Yokohama BJ blues (1981)

Anecdotes

Yokohama BJ Blues is a 1981 Japanese neo-noir mystery crime thriller film directed by Eiichi Kudo and written by Shōichi Maruyama, based on an idea by Yūsaku Matsuda. It is a loose remake of The Long Goodbye (1973), while also incorporating elements of Luchino Visconti's Death in Venice (1971) and William Friedkin's Cruising (1980). The film tells the story of a blues singer moonlighting as a private detective who is accused of murder and must clear his name. Yūsaku Matsuda stars in the lead role, in addition to Mari Henmi, Keizō Kanie, Toby Kadoguchi and Haruko Mabuchi. Japanese rock band Creation composed the film's soundtrack, with several of its songs performed by Matsuda.

Background

Matsuda had wanted to make a film with director Kudo for several years. Yokohama BJ Blues was a departure for both of them, marking a shift towards more dramatic fare for Matsuda, while allowing Kudo to work outside the samurai genre for which he was well known at the time. It was shot entirely on location in Yokohama.

Yokohama BJ Blues was produced by Toei Central Film, a subsidiary of Toei focused on making program pictures for the company's smaller theaters. Most of its productions were pink films and imported features, though they also funded smaller domestic productions, typically shot in a few weeks on budgets of less than ¥30 million.

Screenwriter Maruyama had worked with Matsuda on several previous projects. Matsuda approached him with the story idea after watching the American film Cruising. Maruyama suggested Yokohama as the setting due to its crime problem, as well as the city's multicultural identity, which would allow for a diverse cast of characters.

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