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INDEX
Many
Chinese and East Asian films are very successful due to their fantastic
creativity and innovation.
Here
are a selection that deserve your attention.
This article was also featured in Japan
Zone.
Rawle
Austin presents...
An
Audience with Seijun Suzuki – The Legendary Maverick Japanese Film
Director
I
went to meet Seijun Suzuki at a London hotel which had been organised
by Chris Barwick of Yume Pictures.
For
someone in his early eighties Suzuki was very sprightly for his
age despite the fact he had a breathing aid in the form of an oxygen
tube connected to a mobile tank which he carried around on a mini
trolley.
He
walked around the hotel foyer very quickly and I couldn’t
help but be impressed by his indomitable spirit and infectious smile.
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He
clearly has a joy for life and wasn’t going to allow any mere trifle
such as age get in his way. Seijun Suzuki is a world renowned film director
who has inspired countless directors over his long career.
Among
the notable films he’s directed include the two yakuza thrillers
Tokyo Drifter (1966) and Branded to Kill (1967) and also Lupin the Third:
The Golden Legend of Babylon (1985).
Suzuki
has been creating movies in Japan for over 30 years and has a huge global
cult following.
A
host of media players had gathered to meet this living legend and,
understandably, towards the end of the afternoon he was a little
tired.
On
finally meeting him I was struck by his humility and graciousness.
He had come to London with his partner,Takako Sueyoshi, his interpreter
Mika Ko and producer friend, Kazuhiro Kimura.
In
London to promote his new film Princess
Raccoon (Operetta tanuki goten) starring Zhang Ziyi, I briefly
spoke to him to get a few words from the genius. |
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Rawle
Austin: Who inspired you to make movies?
Seijun
Suzuki: No one particularly. All the film directors in the world.
RA:
How did you first get into film making?
SS:
After World War 2 there was a job shortage. I had no intention to
get into film making but it just happened.
There
was nothing else to do
RA:
What do you enjoy most about making movies?
SS:
The time before shooting the film is the most enjoyable. In particular
[I mostly enjoy] the process of choosing the actors. |
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RA:
How would you describe the film Princess Raccoon to our readers?
SS:
It’s a mixture of singing, dancing and romance.
RA:
How would you describe working with actress Zhang Ziyi?
SS:
It was really good.
RA:
What was your favourite experience during making this movie?
SS:
The most enjoyable moment was when the actors were singing.
I
cannot decide if there was one favourite piece of the film, the
film is the piece.
I
didn’t have one favourite experience. There were so many.
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RA:
What advice would you give to young movie directors starting out?
SS:
I want to get advice from them rather than giving them advice.
RA:
And finally, how would you describe today’s Japan?
SS:
It’s democratic. END OF INTERVIEW.
And
there it was. Brief and poignant.
He
posed for some photos with his entourage and then said his farewells.
It was a real pleasure to meet him.
Princess
Raccoon came out on DVD on 25 September 2006. It is well worth seeing. |
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Seijun
Suzuki was born 24 May 1923 in Nihonbashi, Japan.
His
creative ideas for films were way ahead of their time and, in 1967, this
resulted in him being, for all intents and purposes, blacklisted from
making movies in Japan for ten years.
This
was due to his films’ perceived complicated storylines. Storylines
which ironically today are commonplace in films worldwide.
Suzuki’s
classic films have been undergoing a revival of late with leading
film distributor Yume Pictures releasing a ‘Suzuki Collection’.
This
is a compilation of his greatest films including Pistol Opera (2002),
The Fighting Elegy (1966), The Flowers and the Angry Waves and the
Fighting Delinquents.
For
more information please see Yume’s website at www.yumepictures.co.uk |
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Meet
Niu Niu - Young Piano Master!>
<Warrior
King (Tom Yum Goong)
Check out
Dianying.com for an extensive
database of Chinese films.
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