Takeshi Kitano
Encyclopedia
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 Nagaharu Yodogawa
once dubbed him "the true successor" to influential filmmaker Akira Kurosawa
. With the exception of his works as a film director, he is known almost exclusively by the name . Since April 2005, he has been a professor at the Graduate School of Visual Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. Kitano owns his own talent agency and production company, Office Kitano
, which launched Tokyo Filmex
in 2000.
Some of Kitano's earlier films are dramas about Yakuza
gangster
s or the police. Described by critics as using an acting style that is highly deadpan
or a camera style that approaches near-stasis, Kitano often uses long takes where nothing appears to be happening, or editing that cuts immediately to the aftermath of an event. Many of his films express a bleak or nihilistic
philosophy, but they are also filled with a great deal of humor and affection for their characters. Kitano's films leave paradoxical impressions and can seem controversial.
The Japanese public knows him primarily as a TV host and comedian, and he is well remembered for the leading role of the comedy show Oretachi Hyōkin-zoku (1981–1989) and for the game show Takeshi's Castle
(1986–1989). His portrayal of Zatōichi
in the 2003 movie is his biggest domestic commercial success.
He hosts a weekly television program called Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle (ビートたけしのTVタックル), a kind of panel discussion among entertainers and politicians regarding controversial current events.
In 2010 the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain
in Paris held a one-man show displaying his paintings and installations. A room in the basement played a 12-hour loop of his work as a TV host.
in 1947. After dropping out of Meiji University
, where he studied engineering for four years, he found work as an elevator operator in a strip club and learned a great deal about the business from the comedian
Senzaburo Fukami. When one of the club's regular performers fell ill, Kitano took his place on stage, and a new career was born.
In the 1970s, he formed a comic duo with his friend Kiyoshi Kaneko. They took on the stage names Beat Takeshi and Beat Kiyoshi; together referring to themselves as Two Beat (sometimes romanized as The Two Beats). This sort of duo stand-up comedy
, known as manzai
in Japan, usually features a great deal of high-speed back-and-forth banter between the two performers. Kiyoshi played the straight man
(tsukkomi) against Takeshi's funny man
(boke). In 1976, they performed on television for the first time and became a success, propelling their act onto the national stage. The reason for their popularity had much to do with Kitano's material, which was much more risqué than traditional manzai. The targets of his jokes were often the socially vulnerable, including the elderly, the handicapped, the poor, children, women, the ugly and the stupid. Complaints to the broadcaster led to censorship
of some of Kitano's jokes and the editing of offensive dialogue.
Kitano confirmed in a video interview that he was forbidden to access the NHK
studios for five years for having exposed his body during a show when it was totally forbidden.
Although Two Beat was one of the most successful acts of its kind during the late 1970s and 1980s, Kitano decided to go solo and the duo was dissolved. Some autobiographical elements relating to his manzai career can be found in his film Kids Return
(1996). Beat Kiyoshi has a bit part in Kitano's 1999 film Kikujiro
as "Man at the bus stop".
Many of Kitano's routines involved him portraying a gangster or other harsh character, and his first major film role, in Nagisa Oshima
's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
(where he starred opposite Tom Conti
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
and David Bowie
), featured him cast as a tough (but sympathetic) POW camp
sergeant during World War II
. He also attracted attention for playing the role of a serial rapist-killer Kiyoshi Ōkubo
in a TV drama.
After several other roles, mostly comedic, in 1989 he was cast as the lead in Violent Cop
(Sono Otoko, Kyōbō ni Tsuki), playing a sociopathic detective who responds to every situation with violence. When the original director (Kinji Fukasaku
) fell ill, Kitano offered to step in, and rewrote the script heavily. The result was a financial and critical success in Japan, and the beginning of Kitano's career as a filmmaker.
Kitano's second film as director and first film as screenwriter
, released in 1990, was Boiling Point (3-4X Jūgatsu). Masahiko Ono plays the lead role of a young man whose baseball
coach is threatened by the local yakuza. He and a friend travel to Okinawa to purchase guns so they can get revenge, but along the way they are befriended by a psychotic gangster played by Kitano, who is plotting his own revenge. With complete control of the script and direction, Kitano uses this film to cement his style: shocking violence, bizarre black humor and stoically shot 'still' scenes. In spite of this, the film was considered a failure and did not recover its production costs upon initial release.
Kitano's third film, A Scene at the Sea
(Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi), was released in 1991. It featured no gangsters, but instead a deaf garbage collector who is determined to learn how to surf
after discovering a broken surfboard
while working. A young girl (also deaf) follows his progress and is quick to assist him wherever possible. Kitano's more delicate, romantic side came to the fore here, along with his trademark deadpan approach.
Foreign audiences (that would outnumber his domestic audience in the coming years) began to take notice of Kitano after the 1993 release of Sonatine
. Kitano plays a Tokyo
yakuza
who is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war there. He is tired of gangster life, and when he finds out the whole mission is a ruse, he welcomes what comes with open arms.
The 1995 release of Getting Any?
(Minna Yatteruka!) showed Kitano returning to his comedic roots. This Airplane!
