Headfirst Editor's Pick
"The Cube’s Japanuary programme unfolds with this singular slice of guerilla documentary making. The Emperor’s Naked Army traces one man’s audacious quest for truth and justice: using violent and increasingly fanatical methods to unearth WW2 atrocities shrouded in Japan’s culture of silence. "
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A event held at The Cube on Sunday 5th January. The event starts at 13:30.
Dir: Kazuo Hara, 1987, Japan, 121 minutes, Japanese with English subtitles, Cert: 18 (CTBA)
Sun 5 January 2025 // 13:30
Tickets: £5
Conceived by Shôhei Imamura, Kazuo Hara’s infamous and audacious documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki, an ageing Japanese WW2 veteran, on a mission to uncover the truth about atrocities committed as the war in the Pacific reached its bloody end. Ultimately, Okuzaki blames Japan's Emperor Hirohito himself for these barbarities, and his obsessive pursuit of those he deems responsible soon escalates. Willing to confront the taboos of Japanese society in his fanatical quest for justice, Okuzaki is driven to unsettling acts of violence.
Harrowing and extraordinarily powerful, Hara’s film forces us to face the disturbing realities of war and, crucially, to question the complicity between filmmaker, subject and audience.
“I try to forcibly generate action with the camera. I try to wrench it into existence. With deliberate force” Kazuo Hara
“It was like I had this soul brother in Japan... I was inspired, I was exhilarated. I had never seen anything like this”
Michael Moore
“I first saw The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On at the San Francisco Film Festival. Werner Herzog and I were sitting together. We couldn’t believe it. Here was one of the weirdest, most dramatic stories ever. And the movie itself? What can I say? It’s on my list of the 10 best movies ever” Errol Morris
“A film that suggests that some truths are so unpalatable and buried that they need to be exploded out of the ground”
Mark Cousins
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Doors open 30 minutes before advertised start time. All film screenings are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated, and start with no more than a 10 min selection of trailers.
The Cube is a membership venue, please remember to bring your card. You can join on the door for £1
Entry requirements: 18+
Sun 5 January 2025 // 13:30
Tickets: £5
Conceived by Shôhei Imamura, Kazuo Hara’s infamous and audacious documentary follows Kenzo Okuzaki, an ageing Japanese WW2 veteran, on a mission to uncover the truth about atrocities committed as the war in the Pacific reached its bloody end. Ultimately, Okuzaki blames Japan's Emperor Hirohito himself for these barbarities, and his obsessive pursuit of those he deems responsible soon escalates. Willing to confront the taboos of Japanese society in his fanatical quest for justice, Okuzaki is driven to unsettling acts of violence.
Harrowing and extraordinarily powerful, Hara’s film forces us to face the disturbing realities of war and, crucially, to question the complicity between filmmaker, subject and audience.
“I try to forcibly generate action with the camera. I try to wrench it into existence. With deliberate force” Kazuo Hara
“It was like I had this soul brother in Japan... I was inspired, I was exhilarated. I had never seen anything like this”
Michael Moore
“I first saw The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On at the San Francisco Film Festival. Werner Herzog and I were sitting together. We couldn’t believe it. Here was one of the weirdest, most dramatic stories ever. And the movie itself? What can I say? It’s on my list of the 10 best movies ever” Errol Morris
“A film that suggests that some truths are so unpalatable and buried that they need to be exploded out of the ground”
Mark Cousins
-----------------------------------------
Doors open 30 minutes before advertised start time. All film screenings are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated, and start with no more than a 10 min selection of trailers.
The Cube is a membership venue, please remember to bring your card. You can join on the door for £1
Entry requirements: 18+
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