Pacific Film Archive showing 18-film retrospective of filmmaker Shohei Imamura's work

MOVIE ALERT!

The Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (2575 Bancroft Way, 642-5249) is in the middle of an 18-film retrospective of the work of Japanese film director Shohei Imamura (1926 –2006), ending on June 30, whose powerful, gritty early work might surprise filmgoers who have only seen such late films as The Eel, Dr. Akagi, and Warm Water Under a Red Bridge. Of the movies I’ve seen so far, the best is Vengeance is Mine, a compelling psychological thriller based on a real 1963 serial killer. Exceptionally, the movie is being repeated at 6:30 on Saturday, June 23r at the PFA. Made in 1979, Vengeance is Mine is sufficiently shocking today that one can only imagine how disturbing it must have been more than a quarter-century ago. --Meredith Brody