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KITANO
EN SUEDE
Gothenburg, SvD :
Takeshi Kitano has a stoneface like Buster Keaton, but like
the old silentfilm actor you can sense a lot of feelings under
the surface. Kitano is not by coincidence Japans most populuar
actor. In Gothenburg he is definitly the star of the film festival.
In Sweden we only know him as hardboiled cop in Violent Cop
or as just as hard gangster in Boiling Point, but in Japan he
is most know as a comedian. He is on the TV every night as a
stand-up comedian, in situation comedies or as a TV host. Apart
from that he also writes articles and books, and performs on
records.
He started his filmcareer in the eigthies as Sergeant Hara Nagisa
against David Bowie in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, he also
played a role in Robert Longos Johnny Mnemonic, but it is his
japanese films that have giving him world reputation. So far
he has written, direct and starred in seven films starting with
Violent Cop that came 1989. His artistical acknowledgement he
got with Hana-Bi, that won the Golden Lion in Venice in August
last year. Here he once again plays a police, but the tone is
different from the previous films. He plays a disillusionalised
policeman. His wife is sick from cancer and his best friend
and partner is seriously wounded during a shootout. Both of
them needs his help but he lacks the money. In the he decides
to rob a bank.
Kitano speaks no english, he has an english speaking interpreter
with him as well as his producer and a photographer who is documenting
every step this big little humble man takes in Gothenburg
- I knew very little about cinematic grammar when I made my
first films. I have learned tactics and strategy, just like
in soccer orbaseball, on the way.
- My mother was very hard. I wasn't allowed to read novels or
comicbooks when I grew up, I should only study. At the university
I studied to become an engineer so I had no contact with the
classical japanese or the western culture at that time either.
He gives as an example that he hasn't read "the Pillow Book",
a famous japanese collection of essays that Peter Greenaway
based his film on. He hasn't even seen the film.
- Sometimes it's good not to know to much about the japanese
culture, so that you get to influenced by it.
The reason that his films pictures a very violent Japan is because
it's a part of his childhood.
- I'm not facinated by violence but I grew up in a very tough
neighborhood in Tokyo were the yakuza (the japanese maffia)
rulaed just as naturally as I describe it.
- Japan has has always been violent, but the authoraties have
never wanted to show that side to the western tourists. With
Hana-BiKitano has at last establised himself as a filmmaker
even in Japan.
- Before that I was to famous as a filmcomedian to be concerned
as a serious director. Now I'm know as both.
To all his other talents he has also included painting. The
pictures, painted by his police partner are made by Kitano.
It was after a serious car accident [motorcycle accident, translators
note] in 1994 that he started to paint.
- I had never held a paintbrush before that. I got a very hard
stroke in the head and after that I was convinced that I would
become some kind of genius. I would become a new van Gogh, but
I didn't.
But he is good enough to have had an exibition and have got
good critisism. His next film will be about a boy [or girl,
translators note] that visits his mother who he has been seperated
from for a long time, a relationship drama all without violence.
- I want to see if I can make a film about ordinary people living
ordinary lives. Thats my new challenge.
Jeanette Gentele
From Svenska Dagbladet 6 february 1998
Translated by Ferdinand Kjellin
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