Based on Kuramoto So’s original script and directed by Okamoto Kihachi, then best known for his blackly comic, grittily realistic WW2 films,
Blue Christmas (1978) was part of the boom for SF/fantasy films launched by Star Wars.
But unlike films of the period, such as Fukasaku Kinji’s Message from Space (Uchu Kara no Messeji, 1978) that were Star Wars copies, Blue Christmas was made without splashy special effects and was aimed squarely at adults.
Kuramoto’s script, with its harsh critique of government power run amuck and media complicity, was published in Kinema Junpo, a pioneering film magazine, where famed Godzilla ¬ series producer Tanaka Tomoyuki saw and liked it. Despite its lack of audience-pleasing effects scenes, Tanaka decided to greenlight the script for Toho, while giving three younger colleagues producer credits.
As director, he tapped Okamoto Kihachi, with whom he had worked on many films, including Okamoto’s WW2 classic Desperado Outpost (Dokuritsu Gurentai, 1959).
Something of a UFO buff, Okamoto was happy to accept the assignment, but he was not so happy with Kuramoto’s script, which the scriptwriter insisted be filmed as is. Okamoto, however, felt it was over-stuffed with plot and would be overly expensive to make.
Fortunately, Kuramoto agreed to cuts and filming got underway.
The story: Oki (Katsuno Hiroshi), a Defense Agency intelligence officer, is in love with Saeko (Takeshita Keiko), who works at a barber shop he frequents. Then, he is transferred to a Special Forces unit together with pilot colleague Harada (Oki Masaya).
Their mission: Counter the threat posed by so-called ‘blue bloods’ – otherwise normal humans whose blood has turned blue after they came into contact with UFOs.
Dr. Hyodo (Okada Eiji) speaks about the existence of aliens at an international conference and, soon afterward, is kidnapped by mysterious foreigners (i.e., aliens of the human variety).
Minami (Nakadai Tatsuya), a dogged reporter for a national broadcaster, sets out to investigate Hyodo’s disappearance.
Meanwhile a young actress (Arai Harumi) is cast as the lead heroine in the broadcaster’s new drama, but is arrested on a drug charge and, her future ruined, commits suicide. Minami talks to her entertainment reporter boyfriend (Okada Yusuke), who tells him the dead actress was a ‘blue blood.’ Minami begins to suspect an undeclared government war against the ‘blue blood’ threat.
As the number of ‘blue bloods’ continues to rise, the Cabinet decides to require blood tests from all citizens, stirring up protests. But prejudice against ‘blue bloods’ spreads as well.
Then, as Christmas approaches, Oki is given secret orders and, before he takes up his assignment, meets and makes love to Saeko. Afterwards, he sees a blue stain on the bed…
A rarity as a Japanese SF film that treats the alien invasion theme seriously, Blue Christmas was released as a year-end holiday movie, with distributor Toho hoping to draw in audiences with an all-star cast and a tragic love story wrapped in trendy SF package. Unfortunately, Blue Christmas was a box office disappointment, being more of a sober social drama than a Star Wars-like entertainment.
In later years, Blue Christmas acquired a cult reputation though even today it divides film fans in Japan, with some declaring it a flawed masterpiece, others a complete misfire.
Does it still speak to us today, when government surveillance of ‘alien elements’ is so much more sophisticated, and hatred and fear of the ‘alien other’ still rages around the world? Merry viewing…