P.P. Rider
| P.P. Rider | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | ションベン・ライダー | ||||
| |||||
| Directed by | Shinji Sōmai | ||||
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Leonard Schrader | ||||
| Starring | |||||
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Akira Suzuki | ||||
| Music by | Katsu Hoshi | ||||
Production company | |||||
| Distributed by | Toho | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 118 Minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
P.P. Rider (Japanese: ションベン・ライダー, Hepburn: Shonben Raidâ) is a 1983 Japanese teen yakuza film directed by Shinji Sōmai. The film centers on three adolescents in search of their kidnapped classmate.[1]
Cast
[edit]- Tatsuya Fuji as Gonbei, a yakuza member past his prime
- Michiko Kawai as Bruce, the tomboyish female member of the adolescent trio
- Masatoshi Nagase as JoJo, an assertive member of the trio
- Shinobu Sakagami as Jisho, the more reserved of the three youths
- Hideko Hara as Arare, a schoolteacher
- Yoshikazu Suzuki as Nobunaga Deguchi, a kidnapped classmate of Bruce, JoJo, and Jisho
- Masatō Ibu as Tanaka, a policeman
- Ryo Kinomoto as Masa
- Masahiro Kuwana as Yama
- Ichirô Zaitsu as the Shimada gang leader
- Hiroaki Murakami as Kinta, a Shimada gang member
- Mitsuko Baisho as an associate of the Shimada gang
- Casey Takamine as a moneylender
- Takehiko Maeda as Nobunaga's dad
Production
[edit]P.P. Rider was produced by Kitty Films with whom Sōmai had previously collaborated on 1980's Tonda Couple. Sōmai's final cut of the P.P. Rider was four hours long; he had to cut the runtime in half as the film was intended to run as part of a double feature.[2]
Release
[edit]Theatrical
[edit]The film was released in Japan by Toho on February 11, 1983, as a double feature with Urusei Yatsura: Only You.[3]
2K restoration
[edit]In 2023 P.P. Rider was restored for distribution in the United States by the Cinema Guild, who collaborated with Japan Society to present the film as part of a Shinji Sōmai retrospective. The restoration was screened in previews throughout the year and premiered at the IFC Center in Manhattan on September 8, 2023, alongside a new 4K restoration of Typhoon Club, another film by Sōmai.[1][4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Spagnoli Gabardi, Chiara. "P.P. Rider, Shinji Sōmai's Masterpiece Is Revived For Modern Audiences". Cinema Daily US. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Deschaumes, Tim (November 2022). "Sōmai Shinji, the Forgotten Master of Long Take and Coming-of-Age Cinema". Offscreen. 26 (9-10-11). Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ McCarry, Ed. "Run Towards the Screen, or Reality's Return: An Interview with Koji Enokido on Shinji Somai". Ultradogme. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ n.a. "P.P. Rider". Japan Society. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ n.a. "PP Rider (1983, Somai Shinji) Film Screening". Yale MacMillan Center Council on East Asian Studies. Retrieved 6 October 2023.