Silk (2007)

The story of a married silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler in 19th century France traveling to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out their African supply. During his stay in Japan, he becomes obsessed with the concubine of a local baron.

Director:

François Girard

Writers:

Alessandro Baricco (novel), François Girard (screenplay),

Stars:

Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Kôji Yakusho

7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sei Ashina	...	The Girl
Michael Pitt	...	Hervé Joncour
Tony Vogel	...	Café Verdun Man #1
Toni Bertorelli	...	Verdun
Keira Knightley	...	Hélène Joncour
Kenneth Welsh	...	Mayor Joncour
Martha Burns	...	Mme. Joncour
Alfred Molina	...	Baldabiou
Michael Golding	...	Clerk
Carlo Cecchi	...	Priest
Chiara Stampone	...	Béatrice Berbek
Marc Fiorini	...	M. Chabert
Alexander Brooks	...	M. Loiseau (as Leslie Csuth)
Toru Tezuka	...	Japanese Guide
Hiroya Morita	...	Japanese Elder #1

Storyline

A married silkworm smuggler, Herve Joncour, in 19th Century France who travels to Japan to collect his clandestine cargo. While there he spots a beautiful Japanese woman, the concubine of a local baron, with whom he becomes obsessed. Without speaking the same language, they communicate through letters until war intervenes. Their unrequited love persists however, and Herve's wife Helene begins to suspect.

---

Plot Keywords:

silkworm | travel | japan | concubine | 19th century | 

---

Taglines:

Love knows no borders

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

Canada France Italy UK Japan

Language:

English Japanese Latin

Release Date:

21 September 2007 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Retrato de amor

Filming Locations:

Baba House Museum, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$126,537 (USA) (14 September 2007)

Gross:

$1,101,711 (USA) (2 November 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhombus Media, Fandango, Bee Vine Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Hervé Joncour: Steaming water. Strange trees. Laughing children. Her skin... those eyes. But why should I tell you about it? Why now? Maybe I just need to tell someone about it. And that someone is you.

User Reviews

Watch till the end...give it a chance...

I also can understand why a person may not like this movie. However, if you can truly appreciate the goal and the direction of the director's vision than you should like it. The scenery and music added depth and meaning to the story. I think there should have been Japanese subtitles so as to not lose the audience's attention and interest. I was left wanting more. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I wanted the plot to be a bit more "spicy". But i can appreciate the director and writer's vision of the movie. This is a good movie to watch when you want to relax and mellow out. The ending was the best part of the movie. There was a bit of a twist which added meaning and understanding. Even though i wanted things to be a bit more spicy the end of the movie justified the lack of it.