Most lists of the greatest long takes don’t deviate: Goodfellas, Russian Ark, Touch of Evil, Rope–you know the drill. In a perfect world those rankings face a major change with the restoration and rerelease of Shinji Somai’s P.P. Rider, a film comprising some of the boldest, strongest, plain craziest orchestrations of camera and space anybody’s ever achieved. Unlike many movies stitching together multiple shots through “invisible” cuts, it’s also driven by a dense, compelling narrative from Leonard “Brother of Paul” Schrader, boasting a screenplay co-written by his wife, Chieko.
Needless to say Cinema Guild’s forthcoming release, starting September 6 at New York’s IFC Center, should be on radars whether the film’s fresh or you know an iffy MKV file well. We’re proud to debut a new trailer, plus the cover for their 24-page zine featuring two newly translated texts: a 2011 essay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and the transcript of a 1990 lecture by Shinji Somai that’s available, free, for IFC ticket holders starting September 6, including showings of Somai’s Typhoon Club.
Find preview and poster below, along with the cover for Cinema Guild’s zine:
