Yomiuri: Why Japan loves the 'Dog of Flanders'
A Belgian documentary film examining Japan's strange fascination with the tragic novel "A Dog of Flanders" will be shown Thursday at Antwerp cathedral in Belgium...Titled "Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders," the documentary is directed by Didier Volckaert, 36, who got his inspiration for the film when he saw Japanese tourists looking tearful as they gazed up on Peter Paul Rubens' painting of "The Elevation of the Cross," which is displayed in the cathedral...The book tells the tale of Nello, a boy who dreams of being a painter, and his dog, Patrasche. Driven from his village after being falsely accused of arson, Nello battles through snowstorms to get to Antwerp cathedral, as he has always dreamed of seeing Rubens' masterpiece. He reaches the church on Christmas Eve night, only to freeze to death as he gazes upon the object of his dreams...Though famous in Japan, it is little known in Europe, where it tends to be seen as the story of the death of "a big loser," according to Volckaert. In the United States, the novel has been made into a movie five times, each time revised to have a happy ending. The mystery is why the original sad ending only strikes a chord with the Japanese...Ultimately, Volckaert concluded that it was Japanese identification with "the nobility of failure" that drew them to the novel. "The Japanese people, they think they reach a certain level of nobility by accepting defeat or failure in order to preserve things like loyalty, friendship and dedication. This is exactly what happened to Nello and Patrasche. Their death exemplifies such values of the Japanese people," said An van. Dienderen, the 36-year-old producer of the film...more...
