fellow harp-l-ers:
although it is probably not yet in translation (dubbed or subtitled) the 2002 Japanese film, Red Harp Blues, is a fine film - and features plenty of harp - as its title promises it's available on DVD.
RED HARP BLUES, 2002 Masaya Takahashi (Director) Mickey Curtis (Cast) Jun Toba (Cast) Nanako Ohgauchi (Cast) Mickey Curtis (Cast) Masahiro Kuwana (Cast)
for you old geezers out there who can still remember that far back, Mickey Curtis was a rock'n'roll / rockabilly phenomenon in the early 1960s in Japan. he ended up starring in a number of Yakuza and other films - and still does to this day.
the Red Harp Blues takes place in Osaka (the only and perfect city for a
film like this) and is about a young harp player in a blues band. the
band is not very successful and the harp players band mates want to
change their image and become heavy metal rock players - for the gigs
and the girls. in the meanwhile, the harp player hears a legend about a
"red harp" which supposedly has magical powers and he is convinced that
he can (a) find this harp and (b) the red harp will save his band. his
band mates don't believe in it, him, or the blues, and consequently dump
him. the harp player optimistically goes on sojourn all across Osaka and
eventually finds a homeless drunk (Curtis), who claims he has the red
harp and subsequently ekes out drink after drink after bottle after
bottle from the kid with empty and broken promises about the harp. eventually, this process destroys the young harpist's life - he loses his
job, his girlfriend, his apartment - everything (sound familiar!?).
i won't ruin the film for you with any more - there is a fantastic ending
- not to be missed.
while, i would hesitate to call the harp playing quality in the film
supreme, i feel it fit well into the nature of the story. there are some
neat scenes in osaka clubs featuring some well-known Japanese musicians. Curtis, BTW, plays his role quite convincingly.
ATB,
sg tumon bay, guam
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