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Ichi the Killer trailer

Takashi Miike

Takashi Miike:

Does he retain his auteur status after transcending the East/West divide?

Things to consider in Miike’s films

• Themes: “Family”, “The Outsider” and “Order”

• Depiction of violence (Ichi the Killer)• Chakushin Ari and One Missed Call• Auteur status and Japan• Auteur status and the

West/Hollywood• Conclusion• Glossary

Themes: Family

Audition

Chakushin Ari

Themes:The

Outsider

Ichi the Killer

Audition

Themes:Order

Ichi the Killer

Chakushin Ari

Depictions of violence(Ichi the Killer)

“ultra controversial piece of manga mayhem” – Medusa Pictures

Depictions of violence towards men

• Violence is more graphic and depicted on screen

• Mes suggests that: “Violence against men in the falls into the comical category”

• Mes, violence and audience response

Film stills depicting violence towards men

Kakihara (r), torturing Suzuka to find out who killed his boss

“Just a little torture”

Ichi slicing in half a pimp

Depictions of violence towards women

• More realism in the violence• Is it misogynistic?• Mes, violence and the audience• Representations of victims• How violence is shown on screen

Film stills depicting violence towards women

Nipple slicing scene

Hollywood and Eastern cinema: Differences in film violence

Hollywood• Focuses on the

psychological• B and “slasher” films

home to non-stop violence

• Extreme violence limited to films considered “arthouse”

• Repercussions shown on-screen

• Hollywood audiences – participating/active audience

Eastern

•Focuses on the physical

•Audience reaction

•Emphasis on physical suffering

•“Dove style” violence

•Emphasis on consequences

•Japanese audiences – voyeur audience

Chakushin Ari and

One Missed Call

Chakushin Ari

One Missed Call

Chakushin Ari and One Missed Call: Similarities

• Child abuse/Munchausen by Proxy• Ringtone and relevance• Urban legend/myth• Vengeance/revenge• Exorcism TV show• Asthma attack• Abandonment

Chakushin Ari and One Missed Call: Differences

• Deaths: Methodology, number and timing• Visual hallucinations• Main character and family• The cop (Yamashita/Jack)• Opening sequences

Auteur status

• Awards

• Work in S-T-V/V-Cinema

• Other work/roles• Other work – Hostel and “Masters Of

Horror”• Awards – Film Festivals• Cult status –

releases/acclaim/popularity

• Other work – Hostel and “Masters Of Horror”

• Awards – Film Festivals

• Cult status – releases/acclaim/popularity

Conclusion(Can I answer my question?)

Glossary

• Yakuza – Japanese mafia, still found today in Japan. Loyalty to own Yakuza clan vital, infringement is punishable by injury or death

• Dove style violence – Popular in contemporary Japanese filmmaking, where people abuse each other with a detached cruelty

• Tom Mes – Midnight Eye website editor and critic of Japanese cinema, with an interest in Takashi Miike, his films and themes

• Munchausen’s by Proxy – The exaggeration or fabrication of illnesses or symptoms by a primary caregiver

“I’m happy that my films were discovered by chance by foreign film festivals. That makes me realise more

that there is a world outside Japan too.

“For me, it’s an occasion to meet many people and experience directly the responses of international

audiences to my films.

“But for me, as a director, my attitude towards making films hasn’t changed with the fame

“I feel it’s not good to change as a person anyway”

(Takashi Miike)