Sekigun-PFLP Declaration of War
When we interviewed Japanese leftist terrorism expert Dr. Patricia Steinhoff last September, I commented that someone should probably release the otherwise-unattainable early ’70s Adachi Masao and Wakamatsu Kōji documentary Sekigun-PFLP Declaration of War on YouTube. The film, created for Red Army recruiting and fund-raising purposes back in Japan, showed members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Japanese Red Army training in Lebanon camps. Steinhoff told me that the film is “definitely not a YouTube kind of thing,” but this is the internet we are talking about. Finally, someone has uploaded the first bit of the film, and I would hope that more will follow.
Not a particularly engaging piece of cinema, but as Steinhoff explained, the close-ups of young men handling guns was enough to excite the hearts of young Japanese leftists at the time. Midnight Eye has a bit in this essay about the film.
April 21, 2008 at 3:44 pm
“but as Steinhoff explained, the close-ups of young men handling guns was enough to excite the hearts of young Japanese leftists at the time. ”
There was a thesis called 唯銃主義、唯銃論based on the Maosit dogma that the political power grows out from the barrel of a gun.This was evident among Red army fractions and there were many attempt to steal firearms from police box all over the country.I think the camera eyes in the film reflect that.
May 2, 2008 at 10:01 am
The PFLP is in ruins. George Habash is rolling in his grave. Someone in the PFLP (Abu Ali Mustafa?) decided it was a smart idea to join the suicide bombing fad that swept Palestine. Now, the PFLP has no influence, didn’t take advantage of the Civil War to expand their influence. The new PFLP are just a bunch of secular urban middle-class who don’t know much about socialism. May 14th will be a sad day.
August 9, 2008 at 12:03 am
to get a copy of PFLP-declaration of war(adachi/wakamatsu)send a request to japaneiga@gmail.com
other wakamatsu and adachi films there in the pinku section
August 9, 2008 at 11:20 pm
a transcript/scenario in english of the PFLP-declaration of war film can be found at http://www.bordersphere.com
in the “cinema=movement” section -
“cinema and revolution: masao adachi”