-like assemblage of comedic scenes, all centering loosely around a Walter Mitty
-type character trying to have sex in a car, met with little acclaim in Japan. Much of the film satirizes popular Japanese culture, such as Ultraman
or Godzilla
and even the Zatoichi
character that Kitano himself would go on to play eight years later. That year Kitano also appeared in the film adaptation of William Gibson
's Johnny Mnemonic
(1995), although his on-screen time was greatly reduced for the American cut of the film.
In August 1994, Kitano was involved in a motorcycle
accident and suffered injuries that caused the paralysis
of one side of his body, and required extensive surgery
to regain the use of his facial muscles. (The severity of his injuries was apparently due to the fact that he was not wearing a helmet.) Kitano later stated that the accident was actually an "unconscious suicide attempt". Some speculated that the depression leading to the accident may explain the nihilistic atmosphere of his early films. Many in the foreign press speculated that he might never be able to work again. Kitano made Kids Return
in 1996, soon after his recovery. At the time it became his most successful film yet in his native Japan
.
After his motorcycle accident, Kitano took up painting. His bright, simplified style is reminiscent of Marc Chagall
. His paintings have been published in books, featured in gallery exhibitions, and adorn the covers of many of the soundtrack albums for his films. His paintings were featured prominently in his most critically acclaimed film, 1997's HANA-BI
(released as Fireworks in North America). Although for years already Kitano's largest audience had been the foreign arthouse crowd, HANA-BI cemented his status internationally as one of Japan's foremost modern filmmakers.
Among his most significant roles were Nagisa Oshima
's 1999 film Taboo
(Gohatto), where he played Captain Hijikata Toshizo
of the Shinsengumi
. Kikujiro
(Kikujirō no Natsu), released in 1999, featured Kitano as a ne'er-do-well crook who winds up paired up with a young boy looking for his mother, and goes on a series of misadventures with him.
Kitano plays Kitano in Battle Royale
(2000), a controversial Japanese blockbuster
set in a bleak dystopia
n future where a group of teenagers are randomly selected each year to kill each other on a deserted island.
Brother
(2000), shot in Los Angeles
, had Kitano as a deposed Tokyo yakuza setting up a drug empire in L.A. with the aid of a local gangster played by Omar Epps
. Despite a large buzz around Kitano's first English language film, the film was met with tepid response in the US and abroad. Dolls
(2002) had Kitano directing but not starring in a film with three different stories about undying love; it met with largely favorable critical and public reception.
Between the disappointing response to Brother and Dolls, Kitano became a punching bag
for the press in the United States. Criticism was less severe in Europe and Asia though many commentators were not as lavish with their praise as they had been with previous Kitano films. 2003's Zatōichi
, in which Kitano directed and starred, silenced many of these dissenters. With a new take on the character from Shintaro Katsu
's long-running film and TV series
, Zatōichi was Kitano's biggest box office success in Japan
, did quite well in limited release across the world, and won countless awards at home and abroad, including the Silver Lion award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival
.
Kitano's film, Takeshis'
was released in Japan in November 2005 with an unusual tagline, reading "500% Kitano – Nothing to Add!" in English.
Kitano used to be a regular collaborator with composer Joe Hisaishi
, who has created scores
for many of his films. However, during the making of Dolls
they had an argument, apparently over which tunes to include on the film's soundtrack, and have not worked together since.
Kitano has written over fifty books of poetry, film criticism, and several novels, a few of which have also been adapted into movies by other directors. Kitano was also notorious for four video games released on the Nintendo Famicom
(NES) including Takeshi no Chōsenjō (roughly translated as Takeshi's Challenge) by Taito Corporation
.
He has also become a popular television host. Takeshi's Castle
, a game show
hosted in the 1980s by Kitano featuring slapstick-style physical contests, has gained cult popularity in the United States (where portions are broadcast on Spike TV
as MXC
, formerly Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) and in the United Kingdom
where it was given a voiceover by Craig Charles
, though these feature very little of Takeshi Kitano as they are heavily edited. In Italy
, the program was known as Mai dire Banzai with Kitano's character renamed Mashiro Tamigi. It was commented by Gialappa's Band
and helped launch their career in Italian TV. Takeshi's Castle has also become a popular hit among kids & adults in India (with vernacular commentary by the actor comedian Javed Jaffri) after being broadcast on a popular kids channel (POGO). This show also appeared and became famous in Indonesia.
More recently, he hosted Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin
(roughly meaning "People of Japan, This Doesn't Make Sense!"), a talk show
where a large panel of Japanese-speaking foreigners from around the world debate current issues in Japanese society. Another of his shows is Sekai Marumie ("The World Exposed"), a weekly collection of various interesting video clips from around the world, often focusing on the weird aspects of other countries, and with a regular section on daring rescues, taken from the American program Rescue 911
. On this show, he plays the child-like idiot, insulting the guests, and usually appears with kigurumi
and wearing strange costumes during the show.
The now internationally acclaimed Takeshi Kitano was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Science
in engineering by Meiji University
on September 7, 2004, 34 years after he dropped out to pursue his career in entertainment.
He was an early supporter of enka
singer Kiyoshi Hikawa
, and actually gave Hikawa his stage name.
