Hirohito Actor Worries About Reception (i.e. Death)

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Hirohito Actor Braced for Controversy in Japan
Japanese actor Issey Ogata knew he was taking on more than just a film role when he agreed to play the late Emperor Hirohito in Alexander Sokurov's portrayal of the man once revered as a god as he surrenders to the Allies. Recognizing the ongoing sensitivity of the subject in Japan 60 years after the events portrayed, Ogata's identity was kept secret during filming and the run-up to the release. "I'm not saying that Japan has censorship, but the director was aware of my situation," Ogata told reporters after "The Sun" had its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday. "It was at first not made public who was playing the part," he added, speaking through a translator.

Moscow Times Film Review in next post

[Mulboyne]

Moscow Times: Tom Birchenough reviews Alexander Sokurov's new film about Japan's controversial Emperor Hirohito.
Sokurov's name and reputation aside, "The Sun" is an astonishing work. Many have called it the director's best film to date. Already feted by local critics after its press screening last week, it may go down as the best Russian film not only of the year, but arguably of the decade... "The Sun" is set in Tokyo in 1945, and its central figure is Emperor Hirohito. The film is predominantly in Japanese, with a Japanese cast; although it was filmed in Russia, the visual style looks absolutely authentic. The only major non-Japanese element is the presence of U.S. forces, led by General Douglas MacArthur (Robert Dawson), with whom Hirohito established a working relationship that proved crucial during Japan's postwar reconstruction.
...Under Sokurov's direction, Hirohito -- a man who was treated with awe by those around him -- is transformed into a fully human being, whose reunion with his wife in the penultimate scene has an understated tenderness that is positively bruising. The film's closing scene, which follows Hirohito's radio broadcast renouncing his divinity, only accentuates the unexpected bravery of that act, one that provided a kind of catharsis that arguably helped his nation rebuild...Some historians may disagree with the film's thesis that major war decisions, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, were not made by the emperor.

[GuyJean]

Sounds good..

GJ

[Ptyx]

I saw Whispering pages and Mother and son from Sokurov, truly beautiful movies but boring as hell.
The subject of The Sun is very interesting but knowing the guy it's probably gonna end up in a very long and very beautiful and very boring movie.
Remember, the tagline for the Russian Ark was : "2000 Actors. 300 years of Russian History. 33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum. 3 Live Orchestras. 1 Single Continuous Shot."

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: Film about Emperor Hirohito wins Russian film fest prize
The 13th St Petersburg International Film Festival awarded the grand prix Wednesday to...the film, "Solntse" (Sun), directed by Aleksandr Sokurov

[Charles]

The Sun: Aleksandr Sokurov's new film is an upbeat character study of Japanese emperor Hirohito.

It's the summer of 1945 and the world is in upheaval. The Americans are preparing to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They have already launched a night raid on Tokyo that killed more than 100,000 people and destroyed much of the city. As Japan burns, Emperor Hirohito potters around, writing poetry and studying marine biology. The Imperial Palace may have been destroyed but there are still peacocks in the garden and his lab remains intact. A slight, moustached man whose official name is 'Showa' (Enlightened Peace), he has a child-like innocence.
Hirohito can't stay cocooned forever. He is about to take an action that will shame him in the eyes of many Japanese yet will be seen as his most important legacy: he is going to set in motion the Japanese surrender. On 15 August he records a special message - "the war situation has developed, not necessarily to Japan's advantage..." - commanding the Japanese to stop fighting. Then, in late September, he is driven through the ruins of Tokyo to meet US army chief General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan and now the most powerful man in the country. Hirohito is terrified. He expects that his courtiers will do the talking for him and is startled when they are dismissed and he and his interpreter are left alone with MacArthur.
This strange encounter marks the pivotal moment of The Sun, the third part in Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov's 'Men of Power' tetralogy... ...More...

From theIMDB entry 'Solntse'
Sokurov kept the name of the actor playing the Emperor secret, since it is taboo in Japan to play an Emperor on film. Sokurov was afraid for the safety of the actor, after Nagisa Oshima told him there have been two attempts on his life after he criticized Imperial Japan during WWII.

[dj-nosehair]

damn, you is ugly and boring.

nah seriously tho, I got some old black n white jap films off da back of a lorry last week bound for da b.f.i, but neefa ov em are as good as dis film my mate 'az got called "honey we blew up your pussy". dat iz a top piece ov film makin'

[Mulboyne]

Reuters: Movie portraying "human" Hirohito to open in Japan

A movie painting a "human" portrait of Emperor Hirohito, in whose name Japanese soldiers fought in World War Two, is set to be shown in Japan for the first time next month despite fears of right-wing anger. Revered as a god until Japan's defeat in 1945, Hirohito is still such a sensitive topic in ultra-conservative circles that the identity of the actor playing him was kept secret before the movie's release in last year. More than 18 months after "Solntse" (The Sun) won plaudits for Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov at the Berlin Film Festival, it will open in Japan on Aug. 5. The film's distributor said he had to overcome concerns about pressure from right-wing groups and conservatives proud of an imperial family they say stretches back more than 2,000 years.

"People were really worried about the chance of violence from right wing groups, so companies were fearful of buying the rights," said Michio Koshikawa, head of distribution firm Slow Learner Ltd., told Reuters. "But I think the movie will be a good chance to discuss the whole issue of Emperor Hirohito," he said. The movie will open in only two cinemas, one in Tokyo and one in the city of Nagoya, central Japan, although Koshikawa said it could eventually run in as many as 25 theatres... In the movie, which focuses on the emperor's isolation toward the end of the war, Hirohito is portrayed by actor Issey Ogata as a human figure who insists he's no different from other people. But reviews also say he is also shown as timid and child-like, a characterisation that could prompt controversy...more...