The Messenger 11.28.07

“Ringu (The Ring),” the last movie in the 2007 Modern Foreign Languages Foreign Film Series, is scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“Ringu” is the original horror film that was remade as a commercially-successful American film in 2002.
Its plot concerns a young journalist named Reiko who, after the death of her niece, learns of a mysterious videotape that causes the death of whomever views it in seven days. Skeptical, she views the tape and, to her horror, becomes convinced that she only has seven days to discover the origin of the videotape. She eventually travels to a volcanic island, where she discovers a very peculiar little girl named Sadako.
“Ringu” differs from the U.S. film in terms of its acting and suspense; while it may not feature as many startling moments, the original version is remarkable for its superior character development and cinematography. Based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, “Ringu” is the highest-grossing horror film in Japanese history. The movie is directed by Hideo Nakata and stars Nanako Matsushima and Hiroyuki Sanada.
It will be introduced by Kyoko Hammond, lecturer of Japanese.
Each foreign film is in its original foreign language and contains English subtitles. All foreign film series movies are free and open to the public.
The film series is funded by the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Student Activities Council.