Tony Takitani (2004)

Director:

Jun Ichikawa

Writers:

Jun Ichikawa (writer)
Haruki Murakami (novel)

Release Date:

29 January 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

When technical illustrator Tony Takitani asks his wife to resist her all-consuming obsession for designer clothes, the consequences are tragic.

Plot Keywords:

Bird | Trying On Clothes | Record Player | Trombone Player | Sand Sculpture

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Issei Ogata	...	Tony Takitani, Shozaburo Takitani
Rie Miyazawa	...	Konuma Eiko, Hisako
Shinohara Takahumi	...	Young Tony Takitani
Hidetoshi Nishijima	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yumi Endo
Shizuka Moriyama

Directed by
Jun Ichikawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jun Ichikawa		writer
Haruki Murakami		novel

Produced by
Motoki Ishida	....	producer
Yonezawa Keiko	....	executive producer
Michio Koshikawa	....	associate producer (as Koshikawa Michio)

Original Music by
Ryuichi Sakamoto

Cinematography by
Taishi Hirokawa

Film Editing by
Tomoh Sanjo

Art Direction by
Yoshikazu Ichida

Sound Department
Yasuo Hashimoto	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Takeshi Nakasu	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Kenji Tanabe	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Fernando Aponte	....	score mixer
Fernando Aponte	....	score recordist

Production Companies

• Breath
• Wilco Co. Ltd.

Distributors

• Bir Film (2005) (Turkey) (all media)
• Alamode Film (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Axiom Films (2005) (UK) (all media)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Celluloid Dreams (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Pandasia Entertainment (2006) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Strand Releasing (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Tokyo Theaters Company (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• VPRO Television (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)

Other Companies

• Breath  casting

Runtime:

76 min | Switzerland:75 min | USA:75 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:PG | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:I | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Company:

Breath

Movie Connections:

References Vertigo (1958)

Simplicity on the subject of loneliness. A shade of "grey"

This is a slow, deliberate film on the subject of loss (and loneliness) The first few minutes don't exactly imbue you with confidence, and strike very much as a "pseuds" corner speciality.

The filmmaker and the droll narrator however save you and produce a gentle portrait of a man who lives through loneliness.

There are woman involved too, but the cast is sparse.

I have read other users mention melancholy in their reviews. I disagree with this. This is a film simply shot and with a gentle simple piano score attached to it. There are no vibrant colours but it is just as visually enchanting as the "The thin red line" even for it greyness.

It is the strength of the characters that however keep you engaged.

Watch this.