Tatsuya Nakadai Set for THE FACE OF ANOTHER Screening at Museum of the Moving Image, 5/17

By: May. 09, 2014
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Tatsuya Nakadai (b. 1932) is one of the greatest actors in the history of contemporary cinema, starring in more than 140 movies by directors including Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Kon Ichikawa, and Mikio Naruse. His versatility and the electrifying intensity of his performances are legendary, and lie at the heart of a career lasting more than six decades. On Saturday, May 17, at 3:00 p.m., Museum of the Moving Image will present a personal appearance by Nakadai with a screening of one of his most astonishing films, The Face of Another, a doppelgänger tale directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman of the Dunes). The screening will be followed by a conversation with Nakadai moderated by Terrence Rafferty, former New Yorker film critic and frequent contributor at The New York Times.

Nakadai appeared at the Museum last year for a sold-out screening of Kurosawa's Ran. Chief Curator David Schwartz said, "It is a great honor for the Museum to have Tatsuya Nakadai back as a special guest. The screening of Ran was unforgettable, and we are excited to show The Face of Another, which features a virtuoso performance in one the most adventurous modernist films of the 1960s."

In The Face of Another (Tanin no Kao) (1966, 124 mins. 35mm), a haunting science-fiction story written by Kobo Abe, a man who is disfigured in an industrial accident agrees to a face transplant, created from the mold of a stranger. A highly modernist and daring film, with a score by Toru Takemitsu, The Face of Another is a classic of 1960s New Wave cinema, with Tatsuya Nakadai's brilliant performance at its core. The film also features Mikijiro Hira (as the doctor), Kyoko Kishida, Eiji Okada, and Machiko Kyo. "The theme is brilliantly and imaginatively explored, and the acting is potent," wrote Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader.

Tickets are $12 ($9 for senior citizens and students) and free for Museum members. Beginning May 9, advance tickets will be available online at movingimage.us or by phone at 718 777 6800. For information about Museum membership and to join, visit http://movingimage.us/support/membership or call 718 777 6877.

Tatsuya Nakadai's breakthrough role came in Kobayashi's epic trilogy The Human Condition (1959-61), garnering the actor international acclaim. Throughout his career, Nakadai has played police detectives, gangsters, businessmen, and most famously the samurai fighters and warlords in historical epics, and came to be known for both his versatility and the psychological depth he brought to his characters. On the occasion of a 2008 film series devoted to the actor at Film Forum, Rafferty wrote of Nakadai's signature expressive eyes: "[W]hat it evokes most powerfully is an unalloyed, ungovernable joy in the creative act itself, a fierce performer's delight that's always welcome and always appropriate, even when the character he's playing is an unhappy one. Whether Mr. Nakadai is portraying a man who is delighted by the life before his eyes or appalled by it, he never looks blasé, uninterested: he seems to exist in a state of constant surprise."

Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities-acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design-the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, 10:30 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Closed Mondays, except for select holiday openings.

Film Screenings: Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are included with paid Museum admission.

Museum Admission: $12.00 for adults; $9.00 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $6.00 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. Admission to the galleries is free on Fridays, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tickets for special screenings and events may be purchased in advance by phone at 718 777 6800 or online.



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