I haven't seen this in the Western press, so I thought I would pass  
on the sad news that Imamura Shohei passed away yesterday at the age  
of 79. He had an operation for liver cancer last year.

I always loved his work. Vengeance is Mine was one of the films that  
sucked me into Japanese cinema study. Although I know many disagree,  
I thought his contribution to the 9/11 omnibus film, about a WWII vet  
who wants to be a snake and not a human, was the best of the bunch. I  
was his last film.

Markus Nornes
University of Michigan

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