Directed by Kaizo Hayashi.
THE TRAP
Intl 4K Premiere of Restoration. The ominous final chapter in the Maiku Hama series straddles the line of psychological horror as a series of drug-fueled murders instill fear in Yokohama. A disquieting serial killer threatens all that is dear to Maiku in this eerie finale.
1996. 106 min. Directed by Kaizo Hayashi.
Top image: © Video Detective Agency
Kaizo Hayashi’s personal appearance has been made possible in part through a grant secured by Associate Professor Kyoko Omori of Hamilton College from its William M. Bristol, Jr. Program.
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, David Toberisky, 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.