Zigeunerweisen (film)
Encyclopedia
is a 1980
independent
Japanese film
directed by Seijun Suzuki
and based on Hyakken Uchida's novel, Disk of Sarasate. It takes its title from a gramophone record
ing of Pablo de Sarasate
's violin composition, Zigeunerweisen
, which features prominently in the story. The film makes the first part of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, followed by Kagero-za
(1981) and Yumeji
(1991), surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by style, themes and the Taishō period
(1912-1926) setting. All three were produced by Genjiro Arato
.
When exhibitors declined to screen the film, Arato screened it himself in an inflatable, mobile tent to great success. It won Honourable Mention at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
, was nominated for nine Japanese Academy Awards and won four, including best director and best film, and was voted the number one Japanese film of the 1980s by Japanese critics.
Koine. Six months later, Aochi visits his friend and is shocked to find he's settled down and is having a child with Sono, a woman who bears a remarkable resemblance
to Koine. Nakasago plays him a recording of Zigeunerweisen
and they discuss inaudible mumbling on the record. Nakasago suddenly takes to the road again with Koine, leaving Sono to birth their child alone. Both men enter affairs with the other's wife. Sono later dies of the flu and is replaced by Koine as a surrogate mother. Nakasago takes to the road yet again. Aochi learns of Nakasago's death in a landslide. Koine visits Aochi and requests the return of the Zigeunerweisen record but he is sure he never borrowed it.
was ostensibly terminated from his contract with Nikkatsu
Studios in 1968 for making "movies that make no sense and no money" and subsequently blacklist
ed. In the proceeding years he met frequently with his crew at his home in developing ideas for new projects. This resulted in Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za
—the first two films in what would become Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy. Suzuki felt that action film
s were falling out of favour and wanted to create a new type of film. Writer Yōzō Tanaka lived close by and visited Suzuki regularly where they infrequently discussed the film during games of Go
. The story was based on Hyakken Uchida's novel, Disk of Sarasate. It was felt to be too short and was expanded from their conversations. For example, when Tanaka's uncle died during that time, he noticed that his cremated bones were pink. This was incorporated into the screenplay.
Suzuki's de facto blacklisting ended with the release of his critically and commercially unsuccessful 1977 film A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness
. The money to finance Zigeunerweisen only became available in 1979 when Suzuki met then–theatre producer Genjiro Arato
. Thus it became their first fully independently
produced film. It was shot on location in Japan.
films in many ways. It was shot entirely on location without access to studio resources; it runs 144 minutes, in contrast to the former's 90-minute maximum; and its intellectual characters and period
setting and subject matter invited a more literary audience as opposed to the younger genre fans that formed Suzuki's cult following
. On the other hand, freed of studio constraints, Suzuki was able to carry his style even further in the direction his genre work had taken and abandon traditional narrative entirely in favour of random occurrences and incongruous and misleading associations. He presents, comments on and challenges the conceptions of the Taishō era, specifically the wide introduction and assimilation of Western culture
into Japan and its effect on the Japanese identity.
on April 1, 1980. The film was an immediate success and was quickly picked up for a wide release
. In its 22-week run it sold 56 000 seats, where 10 000 was generally considered a success for an independent film. Critics named Zigeunerweisen the "must-see" film of 1980, it garnered four Japanese Academy Awards and reignited Suzuki's career. Little More Co. re-released the full Taishō Roman Trilogy theatrically on April 28, 2001, in the Deep Seijun retrospective. In conjunction they released the trilogy on DVD
(without English subtitles), marking its debut on home video
.
The film was not distributed internationally but did appear in film festivals and retrospectives. For example, it was in competition at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
and appeared in the first British retrospective of Suzuki's films at the 1988 Edinburgh International Film Festival
. In North American, Kino International released a DVD edition of the film on March 7, 2006. It features a 25 minute interview with Suzuki discussing the making of the Taishō Roman Trilogy, a biography and filmography of the same, the theatrical trailer and a gallery of promotional material and photographs. The DVD is also available in a box set encompassing the trilogy.
At the Kinema Junpo Awards, it duplicated the same four wins plus a fifth Best Actress award for Naoko Otani. At the Yokohama Film Festival
it won Best Film, Director and Cinematographer. Further prizes include the Blue Ribbon Awards
(Best Director), Hochi Film Awards (Special Award) and the Mainichi Film Concurs (Best Screenplay and Best Cinematographer). The film was also voted the best Japanese film of the 1980s by Japanese film critics.
On the international front, the film won Honourable Mention at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
in 1981.
