[Crowdfunding for 4K digital remaster of Mamoru Oshii's live-action debut film “Red Spectacles”]Goal of 10 million yen reached in one day! Goal of 30 million yen reached, “Early Achievement Thanksgiving” to be held!

Although not initially scheduled for release, “Red Spectacles” gained cult popularity after its screening at Kineka Omori, and became the starting point of Mamoru Oshii's series of works known as the “Cerberus Saga,” which would later lead to “Cerberus: The Watchdog of Hell” (1991) and “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade” (2000). This work also marked a turning point for Oshii, as he began to work on many live-action films in parallel with his animation work. Furthermore, thanks to the employment of Shigeharu Shiba, the producer and sound director of this work, Kenji Kawai participated in the music. This is also significant in that it was an encounter with an indispensable figure in Oshii's subsequent works.

The return for this crowdfunding campaign is:For donations of 10,000 yen or more, you will receive a 4K digitally remastered Blu-ray Disc, a reprint of the dubbing script, an original photo book (35,000 yen), etc.there is.

This time we will announceAs part of the “Early Achievement Appreciation Festival,” customers who order the Blu-ray disc will receive an additional 4K UHD copy of “Akai Megane”(Changed to a 2-disc set of Blu-ray and 4K UHD)It has been decided that a course with a signed disc by Kenji Kawai and Director Oshii (400 million yen) will be added at 13:00 on Monday, June 3rd. In addition, if the amount of support reaches 35 million yen, the second stretch goal will be implemented, which will upgrade the case from a regular case to a steel book (steel case).We have received inquiries from overseas,Course for applicants from overseas(Course autographed by Director Oshii)Also added on Monday, June 3rd at 13:00I will do it.

Crowdfunding isAvailable until June 27th (Thursday)Please support us so that we can preserve the works of this representative Japanese director for future generations.

• About “Red Glasses”

The project was originally an independent film to make a promotional film for voice actor Chiba Shigeru, but the project gradually expanded and was completed as a full-scale film shot on 35mm film, which resulted in this film, “Red Spectacles.” The director was Oshii Mamoru, who had been active as an animation director until then, and this was his first live-action feature film. The staff included those involved in “Urusei Yatsura,” for which Oshii served as chief director, such as screenwriter Ito Kazunori. In addition to the star Chiba, many voice actors and people from the animation industry, including Washio Machiko, Tanaka Hideyuki, and Genda Tesshō, participated in the film. It is also valuable in the sense that you can see the late voice actor Nagai Ichiro and animator Otsuka Yasuo in action. Also, Amamoto Hideyo, known as a regular in Okamoto Kihachi's films, appears as Tsukimi no Ginji.

▼Story

At the end of the 20th century, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department organized the Special Armed Mobile Task Force (SMS) to combat the sharp increase in violent crimes. The SMS was equipped with reinforced suits called “Protect Gear” and heavy weapons. However, the SMS came under fire for its harsh investigative methods, and the SMS was forced to disband. However, some of the SMS members rebelled and resisted the disbandment, and one man fled overseas with his Protect Gear.

The man's name is Koichi Todome. Three years later, Koichi returns to Japan with a large suitcase in hand. What is his purpose…? (1987/Part color/120 min)

• Crowdfunding summary: Support the 4K digital remastering of Mamoru Oshii's live-action debut film, “Red Spectacles”!

“Red Spectacles” is the first live-action film by Mamoru Oshii, director of “Ghost in the Shell”. The 35mm negative film was salvaged from the now defunct Tokyo Film Lab and restored in 4K quality to be preserved for future generations.

Period: Until 23:59 on Thursday, June 27th

Goal: 10 million yen → As of 13:00 on May 30th, 30,926,004 yen

Stretch Goal 2: 35 million yen – Upgrade from standard case to steelbook

Uses: Film restoration costs (50% = 5 million), bonus costs (35% = 3.5 million), campaign operation costs (15% = 1.5 million)

Rewards: 3,000 yen to 75,000 yen (film bookmark, Blu-ray disc, name credit on Blu-ray disc, special booklet + special case, reprinted dubbing script + original photo book, autographed disc)

*Invitation to the premiere screening and launch party at Kineka Omori is SOLD OUT.

schedule:　

August: 4K master completed September: Authoring and pressing
Shipping will start in December, and the premiere screening will be held at Kineka Omori. *The production period will be extended slightly to produce the additional rewards, so we plan to deliver the product in December. The premiere screening is currently being arranged.

• Overview of “Early Achievement Appreciation Festival”

1) The following will be added to the original reward:

・For those who order the Blu-ray disc, the 4K UHD version of “Akai Megane” will be added (changed to a 2-disc set of Blu-ray and 4K UHD).

・Making of video produced (scheduled to be included on Blu-ray Disc)

・Additional English subtitles

2) “Signed Disc” course will be added.[Limited quantity available from 13:00 on June 3rd]

・Added Kenji Kawai autographed disc course (40,000 yen) (limited to 50)

・Added Director Oshii autographed disc course (40,000 yen) again (40 new units)

3) We will also add the second stretch goal.

If the pledge amount reaches 35 million yen, the case will be upgraded to a steelbook (steel case).

4) As we have received inquiries from overseas, we will be adding a course for applications from overseas (course with Director Oshii's signature).[Limited quantity available from 13:00 on June 3rd]

• Comment[From Director Oshii to everyone]

“Red Spectacles” was my first live-action work, and it was the beginning of the so-called “Curse of the Dog” that led my subsequent live-action works to be described as “unsellable,” “unhit,” “difficult to understand,” “boring,” “a pastime,” and even “cursed.” At the same time, it is also the origin of the “Cerberus Saga” which is still ongoing.
No explanation is necessary for those who have already seen it, but the film received mixed reviews, or rather, praise and criticism, and frankly speaking, 90% of the reviews were awful, making it an unfortunate work. However, for some reason, it seems to have become a film that “tugs at the heartstrings like vinegared tofu” for a very small number of cursed movie lovers and fetishists who are drawn to the strange pheromones emanating from that “black moving armor,” and to this day, the original copy has survived and not been disposed of. I am grateful for this. As a director, there is no greater joy than this.

