Beginner’s Guide to Watch Takeshi Kitano Movies

There are two legendary warriors in the world: Beat and Kitano. Beat Takeshi is known primarily as a stupid variety show artist in Japan, while Takeshi Kitano is known in Europe and the United States as one of Japan’s greatest directors, screenwriters and actors. His work goes beyond genre and cultural barriers.

Technically, there is a third samurai, which is mainly a Western audience Mental teacher from Grand Royalsbut the key is that these are all the same people. In this article, we have prepared his guide to film productions in a hope to help you discover one of the most fascinating Japanese filmmakers.

Kiyoshi Kaneko (right) Kiyoshi (right) as two beats

Start from scratch

Takeshi Kitano’s first name as an actor in the 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. But his director First debuted in 1989 Dirty Harry –Inspiration thriller Violent police. That being said, he just wrote it together, mainly working on the job of Hisashi Nozawa.

His first writer-directorship job was Boiling pointa Yakuza and Baseball movie—two genres that basically don’t interact on screen—released in 1990, it continues to confuse viewers, but is crucial to understanding its creators. So, you should Boiling pointcorrect?

No. You need to go further back to the early 1970s when Kitano formed a Main Perform two beats with Kiyoshi Kaneko. That’s the origin of the name most Japanese audiences recognize.

Main It is a comedy habit performed by two people on stage, often referred to as using Western terms “straight men” and “funny people”. Defeat Takeshi is the funny man of the two (Buttocks) However, he did not do like Abbott and Costello’s Lou Costello.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9sdmaes6zs

His Manzai character is a disturbing psychopath who jokes about abuse of the elderly. His dead pan, mean fists are everywhere with quick shots. If you are familiar with him Main Beforehand, you will start to notice traces in most of his movies.

Kitano in the Violent Police (1989)

Different types of familiar beats

The work of the writer-directed can be roughly divided into three categories: gangsters, poetic and experimental films, and may be the fourth smaller category, marked with the hidden hidden between miscellaneous, because the characters like martial arts are as wrong as those of martial arts.

That being said, it does seem that there is a common thread that runs through many of these very different movies. Their structure, how they edit, frame and write can all be viewed through Manzai’s prism.

Violent police For example, there is a juxtaposition of a series of calm and explosive violence scenarios. After a moment, a meal appeared on his face when a man was suddenly attacked and beaten. It’s a black and white world, Kitano constantly offers Manzai-like contrast devices and violence, ubiquitous fists.

His comedy takes root in Boiling point Visual minimalism through the movie (Manzai is just two people talking on the stage after all), and the shocking difference between baseball and Yakuza worlds is different from the difference between straight men and funny people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfqtu8cfkm4

These patterns are in Kitano 1993 masterpiece sonata,,,,, The subversion of the Yakuza type is full of paradoxical themes such as the gangster having a pleasant day on the beach before suddenly turning black and uncomfortablely weak, but with a dead facade that reminiscent of Manzai.

If you start with his early crime “trilogy” (Violent police, boiling point and sonata), see how he skillfully incorporates into the architectural blocks of Japanese comedy in many of his films, you can also complete the journey and watch his other gangster movies brother (2000) and his three Atrocities Movie.

Kitano in Boiling Point (1990)

Not just a violent clown

Another part of Kitano’s approach to filmmaking is introducing interesting things in the most unlikely places. He has been trying to port his dark humor brand to the big screen for years, probably starting with an uncensored and completely bizarre sex comedy What to get? (1995).

Kitano also likes to make himself the object of ridicule, as most prominent in his experimental, self-permanent, surreal autobiography: takeshis’ (2005), Honor Filmmaker! (2007) and Achilles and the Turtle (2008). These are great ways to expand your own definition of comedy, or at least understand what it means to a professional who has worked for half a century.

But one of the most important things Kitano has learned over the past 50 years is to shut it down and get serious. Movie The scene at sea (1991), The kids are back (1996), Kikujiro (1999) and baby (2002) is what you might call a tender.

They deal with lyrical and heartfelt exploration from the desire for human connection to the complex emotions of losing love. Some people may have some humor in it, but always balance it with melancholy and sensibility.

These poetic films are also full of a lot of self-reflection – even more than actual autobiography – especially The kids are back, This was filmed after Kitano recovered from a scooter accident that almost killed him and partially paralyzed him.

The kids are back Handle two high school dropouts to find their way in the world. One becomes a gangster, the other is a boxer. All of this seems to reflect Kitano’s life. When he was young, all the kids near him wanted to be one of two: the athlete or Yakuza.

It’s fascinating to watch the movie and feel Kitano reveal his soul in front of us. He might be joking The kids are back, But humor will never get rid of the heartfelt theme. He is a carry-on comedy guy, and wherever he goes, he knows exactly when he can sprinkle it lightly or throw it away completely while working on a project.

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