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
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...
directed by Seijun Suzuki
Seijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
and based on Hyakken Uchida's novel, Disk of Sarasate. It takes its title from a gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
ing of Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
's violin composition, Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen , Op. 20, is a musical composition for violin and orchestra written in 1878 by the Spanish composer and virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate and premiered during the same year in Leipzig...
, which features prominently in the story. The film makes the first part of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, followed by Kagero-za
Kagero-za
is a 1981 independent Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and based on a novel by Kyōka Izumi. It forms the middle section of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, preceded by Zigeunerweisen and followed by Yumeji , surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by style, themes and the...
(1981) and Yumeji
Yumeji
is a 1991 independent Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. It is a semi-fictional account of poet and painter Takehisa Yumeji. It also forms the final part of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, preceded by Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za , surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by...
(1991), surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by style, themes and the Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
(1912-1926) setting. All three were produced by Genjiro Arato
Genjiro Arato
is a Japanese film producer, actor and director. In 1980, he produced Zigeunerweisen for director Seijun Suzuki. He was unable to secure exhibitors for the film and famously exhibited it himself in a specially-built, inflatable, mobile tent...
.
When exhibitors declined to screen the film, Arato screened it himself in an inflatable, mobile tent to great success. It won Honourable Mention at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
31st Berlin International Film Festival
The 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981.-Jury:* Jutta Brückner * Denis Héroux* Astrid Henning-Jensen* Irina Petrovna Kuptschenko* Peter Bichsel* Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi...
, was nominated for nine Japanese Academy Awards and won four, including best director and best film, and was voted the number one Japanese film of the 1980s by Japanese critics.
Synopsis
Vacationing in a small seaside village, Aochi, a professor of German, runs into Nakasago, a former colleague turned nomad. Nakasago is being pursued by an angry mob for allegedly seducing and killing a fisherman's wife. Police intervene and Aochi vouches for his friend, preventing his arrest. The two catch up over dinner where they are entertained by and become smitten with the mourning geishaGeisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
Koine. Six months later, Aochi visits his friend and is shocked to find he's settled down and is having a child with Sono, a woman who bears a remarkable resemblance
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
to Koine. Nakasago plays him a recording of Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen , Op. 20, is a musical composition for violin and orchestra written in 1878 by the Spanish composer and virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate and premiered during the same year in Leipzig...
and they discuss inaudible mumbling on the record. Nakasago suddenly takes to the road again with Koine, leaving Sono to birth their child alone. Both men enter affairs with the other's wife. Sono later dies of the flu and is replaced by Koine as a surrogate mother. Nakasago takes to the road yet again. Aochi learns of Nakasago's death in a landslide. Koine visits Aochi and requests the return of the Zigeunerweisen record but he is sure he never borrowed it.
Cast
- Yoshio HaradaYoshio Haradawas a Japanese actor best known for playing rebels in a career that spanned six decades.-Career:Born in Tokyo, Harada joined the Haiyūza theater troupe in 1966 and made his television debut in 1967 with "Tenka no seinen" and his film debut in 1968 with Fukushū no uta ga kikoeru. He came to fame...
as Nakasago - Naoko Otani as Koine/Sono
- Toshiya FujitaToshiya Fujita (director), also known as Shigeya Fujita, was a Japanese filmmaker, film actor, and screenwriter. He was born in Pyongyang, Korea. After graduating from Tokyo University, he entered the Nikkatsu studio in 1955 and made his debut as a director in 1967. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award...
as Aochi - Michiyo OkusuMichiyo Okusuis a Chinese-born Japanese actress. She has been nominated for 4 Japanese Academy Awards, and won the 1981 Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role prize for her performance in Zigeunerweisen...
as Shuko, Aochi's wife - Kisako Makishi as Taeko
- Kirin Kiki as Kimi
- Akaji MaroAkaji Marois a Japanese actor, Butoka, and theater director. He was born in Sakurai, Nara and is the founder of Dairakudakan. His son is Nao Ōmori.-Film:*Yakuza Weapon *Sakigake!! Otokojuku *Makai Tensho *Kill Bill Vol...
as Blind Man
Production
Director Seijun SuzukiSeijun Suzuki
, born Seitaro Suzuki on May 24, 1923, is a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are renowned by film enthusiasts worldwide for their jarring visual style, irreverent humour, nihilistic cool and entertainment-over-logic sensibility...
was ostensibly terminated from his contract with Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
Studios in 1968 for making "movies that make no sense and no money" and subsequently blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed. In the proceeding years he met frequently with his crew at his home in developing ideas for new projects. This resulted in Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za
Kagero-za
is a 1981 independent Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and based on a novel by Kyōka Izumi. It forms the middle section of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, preceded by Zigeunerweisen and followed by Yumeji , surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by style, themes and the...
