In 1988, when there were few women producing and directing feature length films, Fran Rubel Kuzui co-wrote, directed and co-produced Tokyo Pop. While Tokyo Pop has been a talked-about film-- even perhaps sort of a cult movie since its original release, Kazui probably will be remembered most for directing the 1992 satirical horror feature, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is credited as executive producer on the Buffy TV series, but it is a gratuitous credit according to a few online sources.
Occasionally memories of Tokyo Pop have turned up over the years. Still, along with so many independent productions, it hasn’t really been available in a restored version until now. Kino Lorber has just released a Blu-ray, a 4K restoration by IndiCollect. It is also available for streaming. The Academy Film Archive is responsible for the incredibly good visual and audio work which was funded by Dolly Parton and Carol Burnett, the HFPA Trust, and the IndiCollect’s Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors.
Carrie Hamilton stars as Wendy Reed, a wannabe rock and roll star living a frustrating existence in New York’s East Village. When she receives a postcard from a friend saying she is living the good life in Tokyo, Wendy hops a flight to join her friend. Oops! Her pal has taken off for Thailand and hasn’t left word of any return. Undaunted, Wendy begins an adventure in Tokyo. She gets a singing job, but she is held to a traditional rendering of “Home on the Range” for an aging night club group. Soon she is part of a rock and roll band; she is the only blonde – the sole Westerner. That fact, and an accidental photo that goes viral in the Tokyo subway system, brings fame to what otherwise is just a pretty good music group.
Up to this point, the plot is flat -- nothing more than foreseeable. Some scenes are mildly funny. The music is so-so but enjoyable. Wendy and her new lover Hiro Yamaguchi, lead singer/guitarist in the band, fall in love, mildly in love. As such, the title of this movie might have been Tokyo Tepic.
However, there is an energy to Tokyo Pop that draws viewers. As I watched, I felt I was making the scene. I was part of the colorful nightlife of a city of lights that I do not know. I was sharing Wendy’s adventure in that unknown city.
Furthermore, the two young stars, Carrie Hamilton and Diamond Yukai, are engaging and fun. Yukai is 61 years of age now. So many years after shooting this film, he remains is a rock star. He’s with Red Warriors in Japan and his film credits include two outstanding motion pictures: Toy Story, the Japanese version, and Lost in Translation.
As for Carrie Hamilton, real-life daughter of Carol Burnett, her back story ends too soon. She died in 2002, aged 38, from a complication of pneumonia while battling lung cancer that had spread to her brain. Until her illness, she was seen in films and TV, and was a recording artist.
Even though the storyline in Tokyo Pop is so anticipated that it seems more like a good excuse for the lively atmosphere and the likable personalities of the two stars, I really enjoyed this movie. It offers an upbeat experience.
At one point, as the band performs at a concert, Hiro decides to play a song that he composed instead of a classic rock song that the audience expects him to sing, really wants him to sing. The scene reminded me of a night in 1984 when my friend Nila and I saw Ricky Nelson perform at a club in L.A. He told an anecdote of wanting to perform his serious 1970s composition “Garden Party” while the audience only wanted to hear him sing the bubble gum rock-and-roll songs he made famous as a teenager in the 1950s and 60s. I keep wondering if the co-writers of Tokyo Pop heard Ricky Nelson tell that story.
Audrey Kupferberg is a film and video archivist and retired appraiser. She is lecturer emeritus and the former director of Film Studies at the University at Albany and co-authored several entertainment biographies with her late husband and creative partner, Rob Edelman.
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