On January 21, 2007, his former comic pupil Hideo Higashikokubaru ran for governor of Miyazaki prefecture
and was elected.
, and professor at Meiji University
. He has appeared in several Japanese television shows.
Kitano married Mikiko Kitano in 1978. She is a former manzai
comedian. Together they have a son, Atsushi Kitano, and a daughter, Shoko Kitano. Shoko is a former singer and actress. She made her debut as a singer (produced by X Japan
co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi) and also appeared as "Shoko Matsuda" (Matsuda was her mother's maiden name) in her father's film Hana-bi
in 1997.
of France.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, singer, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, film editor, presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
work. The famed Japanese film critic Nagaharu Yodogawa
Nagaharu Yodogawa
was a prominent Japanese film critic, film historian, and television personality. Members of both the Japanese and foreign press have referred to him as the "giant of film critiques", a "cultural institution", as well as "Japan's most famous movie critic"....
once dubbed him "the true successor" to influential filmmaker Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
. With the exception of his works as a film director, he is known almost exclusively by the name . Since April 2005, he has been a professor at the Graduate School of Visual Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. Kitano owns his own talent agency and production company, Office Kitano
Office Kitano
Office Kitano is a Japanese talent management and film production company founded and managed by Takeshi Kitano. It launched the Tokyo Filmex in 2000....
, which launched Tokyo Filmex
Tokyo Filmex
Tokyo Filmex is an annual film festival established in 2000. This film festival was launched by Office Kitano, which is Takeshi Kitano's film company.For now, Office Kitano remains as one of the main partners for Tokyo Filmex....
in 2000.
Some of Kitano's earlier films are dramas about 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...
gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
s or the police. Described by critics as using an acting style that is highly deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
or a camera style that approaches near-stasis, Kitano often uses long takes where nothing appears to be happening, or editing that cuts immediately to the aftermath of an event. Many of his films express a bleak or nihilistic
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
philosophy, but they are also filled with a great deal of humor and affection for their characters. Kitano's films leave paradoxical impressions and can seem controversial.
The Japanese public knows him primarily as a TV host and comedian, and he is well remembered for the leading role of the comedy show Oretachi Hyōkin-zoku (1981–1989) and for the game show Takeshi's Castle
Takeshi's Castle
was a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
(1986–1989). His portrayal of Zatōichi
Zatoichi (2003 film)
is a 2003 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano as his eleventh film. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman....
in the 2003 movie is his biggest domestic commercial success.
He hosts a weekly television program called Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle (ビートたけしのTVタックル), a kind of panel discussion among entertainers and politicians regarding controversial current events.
In 2010 the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain
Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain
The Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, often known simply as the Fondation Cartier, is a contemporary art museum located at 261 boulevard Raspail in the 14th arrondissement of the French capital, Paris...
in Paris held a one-man show displaying his paintings and installations. A room in the basement played a 12-hour loop of his work as a TV host.
Biography
Kitano was born in Umejima, Adachi, TokyoAdachi, Tokyo
is one of the Special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is located north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of the Arakawa River...
in 1947. After dropping out of Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
, where he studied engineering for four years, he found work as an elevator operator in a strip club and learned a great deal about the business from the comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Senzaburo Fukami. When one of the club's regular performers fell ill, Kitano took his place on stage, and a new career was born.
In the 1970s, he formed a comic duo with his friend Kiyoshi Kaneko. They took on the stage names Beat Takeshi and Beat Kiyoshi; together referring to themselves as Two Beat (sometimes romanized as The Two Beats). This sort of duo stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, known as manzai
Manzai
is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
in Japan, usually features a great deal of high-speed back-and-forth banter between the two performers. Kiyoshi played the straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
(tsukkomi) against Takeshi's funny man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
(boke). In 1976, they performed on television for the first time and became a success, propelling their act onto the national stage. The reason for their popularity had much to do with Kitano's material, which was much more risqué than traditional manzai. The targets of his jokes were often the socially vulnerable, including the elderly, the handicapped, the poor, children, women, the ugly and the stupid. Complaints to the broadcaster led to censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
of some of Kitano's jokes and the editing of offensive dialogue.
Kitano confirmed in a video interview that he was forbidden to access the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
studios for five years for having exposed his body during a show when it was totally forbidden.
Although Two Beat was one of the most successful acts of its kind during the late 1970s and 1980s, Kitano decided to go solo and the duo was dissolved. Some autobiographical elements relating to his manzai career can be found in his film Kids Return
Kids Return
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Meet Again" 5:02#"Graduation" 1:07#"Angel Doll" 2:21#"Alone" 1:15#"As a Rival" 1:29#"Promise... for Us" 5:08#"Next Round" 1:28#"Destiny" 3:31#"I Don't Care" 2:18#"High Spirits" 2:03#"Defeat" 2:29#"Break Down" 3:46...
(1996). Beat Kiyoshi has a bit part in Kitano's 1999 film Kikujiro
Kikujiro
The album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...
as "Man at the bus stop".
