Anime legend Mamoru Oshii is among the most celebrated filmmakers in his field. He’d be hailed if he were merely the director of 1995’s Ghost in the Shell. Helming one of cyberpunk’s standout works puts you in good company. Many of his other works, including Angel’s Egg and Patlabor, have become classics in their own right. But few here in the west know of Oshii’s live-action works. Prior to Ghost, Oshii co-wrote and directed a series of surrealist sci-fi movies all within the Kerberos Saga. The first of those, 1987’s The Red Spectacles, has just received a 4K remaster and will debut at New York’s Metrograph beginning November 21.
Enjoy the very weird trailer below!
The 1987 low-budget black-and-white film, has never screened theatrically in New York. Hell, until very recently, the only way to see it was through low-quality torrents or on YouTube. This changed when Oshii launched a passionate crowdfunding campaign last year to restore The Red Spectacles. The campaign reached its first goal of ten million yen on the very first day. The upcoming screenings present one of the first true opportunities for American audiences to witness the film the way Oshii intended it. The restoration premiered at LA’s Beyond Fest last month.
The movie was not particularly well received during initial release with its blend of absurdity, political allegory, and existential exploration. It follows former exiled officer Koichi Todome (Shigeru Chiba)—once part of the brutal paramilitary police unit known as the Kerberos Panzer Cops, which disbanded after public outcry—as he returns to Tokyo to reconnect with his old colleagues, only to find a changed city filled with strange characters, elusive memories, and a Kafkaesque absurdity that threatens to consume him.
Small Sensations!
I think, even if the movie isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s worth seeing an unfettered version of the director’s vision. Some of us really love weird movies and this looks exceptionally weird. Truly can’t wait to see it. This, coupled with the recent GKIDS restoration of Angel’s Egg, makes for a great time to check out Oshii’s work. And if you’re in the New York area and want to check out The Red Spectacles, you can get more info from Metrograph.
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