So let's take a step further and talk about this remastered version. Why remaster “Red Spectacles,” a black-and-white film that was made on a low budget even at the time and whose set had to be built with materials salvaged from a junkyard? Setting aside the evaluation of the film, I would like to explain the significance from a technical standpoint.

The reason why I wanted to finish “Red Spectacles” in black and white was not because of a low budget, nor because it was the director's preference (although that was one of the reasons). Even at that time, it was already difficult to obtain black and white film, and the task of obtaining film lot numbers, which is essential for shooting a feature film, was extremely difficult. The absolute amount of negative film that was available was limited, and even the tens of seconds of film left in the camera were carefully stored in order to use it without waste, which was a heavy burden on the film crew. If you ask why I insisted on using black and white film, it was because I wanted to ensure that the color design was as important as possible as a directing element, emphasizing the color “red,” which is the most important color in “Red Spectacles.” In the achromatic world of the entire film, the color “red,” which stands out with a vividness that could be called a dream or illusion, was a color that this work absolutely had to achieve, and all directing policies had to be decided with this goal in mind. The name of the main character, Beniichi, the phantom red girl (Red Hood), and the red color of the electronic eyes of the black moving armor shining in the darkness were all hints that should converge towards that “Kurenai”. Well, it was just an idea I had during filming.

At the time, there was no digital technology, so I racked my brains with cameraman Mamiya-san to realize the vivid colors of the “Red Girl” that emerges from the monochrome world in the final scene in one shot. We came to the conclusion that we should “shoot on monochrome negative film and print it onto a color positive, to make a pseudo monochrome world appear in the color film world.” As a by-product, this method also made it possible to add subtle graininess to the soft tones of monochrome, setting it apart from the emotional images of the traditional Japanese film world.

Did you know? That's actually the case. This pseudo-black and white film was made by running around trying to secure the negative film, repeatedly doing optical tests at the lab, and repeatedly changing lenses to ensure the sharpness of the images, eschewing the on-site efficiency of using many zoom lenses… it was a film made with no money, but with an abundance of time and effort. It was really tough, but when I say it was only the staff who struggled, and I, the director, just enjoyed being on a live-action film set for the first time.

The subtle color experience of this pseudo-black and white film can only be experienced by screening the original print, but if it could be remastered with current technology, it could provide a new visual experience for those who could only watch it on DVD or LD, and for those curious people who want to revive a screen experience that is a distant memory. This is also a modest personal wish of Oshi, who made a cursed film and has become a cursed director himself.
　

So, I have a request for those who already own the DVD. I would like to ask those who are so kind as to want to see and confirm with their own eyes the “red” of “Red Glasses” – the “Red Girl” that emerges vividly from the monochrome world – to support this project. I won't be upset if we don't reach our goal.

Mamoru Oshii (Film Director)

Director Mamoru Oshii and Shigeru Chiba

• Comment[From the lead actor, Shigeru Chiba, to everyone]

“Time flies, and before I knew it, 38 years have passed since those crazy days!

It all started when Shiba Shigeharu, who has worked as a sound director on many anime films, approached me and asked what I thought about making an LP record for my fan club that included poetry readings and short dramas. However, when director Oshii Mamoru and screenwriter Ito Kazunori joined the project, the idea grew bigger and bigger. “Wouldn't a video be better for the fans?” “No, no, if that's the case, let's just make it a 35mm film!” and so on, the conversation got more and more lively. Shiba's face, which had been smiling gently at first, gradually turned paler, and before I knew it, we were on set at around 6pm, and as the sun rose, we were done and we were done. A demon that only thought of moving forward had begun to run!

His days continued as he wandered through fragments of dreams, devouring beef bowls at countless dubious filming locations, having his eyelids burned by a light bulb hidden behind red glasses, drank copious amounts of water from a sewer river and vomited, being tied to a torture rack and nearly dying from deadly water torture, running up a long staircase at 3am many times until his legs cramped, getting into a fistfight in a small toilet and writhing around in agony from intense diarrhea, fighting off guys dressed in white makeup without even a loincloth, slurping down bad soba at an illegal stand-up soba restaurant, and so on.

As a result, the souls of the assistant director, whose sleep deprivation and overwork had reached their peak and who was fast asleep while standing upright and clutching a clapperboard, and the staff member on the set next door who had been digging a hole nonstop but whose labors had ultimately gone unrewarded as he lay with a shovel as his pillow, were floating around the set at dawn.

But even in such an environment, we were dancing and enjoying Director Oshii's “dream world”! And that “dream” continues to this day…

Shigeru Chiba

• Comment[From the initiator, Noda Makoto to everyone]

“The long-awaited 'Red Spectacles' was a challenging work by the young Mamoru Oshii, who would later become a world-famous director, and with this work he took his first step into the unique position of being an animation director who also consistently produced live-action films in parallel.

The film is often criticized as being difficult to understand and confusing, but it is also a passionate film of youth, imbued with the passion of young Oshii Mamoru and Chiba Shigeru.

We sincerely hope that this opportunity will bring the spotlight back to “Red Spectacles” and that it will remain for future generations, and our small production company and related parties are working hard together. We sincerely look forward to your cooperation.
Granate Limited Company Representative: Noda Shingai

For general inquiries: [email protected]

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