Many of Kitano's routines involved him portraying a gangster or other harsh character, and his first major film role, in Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a 1983 film directed by Nagisa Oshima, produced by Jeremy Thomas and starring Jack Thompson, David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yuya Uchida, and Takeshi Kitano.It was written by Oshima and Paul Mayersberg and based on Laurens van der Post's experiences...
(where he starred opposite Tom Conti
Tom Conti
Thomas "Tom" Conti is a Scottish actor, theatre director and novelist.-Early life:Born Thomas Conti in Paisley, Renfrewshire, he was brought up Roman Catholic, but he considers himself anti-religious...
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
), featured him cast as a tough (but sympathetic) POW camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
sergeant during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He also attracted attention for playing the role of a serial rapist-killer Kiyoshi Ōkubo
Kiyoshi Okubo
was a Japanese serial killer. Between March 31, 1971 and May 10, 1971, he raped and murdered eight women, ages 16 to 21. He used a pen name, Tanigawa Ivan .- Early life :...
in a TV drama.
Violent Cop
is a 1989 Japanese film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It was Kitano's directorial debut, and marked the beginning of his career as a filmmaker.-Synopsis:...
(Sono Otoko, Kyōbō ni Tsuki), playing a sociopathic detective who responds to every situation with violence. When the original director (Kinji Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
) fell ill, Kitano offered to step in, and rewrote the script heavily. The result was a financial and critical success in Japan, and the beginning of Kitano's career as a filmmaker.
Kitano's second film as director and first film as screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, released in 1990, was Boiling Point (3-4X Jūgatsu). Masahiko Ono plays the lead role of a young man whose baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach is threatened by the local yakuza. He and a friend travel to Okinawa to purchase guns so they can get revenge, but along the way they are befriended by a psychotic gangster played by Kitano, who is plotting his own revenge. With complete control of the script and direction, Kitano uses this film to cement his style: shocking violence, bizarre black humor and stoically shot 'still' scenes. In spite of this, the film was considered a failure and did not recover its production costs upon initial release.
Kitano's third film, A Scene at the Sea
A Scene at the Sea
is a 1991 Japanese film written and directed by Takeshi Kitano.This movie was a break from previous Kitano fare in that it features no gangsters or police...
(Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi), was released in 1991. It featured no gangsters, but instead a deaf garbage collector who is determined to learn how to surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
after discovering a broken surfboard
Surfboard
A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...
while working. A young girl (also deaf) follows his progress and is quick to assist him wherever possible. Kitano's more delicate, romantic side came to the fore here, along with his trademark deadpan approach.
Foreign audiences (that would outnumber his domestic audience in the coming years) began to take notice of Kitano after the 1993 release of 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...
. Kitano plays a Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
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...
who is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war there. He is tired of gangster life, and when he finds out the whole mission is a ruse, he welcomes what comes with open arms.
The 1995 release of Getting Any?
Getting Any?
is a 1995 Japanese film, written, directed, edited, and starring, Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.Yatteru is the colloquial form for yatteiru , yatteru coming from the Japanese verb yaru, which is an informal word meaning 'to do', and has become slang for sexual intercourse.Getting Any? is best...
(Minna Yatteruka!) showed Kitano returning to his comedic roots. This Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
-like assemblage of comedic scenes, all centering loosely around a Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in the New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World and Welcome to It in 1942...
-type character trying to have sex in a car, met with little acclaim in Japan. Much of the film satirizes popular Japanese culture, such as Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
or Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
and even the Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
character that Kitano himself would go on to play eight years later. That year Kitano also appeared in the film adaptation of William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
's Johnny Mnemonic
Johnny Mnemonic (film)
Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic" by William Gibson. The title character, a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information, is played by Keanu Reeves. The film portrays Gibson's dystopian view of the future with the world...
(1995), although his on-screen time was greatly reduced for the American cut of the film.
In August 1994, Kitano was involved in a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident and suffered injuries that caused the paralysis
Paralysis
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...
of one side of his body, and required extensive surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
to regain the use of his facial muscles. (The severity of his injuries was apparently due to the fact that he was not wearing a helmet.) Kitano later stated that the accident was actually an "unconscious suicide attempt". Some speculated that the depression leading to the accident may explain the nihilistic atmosphere of his early films. Many in the foreign press speculated that he might never be able to work again. Kitano made Kids Return
Kids Return
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Meet Again" 5:02#"Graduation" 1:07#"Angel Doll" 2:21#"Alone" 1:15#"As a Rival" 1:29#"Promise... for Us" 5:08#"Next Round" 1:28#"Destiny" 3:31#"I Don't Care" 2:18#"High Spirits" 2:03#"Defeat" 2:29#"Break Down" 3:46...
in 1996, soon after his recovery. At the time it became his most successful film yet in his native Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
After his motorcycle accident, Kitano took up painting. His bright, simplified style is reminiscent of Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
. His paintings have been published in books, featured in gallery exhibitions, and adorn the covers of many of the soundtrack albums for his films. His paintings were featured prominently in his most critically acclaimed film, 1997's HANA-BI
Hana-bi
, 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...
(released as Fireworks in North America). Although for years already Kitano's largest audience had been the foreign arthouse crowd, HANA-BI cemented his status internationally as one of Japan's foremost modern filmmakers.
