Jump to content

P.P. Rider

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
P.P. Rider
Japanese name
Kanjiションベン・ライダー
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnShonben Raidâ
Directed byShinji Sōmai
Screenplay by
  • Takuya Nishioka
  • Chieko Schrader
Story byLeonard Schrader
Starring
Cinematography
  • Masaki Tamura
  • Akihiro Itô
Edited byAkira Suzuki
Music byKatsu Hoshi
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • February 11, 1983 (1983-February-11)
Running time
118 Minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

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]
  1. ^ a b Spagnoli Gabardi, Chiara. "P.P. Rider, Shinji Sōmai's Masterpiece Is Revived For Modern Audiences". Cinema Daily US. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ McCarry, Ed. "Run Towards the Screen, or Reality's Return: An Interview with Koji Enokido on Shinji Somai". Ultradogme. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  4. ^ n.a. "P.P. Rider". Japan Society. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  5. ^ n.a. "PP Rider (1983, Somai Shinji) Film Screening". Yale MacMillan Center Council on East Asian Studies. Retrieved 6 October 2023.