In 1988, “Tokyo Pop” hit the screens with a promising lead actress, Carrie Hamilton, known for her role on TV’s “Fame.” The film, centered around an aspiring American pop star in Japan, received positive reviews from critics and featured opening titles designed by the renowned artist Keith Haring. However, as time passed, the movie slipped into obscurity, and its theatrical distributor, Spectrafilm, faded away. Despite its initial acclaim, “Tokyo Pop” never made it to DVD or streaming platforms, and its director, Fran Rubel Kuzui, hadn’t seen it for three decades. Tragically, Hamilton passed away from cancer at the young age of 38 in 2002.
But the film’s fate took a surprising turn during a screening at the Japan Society in 2019. Sandra Schulberg, the president of the preservation organization IndieCollect, expressed her desire to restore and re-release “Tokyo Pop” during the post-screening Q&A. The restoration project, backed by contributions from Carol Burnett, Hamilton’s mother, and Dolly Parton, has now come to fruition. The film is set to open at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, marking the beginning of its second life on the big screen.
Fran Rubel Kuzui, the director, shared her reflections during an interview in New York. She described her surprise and curiosity at the prospect of revisiting her debut feature film after decades. Kuzui acknowledged that her generation now has an unprecedented opportunity to look back on their work through the digital and streaming era.
“Tokyo Pop” is a fish-out-of-water story with a personal touch, as Kuzui herself was raised in Great Neck, New York, and married a Japanese film producer, Kaz Kuzui. The movie revolves around Wendy (Carrie Hamilton), a backup singer from New York who travels impulsively to Japan during a period when American culture was immensely popular there. In her quest for success, she encounters language barriers but finds assistance from Hiro (Yutaka Tadokoro, also known as Diamond Yukai), a frustrated rock musician. Their relationship blossoms as they form a band covering American hits, with Hamilton performing the closing-credits song.
The film’s production featured an unconventional approach for its time. Fran Rubel Kuzui collaborated with her friend Lynn Grossman on the screenplay and employed a mostly Japanese crew, a rarity for American directors, especially women, during that period. Kuzui reflected on the cultural nuances embedded in the film’s subtext, emphasizing her determination not to rely on her status as a foreigner in Japan. She wanted to be recognized for her talents as a director without any preferential treatment.
Following “Tokyo Pop,” Kuzui directed only one more feature, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1992). She believes that both of her films may receive renewed appreciation in the current climate, where audiences are revisiting and reevaluating works from the 1980s and ’90s. The restoration of “Tokyo Pop” is not only a tribute to Carrie Hamilton’s legacy but also an opportunity for new audiences to discover her talent. Carol Burnett, speaking fondly of her daughter’s time on the film’s set, expressed her delight that people will have a chance to rediscover Carrie’s work after all these years. With the film’s resurrection, “Tokyo Pop” finds its place in cinematic history once again.