Among his most significant roles were Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
's 1999 film Taboo
Taboo (1999 film)
is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Ōshima. It shows life in a samurai training school during the bakumatsu period, the end of the samurai era in the mid-19th century, specifically concentrating on the issue of homosexuality in the shudō tradition in the partially-closed environment.-Plot...
(Gohatto), where he played Captain Hijikata Toshizo
Hijikata Toshizo
was the vice-commander of Shinsengumi, a great swordsman and a talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration.-Background:...
of the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
. Kikujiro
Kikujiro
The album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...
(Kikujirō no Natsu), released in 1999, featured Kitano as a ne'er-do-well crook who winds up paired up with a young boy looking for his mother, and goes on a series of misadventures with him.
Kitano plays Kitano in Battle Royale
Battle Royale (film)
is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano. The film aroused international controversy.A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed...
(2000), a controversial Japanese blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
set in a bleak dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n future where a group of teenagers are randomly selected each year to kill each other on a deserted island.
Brother
Brother (2000 film)
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Drifter... in LAX"#"Solitude"#"Tattoo"#"Death Spiral"#"Party "#"On the Shore"#"Blood Brother"#"Raging Men"#"Beyond the Control"#"Wipe Out"#"Liberation from the Death"#"I Love You, Aniki"#"Ballade"...
(2000), shot in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, had Kitano as a deposed Tokyo yakuza setting up a drug empire in L.A. with the aid of a local gangster played by Omar Epps
Omar Epps
Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His film roles include Major League II, Juice, Higher Learning, Scream 2, The Wood, In Too Deep, and Love and Basketball. Epps' television work includes the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the US medical drama series ER,...
. Despite a large buzz around Kitano's first English language film, the film was met with tepid response in the US and abroad. Dolls
Dolls (film)
is a 2002 Japanese film written, edited and directed by Japanese director Takeshi Kitano. A highly stylized art film, Dolls is part of Kitano's non-crime film oeuvre, like 1991's A Scene at the Sea, and unlike most of his other films, he does not act in it...
(2002) had Kitano directing but not starring in a film with three different stories about undying love; it met with largely favorable critical and public reception.
Between the disappointing response to Brother and Dolls, Kitano became a punching bag
Punching bag
A punching bag or punch-bag is a sturdy bag designed to be repeatedly punched. It's used for conditioning, physical exercise, and stress relief...
for the press in the United States. Criticism was less severe in Europe and Asia though many commentators were not as lavish with their praise as they had been with previous Kitano films. 2003's Zatōichi
Zatoichi (2003 film)
is a 2003 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano as his eleventh film. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman....
, in which Kitano directed and starred, silenced many of these dissenters. With a new take on the character from Shintaro Katsu
Shintaro Katsu
, born Toshio Okumura was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director...
's long-running film and TV series
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
, Zatōichi was Kitano's biggest box office success in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, did quite well in limited release across the world, and won countless awards at home and abroad, including the Silver Lion award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The 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...
.
Kitano's film, Takeshis'
Takeshis'
Takeshis' is a 2005 Japanese film directed, written, edited by, and starring Takeshi Kitano. It is the first film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, being followed by Glory to the Filmmaker!, and Achilles and the Tortoise....
was released in Japan in November 2005 with an unusual tagline, reading "500% Kitano – Nothing to Add!" in English.
Kitano used to be a regular collaborator with composer 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,...
, who has created scores
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for many of his films. However, during the making of Dolls
Dolls (film)
is a 2002 Japanese film written, edited and directed by Japanese director Takeshi Kitano. A highly stylized art film, Dolls is part of Kitano's non-crime film oeuvre, like 1991's A Scene at the Sea, and unlike most of his other films, he does not act in it...
they had an argument, apparently over which tunes to include on the film's soundtrack, and have not worked together since.
Kitano has written over fifty books of poetry, film criticism, and several novels, a few of which have also been adapted into movies by other directors. Kitano was also notorious for four video games released on the Nintendo Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) including Takeshi no Chōsenjō (roughly translated as Takeshi's Challenge) by Taito Corporation
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
.
He has also become a popular television host. Takeshi's Castle
Takeshi's Castle
was a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
, a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
hosted in the 1980s by Kitano featuring slapstick-style physical contests, has gained cult popularity in the United States (where portions are broadcast on Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
as MXC
MXC
MXC was an American comedy television program that aired on Spike TV from 2003 to 2007. It is a re-edit of footage from the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989...
, formerly Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where it was given a voiceover by Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
, though these feature very little of Takeshi Kitano as they are heavily edited. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the program was known as Mai dire Banzai with Kitano's character renamed Mashiro Tamigi. It was commented by Gialappa's Band
Gialappa's Band
Gialappa's Band is the name used by Marco Santin , Carlo Taranto and Giorgio Gherarducci , the Italian trio of TV and radio commentators.-Overview:...
and helped launch their career in Italian TV. Takeshi's Castle has also become a popular hit among kids & adults in India (with vernacular commentary by the actor comedian Javed Jaffri) after being broadcast on a popular kids channel (POGO). This show also appeared and became famous in Indonesia.