—the first two films in what would become Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy. Suzuki felt that action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
s were falling out of favour and wanted to create a new type of film. Writer Yōzō Tanaka lived close by and visited Suzuki regularly where they infrequently discussed the film during games of Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
. The story was based on Hyakken Uchida's novel, Disk of Sarasate. It was felt to be too short and was expanded from their conversations. For example, when Tanaka's uncle died during that time, he noticed that his cremated bones were pink. This was incorporated into the screenplay.
Suzuki's de facto blacklisting ended with the release of his critically and commercially unsuccessful 1977 film A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness
A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness
is a 1977 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki.-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database...
. The money to finance Zigeunerweisen only became available in 1979 when Suzuki met then–theatre producer Genjiro Arato
Genjiro Arato
is a Japanese film producer, actor and director. In 1980, he produced Zigeunerweisen for director Seijun Suzuki. He was unable to secure exhibitors for the film and famously exhibited it himself in a specially-built, inflatable, mobile tent...
. Thus it became their first fully independently
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
produced film. It was shot on location in Japan.
Style and themes
Zigeunerweisen is a departure from director Suzuki Seijun's NikkatsuNikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
films in many ways. It was shot entirely on location without access to studio resources; it runs 144 minutes, in contrast to the former's 90-minute maximum; and its intellectual characters and period
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
setting and subject matter invited a more literary audience as opposed to the younger genre fans that formed Suzuki's cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. On the other hand, freed of studio constraints, Suzuki was able to carry his style even further in the direction his genre work had taken and abandon traditional narrative entirely in favour of random occurrences and incongruous and misleading associations. He presents, comments on and challenges the conceptions of the Taishō era, specifically the wide introduction and assimilation of Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
into Japan and its effect on the Japanese identity.
Releases and reception
Producer Genjiro Arato was unable to procure exhibitors for Zigeunerweisen and exhibited the film himself with his company Cinema Placet in a specially-built, inflatable, mobile tent. The film was initially screened beside the Tokyo DomeTokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
on April 1, 1980. The film was an immediate success and was quickly picked up for a wide release
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
. In its 22-week run it sold 56 000 seats, where 10 000 was generally considered a success for an independent film. Critics named Zigeunerweisen the "must-see" film of 1980, it garnered four Japanese Academy Awards and reignited Suzuki's career. Little More Co. re-released the full Taishō Roman Trilogy theatrically on April 28, 2001, in the Deep Seijun retrospective. In conjunction they released the trilogy on DVD
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
(without English subtitles), marking its debut on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
.
The film was not distributed internationally but did appear in film festivals and retrospectives. For example, it was in competition at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
31st Berlin International Film Festival
The 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981.-Jury:* Jutta Brückner * Denis Héroux* Astrid Henning-Jensen* Irina Petrovna Kuptschenko* Peter Bichsel* Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi...
and appeared in the first British retrospective of Suzuki's films at the 1988 Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
. In North American, Kino International released a DVD edition of the film on March 7, 2006. It features a 25 minute interview with Suzuki discussing the making of the Taishō Roman Trilogy, a biography and filmography of the same, the theatrical trailer and a gallery of promotional material and photographs. The DVD is also available in a box set encompassing the trilogy.
Awards
Zigeunerweisen received nine nominations at the 1981 Japanese Academy Awards and won in four categories, Best Film, Suzuki won for Best Director, Takeo Kimura for Best Art Director and Michiyo Okusu for Best Supporting Actress. Also nominated were Naoko Otani for Best Actress, Toshiya Fujita for Best Supporting Actor, Yōzō Tanaka for Best Screenplay, Kazue Nagatsuka for Best Cinematography and Mitsuo Onishi for Best Lighting.At the Kinema Junpo Awards, it duplicated the same four wins plus a fifth Best Actress award for Naoko Otani. At the Yokohama Film Festival
Yokohama Film Festival
The is a noticed yearly awards ceremony held in Japan. The festival was started as a small affair by fans and film critics, and first held on February 3, 1980. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year, and various awards are given to personnel...
it won Best Film, Director and Cinematographer. Further prizes include the Blue Ribbon Awards
Blue Ribbon Awards
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers...
(Best Director), Hochi Film Awards (Special Award) and the Mainichi Film Concurs (Best Screenplay and Best Cinematographer). The film was also voted the best Japanese film of the 1980s by Japanese film critics.
On the international front, the film won Honourable Mention at the 31st Berlin International Film Festival
31st Berlin International Film Festival
The 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981.-Jury:* Jutta Brückner * Denis Héroux* Astrid Henning-Jensen* Irina Petrovna Kuptschenko* Peter Bichsel* Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi...
in 1981.
External links
- Zigeunerweisen 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...