Miike Takashi directs kabuki documentary focusing on Ichikawa Danjuro

Miike Takashi brings his first documentary, the protagonist is kabuki actor Danjuro Ichikawa.The film has been screened in the non-competition section of the Venice Film Festival, and its core record is the naming ceremony in 2022.The film does not yet have a reliable official Chinese title. This article does not translate the title by itself, nor does it replace it with the English title.

The thirteenth generation of Ichikawa Danjuro inherited the important stage name in this ceremony.Miike Takashi said Danjuro Ichikawa came to him about eight years ago and offered him the opportunity to shoot, which he couldn't refuse.The two have worked together in feature films before, but this time the subjects were the actor on stage and the relationship between him and his son.

Miike Takashi's film works span many genres and number over a hundred, but he has never completed a documentary before.When talking about his work, he said that he does not deliberately distinguish between creative forms and that shooting documentaries is a natural continuation for him.The project thus became his first foray into feature-length nonfiction.

The film makes no attempt to explain the kabuki performance in pieces.Miike Takashi used as little intervention as possible when filming Ichikawa Danjuro's stage performance and did not provide instructions to the performance department.He hopes to use direct and simple shots to present Ichikawa Danjuro and his son, allowing the audience to see their faces as human beings first.

The director mentioned that when Kabuki actors express anger or sadness on stage, they need to abide by the rules of role, story and traditional performance, and the true emotions will be put into another more precise expression.When Ichikawa Danjuro appeared in the film, Miike Takashi felt that he had a different way of releasing, which is why the director continued to be interested in the actor.

Miike Takashi described Ichikawa Danjuro as having strong energy and a unique aura.Stage performances can change from day to day, and this instability makes the subjects more interesting to photograph.Therefore, the film does not only focus on the ceremonial process of the naming ceremony, but also observes the state of a person who has been engaged in live performances for a long time on different occasions.

International audiences' interest in kabuki has increased in recent years.Miike Takashi mentioned in the interview that a Japanese film with Kabuki as the background entered the discussion for Oscar nomination last year and set a box office record in the Japanese market.The new documentary is not directly related to that film, but the topic has led to more curiosity about kabuki performances.

The director believes that what really attracts the audience to the theater is the actors themselves and their performances on stage.During the filming, he did not regard presenting the beauty of kabuki as his only mission. He wanted the audience to be curious about what kind of people Ichikawa Danjuro and his son were, and to generate interest in going to watch the performance live.

The report did not announce a more complete distribution plan, film length or screening information in China.The out-of-competition screening at the Venice Film Festival is the clearest public node yet.As for whether this documentary will meet audiences at other film festivals, theaters or streaming media, we still need to wait for the producer's subsequent announcement.

This time Miike Takashi moved from a feature film director to behind the documentary camera, and chose the fame and stage life of the thirteenth generation of Danjuro Ichikawa as his entry point.The disclosed content includes the subjects, shooting methods and screening in Venice. More distribution information has not yet been disclosed, and the film schedule in other overseas regions has not yet been announced.