More recently, he hosted Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin
Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin
was a Japanese TV show that was broadcast weekly from 1998 to 2002.It consisted of two panels: One was a group of Japanese celebrities notably consisting of Takeshi Kitano, Konishiki, Rui Ramos, and Terry Itō. The other panel was a pool of 100 Japanese-speaking expatriates from around the world...
(roughly meaning "People of Japan, This Doesn't Make Sense!"), a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
where a large panel of Japanese-speaking foreigners from around the world debate current issues in Japanese society. Another of his shows is Sekai Marumie ("The World Exposed"), a weekly collection of various interesting video clips from around the world, often focusing on the weird aspects of other countries, and with a regular section on daring rescues, taken from the American program Rescue 911
Rescue 911
Rescue 911 is an informational reality-based television series, hosted by William Shatner. Originally intended to be only a set of three TV specials, Rescue 911 was picked up by CBS for the 1989 fall season after two specials aired on April 18, 1989 and May 9, 1989...
. On this show, he plays the child-like idiot, insulting the guests, and usually appears with kigurumi
Kigurumi
is the Japanese name for costumed performers who represent cartoon characters, often animals. The name comes from the Japanese verb and noun . These performers appear at shopping malls, theme parks, and anime conventions...
and wearing strange costumes during the show.
The now internationally acclaimed Takeshi Kitano was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in engineering by Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
on September 7, 2004, 34 years after he dropped out to pursue his career in entertainment.
He was an early supporter of enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
singer Kiyoshi Hikawa
Kiyoshi Hikawa
is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name is and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity...
, and actually gave Hikawa his stage name.
On January 21, 2007, his former comic pupil Hideo Higashikokubaru ran for governor of Miyazaki prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
and was elected.
Personal life
Kitano is the youngest of Kikujiro Kitano and Saki Kitano's four children. He has two brothers, Shigekazu Kitano and Masaru Kitano, and a sister, Yasuko Kitano. Masaru is a commentator, tarentoTarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, and professor at Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
. He has appeared in several Japanese television shows.
Kitano married Mikiko Kitano in 1978. She is a former manzai
Manzai
is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
comedian. Together they have a son, Atsushi Kitano, and a daughter, Shoko Kitano. Shoko is a former singer and actress. She made her debut as a singer (produced by X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
co-founder Yoshiki Hayashi) and also appeared as "Shoko Matsuda" (Matsuda was her mother's maiden name) in her father's film Hana-bi
Hana-bi
, 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...
in 1997.
Awards
In March 2010, Kitano was named a Commander of the Order of the Arts and LettersOrdre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
of France.
Director
- 1989 Violent CopViolent Copis a 1989 Japanese film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It was Kitano's directorial debut, and marked the beginning of his career as a filmmaker.-Synopsis:...
(その男、凶暴につき, Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki) - 1990 Boiling Point (３－４Ｘ１０月, 3-4X jugatsu)
- 1991 A Scene at the SeaA Scene at the Seais a 1991 Japanese film written and directed by Takeshi Kitano.This movie was a break from previous Kitano fare in that it features no gangsters or police...
(あの夏、いちばん静かな海, Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi) - 1993 SonatineSonatineis 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...
(ソナチネ, Sonachine) - 1995 Getting Any?Getting Any?is a 1995 Japanese film, written, directed, edited, and starring, Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.Yatteru is the colloquial form for yatteiru , yatteru coming from the Japanese verb yaru, which is an informal word meaning 'to do', and has become slang for sexual intercourse.Getting Any? is best...
(みんな やってるか！, Minna-yatteruka!) - 1996 Kids ReturnKids ReturnAll compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Meet Again" 5:02#"Graduation" 1:07#"Angel Doll" 2:21#"Alone" 1:15#"As a Rival" 1:29#"Promise... for Us" 5:08#"Next Round" 1:28#"Destiny" 3:31#"I Don't Care" 2:18#"High Spirits" 2:03#"Defeat" 2:29#"Break Down" 3:46...
(キッズ・リターン, Kidzu ritān) - 1997 Hana-biHana-bi, 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...
(花火, aka Fireworks in North America) : Golden Lion award winner at 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... - 1999 KikujiroKikujiroThe album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...
(菊次郎の夏, Kikujirō no natsu) - 2000 BrotherBrother (2000 film)All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Drifter... in LAX"#"Solitude"#"Tattoo"#"Death Spiral"#"Party "#"On the Shore"#"Blood Brother"#"Raging Men"#"Beyond the Control"#"Wipe Out"#"Liberation from the Death"#"I Love You, Aniki"#"Ballade"...
- 2002 DollsDolls (film)is a 2002 Japanese film written, edited and directed by Japanese director Takeshi Kitano. A highly stylized art film, Dolls is part of Kitano's non-crime film oeuvre, like 1991's A Scene at the Sea, and unlike most of his other films, he does not act in it...
(ドールズ, Dōruzu) - 2003 ZatōichiZatoichi (2003 film)is a 2003 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano as his eleventh film. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman....
(座頭市) : Silver Lion award winner at Venice Film Festival - 2005 Takeshis'Takeshis'Takeshis' is a 2005 Japanese film directed, written, edited by, and starring Takeshi Kitano. It is the first film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, being followed by Glory to the Filmmaker!, and Achilles and the Tortoise....
