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Japan's answer to Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, Safari 5000 (1969) is in some ways the culmination of the excesses of the big budget, sprawling epic films with international actors and delusions of grandeur that seemed to run rampant in the mid to late '60s. Yukiro Ishihara stars but the cast includes Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, both wasted in nothing parts, although Mifune gets another crack at the role of a team owner just like Grand Prix. Emanuelle Riva provides the nouvelle vague ennui that permeates nearly every frame as director Koreyoshi Kurahara embraces the angst of the relationships of drivers that started out as a happy go lucky crew but ended up in deep with The Man's teams.

At nearly 3 hours long, it's a slog for the committed only. Apparently the highest grossing film in Japan in '69 it's virtually forgotten today, and it's really not hard to see why. There is just too much of it all, particularly dour hotel room navel gazing. Even the racing action is anemic (or I'm just ruined by the Grand Prix camera work), most of it seems like interior gearshift POVs while outside the magnificence of Africa is completely wasted. Kurahara utterly fails in 'directing' the dialogue in English and the actors don't really step up to cover for him, it makes you wonder if the French, and for that matter, the Japanese sequences were equally inept.

Still, the racing nerd in me enjoyed what you see of the cars, but if you're going to give this a try, prepare for it.

Another great film by the legendary Koreyoshi Kurahara. Yes, it's a genre film; but Kurahara can't help but make it art, because he's just so damn good. The abundance of on screen talent includes Tatsuya Nakadai (The Human Condition), Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit) and Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai). The score by Toshiro Mayuzumi is beautiful and is available on Apple Music. His genius can be remembered by his music for Kurahara's The Warped One and Black Sun. He also scored Kenji Mizoguchi's Street of Shame and Mikio Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. And then to top off this all star team, you have the beautiful cinematography of Mitsuji Kanau, who if you'll recall, did the cinematography for Kurahara's masterpiece Black Sun.

See what I mean about an all star team??

It was the highest grossing Japanese film of 1969 and because of the genre, it was popular and a lot of fun.

If you're a fan of Koreyoshi Kurahara, like I am, you'll enjoy it.