Hana-bi
Encyclopedia
, released in the US as "Fireworks", is a 1997
Japanese film
written, directed and edited by, and starring Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano
. The film's score was composed by renowned Japanese composer
Joe Hisaishi
. This was their fourth collaboration. is the Japanese
word for "fireworks".
The unexpected international success of Hana-bi, coupled with Sonatine
's critical acclaim, established Kitano as a foremost Japanese filmmaker of his time.
Kitano's daughter and former singer Shoko Kitano also made a cameo, playing a nameless girl flying a kite in the film's closing scenes.
), needing to use a wheelchair. After his retirement he spends much of his time looking after his wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto
), who has leukemia
. The film moves at a deliberate pace and devotes much time to exploring their relationship. Nishi has also borrowed money from the Yakuza
to pay for his wife's needs, and is having difficulty repaying them. Meanwhile, Horibe takes up painting and creates works of art that are surrealistic and beautiful.
. Horibe, like Kitano, is a pointillist
. In reality, these paintings were painted by Kitano himself, whilst in recovery from an infamous motorcycle accident in August 1994 that left half of his face paralysed.
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.
covers.
Japanese films of 1997
A list of films released in Japan in 1997 .-1997:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
Japanese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
written, directed and edited by, and starring Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
. The film's score was composed by renowned Japanese composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi
, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
. This was their fourth collaboration. is the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word for "fireworks".
The unexpected international success of Hana-bi, coupled with Sonatine
Sonatine
is a 1993 Japanese film by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base.-Plot:Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life...
's critical acclaim, established Kitano as a foremost Japanese filmmaker of his time.
Kitano's daughter and former singer Shoko Kitano also made a cameo, playing a nameless girl flying a kite in the film's closing scenes.
Synopsis
Kitano plays Nishi, a violent and unpredictable police detective who quits the force after a terrible incident results in his partner, Horibe (Ren OsugiRen Osugi
, born , is a Japanese actor. For his work in Cure, Hana-bi and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival...
), needing to use a wheelchair. After his retirement he spends much of his time looking after his wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto
Kayoko Kishimoto
is an actress.She has appeared in several of Takeshi Kitano's films, such as Hana-bi, Kikujiro and Dolls. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for Kikujiro.-Biography:...
), who has leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. The film moves at a deliberate pace and devotes much time to exploring their relationship. Nishi has also borrowed money from the Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
to pay for his wife's needs, and is having difficulty repaying them. Meanwhile, Horibe takes up painting and creates works of art that are surrealistic and beautiful.
Production
Nishi's scenes are interspersed with Horibe's, who has taken up painting in order to compensate for his paralysisParalysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
. Horibe, like Kitano, is a pointillist
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
. In reality, these paintings were painted by Kitano himself, whilst in recovery from an infamous motorcycle accident in August 1994 that left half of his face paralysed.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack CD was first released in 1998 and 1999 by Milan Records, then reissued by Polydor.All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.
- "Hana-bi" 3:42
- "Angel" 2:41
- "Sea of Blue" 3:29
- "...and Alone" 2:29
- "Ever Love" 2:15
- "Painters" 5:57
- "Smile and Smile" 2:55
- "Heaven's Gate" 4:59
- "Tenderness" 2:31
- "Thank You... for Everything" 7:09
- "Hana-bi (Reprise)" 3:41
Acclaim
- The movie earned the Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
award at the prestigious Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
and numerous other accolades. - CriticsFilm criticismFilm criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
praised the film, and it is possibly Kitano's most acclaimed film. AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
critic Roger EbertRoger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
rated it three stars out of four, citing its unusual approach toward serenity and brutality, calling it "a Charles BronsonCharles BronsonCharles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
Death WishDeath Wish (film)Death Wish is a 1974 crime thriller film loosely based on the novel Death Wish by Brian Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted by muggers.The film was...
movie so drained of story, cliché, convention and plot that nothing is left, except pure form and impulse." It was successful in its limited theatrical release, being praised especially in artArt filmAn art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
circles, and won numerous awards and nominations.
Title
The film title is sometimes listed as "Hana-bi", "hana-bi" or "Hanabi" on the covers of international DVD releases and other references to the film in the West. However, the official international title is actually HANA-BI, fully capitalized, and is used on all Japanese licensed products, including theatrical posters, video covers and OSTSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
covers.
External links
- Hana-bi at the Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as JMDB, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, but lists only those films originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...
(in Japanese) - Hana-Bi at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...