- 2007 Glory to the Filmmaker!Glory to the Filmmaker!is a 2007 Japanese film written, directed, edited by the film's lead star Takeshi Kitano. It is the second film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, following Takeshis, and concluding with Achilles and the Tortoise.-Movie Style:...
(監督ばんざい!, Kantoku Banzai) - 2008 Achilles and the TortoiseAchilles and the Tortoise (film)is a 2008 Japanese film written, directed, edited by Takeshi Kitano. The film is the third and final part of Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, starting with Takeshis and continuing with Glory to the Filmmaker!....
(アキレスと亀, Akiresu to Kame) - 2010 OutrageOutrage (2010 film)Outrage is a 2010 Japanese yakuza film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival...
- 2012 Outrage 2
Actor
- 1980 Makoto (まことちゃん, Makotochan), by Toyota Fujioka – an animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, cameo appearance as voice actor (seiyūSeiyuVoice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
) - 1981 Dump Migratory Bird (ダンプ渡り鳥, Danpu Wataridori) by Ikuo SekimotoIkuo Sekimotois a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.-Director::2004 School Wars: Hero:1995 Gokudo no onna-tachi: Akai kizuna...
- 1981 Manon (マノン), by Katsuhiro Maeda
- 1981 Completely... With That Air! (すっかり・・・その気で!, Sukkari... sono ki de!), by Juichi Tanaka – first starring work
- 1982 Secret of Summer (夏の秘密, Natsu no Himitsu)
- 1983 Merry Christmas, Mr. LawrenceMerry Christmas, Mr. LawrenceMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a 1983 film directed by Nagisa Oshima, produced by Jeremy Thomas and starring Jack Thompson, David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yuya Uchida, and Takeshi Kitano.It was written by Oshima and Paul Mayersberg and based on Laurens van der Post's experiences...
(戦場のメリークリスマス, Senjou no merī kurisumasu) (aka Furyo in Europe), by Nagisa OshimaNagisa Oshimais a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
– a Japanese/American movie shot in Java - 1989 Violent CopViolent Copis a 1989 Japanese film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It was Kitano's directorial debut, and marked the beginning of his career as a filmmaker.-Synopsis:...
(その男、凶暴につき, Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki), by himself - 1990 Boiling Point (３－４Ｘ１０月, 3-4X jugatsu, lit. San tai yon ekkusu jugatsu) (aka Jugatsu in France),
- 1993 SonatineSonatineis 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...
(ソナチネ, Sonachine) - 1995 Getting Any?Getting Any?is a 1995 Japanese film, written, directed, edited, and starring, Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.Yatteru is the colloquial form for yatteiru , yatteru coming from the Japanese verb yaru, which is an informal word meaning 'to do', and has become slang for sexual intercourse.Getting Any? is best...
(みんな やってるか！, Minnâ-yatteruka!), by himself - 1995 Johnny MnemonicJohnny Mnemonic (film)Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 cyberpunk film, loosely based on the short story "Johnny Mnemonic" by William Gibson. The title character, a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information, is played by Keanu Reeves. The film portrays Gibson's dystopian view of the future with the world...
, by Robert LongoRobert LongoRobert Longo is an American painter and sculptor. Longo became famous in the 1980s for his "Men in the Cities" series, which depicted sharply dressed businessmen writhing in contorted emotion.-Early life and education:...
– a Hollywood movie shot in Canada. Adapted from Johnny Mnemonic by William GibsonWilliam GibsonWilliam Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
. Credited as Takeshi - 1995 Gonin, by Takashi IshiiTakashi Ishiiis a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has directed several pinku eiga erotic films, but his most notable feature was the 1995 nihilistic crime thriller Gonin starring Takeshi Kitano.-Director: is a Japanese film director and screenwriter...
- 1997 HANA-BIHana-bi, 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...
(aka Fireworks in North America), by himself - 1998 Tokyo EyesTokyo EyesTokyo Eyes is a 1998 French-Japanese thriller-romance film, starring Shinji Takeda and Hinano Yoshikawa, directed by French film/documentary maker Jean-Pierre Limosin...
, by Jean-Pierre Limosin – a French/Japanese movie shot in Tokyo - 1999 KikujiroKikujiroThe album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance...
(菊次郎の夏, Kikujiro no natsu), by himself - 1999 TabooTaboo (1999 film)is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Ōshima. It shows life in a samurai training school during the bakumatsu period, the end of the samurai era in the mid-19th century, specifically concentrating on the issue of homosexuality in the shudō tradition in the partially-closed environment.-Plot...
(御法度, Gohatto), by Nagisa OshimaNagisa Oshimais a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959.... - 2000 BrotherBrother (2000 film)All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Drifter... in LAX"#"Solitude"#"Tattoo"#"Death Spiral"#"Party "#"On the Shore"#"Blood Brother"#"Raging Men"#"Beyond the Control"#"Wipe Out"#"Liberation from the Death"#"I Love You, Aniki"#"Ballade"...
(aka Aniki, Mon Frère in France), by himself – a Japanese/American movie shot in Los Angeles & Tokyo - 2000 Battle RoyaleBattle Royale (film)is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano. The film aroused international controversy.A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed...
(バトル・ロワイヤル, Batoru rowaiaru), by Kinji FukasakuKinji Fukasakuwas a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer... - 2001 Battle Royale: Special EditionBattle Royale (film)is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano. The film aroused international controversy.A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed...
(バトル・ロワイヤル 特別篇, Batoru rowaiaru tokubetsu ami), by Kinji FukasakuKinji Fukasakuwas a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer... - 2003 ZatoichiZatoichi (2003 film)is a 2003 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano as his eleventh film. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman....
(座頭市) - 2003 Battle Royale II: RequiemBattle Royale II: Requiem, abbreviated as BRII , is a 2003 Japanese, dystopian, action-thriller film. It is a sequel to the 2000 film, Battle Royale, which in turn was based upon a controversial 1999 novel of the same title by Koushun Takami...
(バトル・ロワイヤルII 鎮魂歌, Batoru rowaiaru II chinkon uta) by KinjiKinji Fukasakuwas a Japanese film actor, screenwriter, and best known as a celebrated and innovative filmmaker. He was born in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan, and died in Tokyo, from prostate cancer...
and Kenta FukasakuKenta Fukasakuis a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the son of filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku and actress Sanae Nakahara.-Biography:He made his writing debut in the popular Japanese cult film Battle Royale, which his father directed. He wrote the screenplay to the sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, and took... - 2004 IzoIzoIZO is a 2004 Japanese film, directed by Takashi Miike. The main character of the film is Izo Okada , the historical samurai and assassin in 19th century Japan who was tortured and executed by beheading in Tosa....
by Takashi MiikeTakashi Miikeis a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions... - 2004 Blood and BonesBlood and BonesBlood and Bones is a Japanese film, directed by Yoichi Sai and starring Takeshi Kitano. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel Chi to hone by Zainichi Korean author Yan Sogiru ....
(血と骨, Chi to hone), by Yoichi Sai - 2005 Takeshis'Takeshis'Takeshis' is a 2005 Japanese film directed, written, edited by, and starring Takeshi Kitano. It is the first film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, being followed by Glory to the Filmmaker!, and Achilles and the Tortoise....
, by himself - 2007 Glory to the Filmmaker!Glory to the Filmmaker!is a 2007 Japanese film written, directed, edited by the film's lead star Takeshi Kitano. It is the second film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, following Takeshis, and concluding with Achilles and the Tortoise.-Movie Style:...
(監督ばんざい!, Kantoku Banzai), by himself - 2008 Achilles and the TortoiseAchilles and the Tortoise (film)is a 2008 Japanese film written, directed, edited by Takeshi Kitano. The film is the third and final part of Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, starting with Takeshis and continuing with Glory to the Filmmaker!....
(アキレスと亀, Akiresu to Kame), by himself - 2010 OutrageOutrage (2010 film)Outrage is a 2010 Japanese yakuza film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival...
, by himself - 2012 Outrage2, by himself
Major TV programs
- 1980–82 The Manzai (Special Program)
- 1981–89 Oretachi Hyōkin-zoku (オレたちひょうきん族)
- 1983 Waratte Pon! (笑ってポン!)
- 1983–99 Super Jockey
- 1985–90 Sports Taisho (ビートたけしのスポーツ大将)
- 1989–96,2007 Owarai Ultra Quiz (ビートたけしのお笑いウルトラクイズ Special Program)
- 1985–96 Genki TV (天才・たけしの元気が出るテレビ!!)
- 1986–89 Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
(風雲たけし城) - 1989– TV Tackle (ビートたけしのTVタックル)
- 1991–97 Heisei board of education (平成教育委員会)
- 1997– Daredemo Picasso (たけしの誰でもピカソ)
- 1997– Kiseki Taiken!Unbelievaboo (奇跡体験!アンビリバボー)
- 1991– midnight broadcasting series (Fuji TelevisionFuji Televisionis a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
)
- Kitano Fan Club (北野ファンクラブ)
- Kitano Fuji (北野富士)
- Adachi-ku no Takeshi,Sekai no Kitano (足立区のたけし、世界の北野)
- Saitoh Singu-ten (たけしの斉藤寝具店)
- Kitano Talent Meikan (北野タレント名鑑)
- Takeshi Kitano presents Comăneci University Mathematics (たけしのコマネチ大学数学科)
Radio
- 1981–1990 All Night NipponAll Night NipponAll Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am . It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming.The highest ratings were achieved on the night of October 1, 1967.-DJs:...
by Beat Takeshi (ビートたけしのオールナイトニッポン) - 1997–2000 Beatnik Radio (街でいちばんの男 ビートニクラジオ)
External links
- Takeshi This Week (corner on Kitano's Great World TV show))
- Takeshi Kitano: The most authoritative online resource
- Exposure Online Magazine: Takeshi Kitano
- TV Stars: "Beat" Takeshi profile at JapanZone
- A Comedian Star is Born essay at Japattack Office Kitano – Kitano's Production Company