Zhang Ziyi’s other Japanese-themed film is quirky fairy tale musical

Hong Kong, April. 17(AP): Zhang Ziyi’s best-known foray into Japanese culture is the Hollywood movie “Memoirs of a Geisha,” which stirred worries of an anti-Japan backlash in Zhang’s native China, where many are still bitter over Tokyo’s past military atrocities.
Less known is the fact that “Memoirs of a Geisha” isn’t the only time Zhang has danced in kimono on the big screen.
There’s also famed Japanese director Seijun Suzuki’s “Tanuki-Goten,” a quirky fairy-tale musical made in 2004 and recently released on DVD in Hong Kong.
It’s the story of a mythical ancient Japanese lord who, jealous over his son’s good looks, wants to kill him. Meanwhile, the young man meets and falls in love with Princess Raccoon (Zhang), who incurs the lord’s wrath.
Suzuki’s bizarre tale is matched by an equally unconventional cinematic approach and production design.
For starters, Zhang dabbles in Japanese dialogue _ but speaks Chinese for most of the film.
Meanwhile, sappy melodies are punctuated by an upbeat, trumpet-driven anthem that sounds like the theme song to a Japanese video game.
In one scene, the lord and a minion break out in Japanese rap. In another, Princess Raccoon and the son tap dance _ he in wooden sandals _ before launching into a slow number.
The set resembles a theater production with colorful costumes, sparse structures and painted backdrops.
The pacing and aesthetic bring to mind Lars von Trier’s sometimes excruciatingly slow film “Dogville,” set in a one-dimensional layout of an American village.
All of it begs the question: What was Zhang thinking?
Suzuki’s stature must have been a factor.
The veteran director is known for his unique style. He challenged the traditional Japanese gangster film genre in the 1960s, inserting a gay mobster who parks a pink limo beneath matching cherry blossoms in “Youth of the Beast.”
In the 1980s, after a decade-long absence from movie-making, Suzuki re-emerged as a critics’ darling with “Zigeunerweisen,” an exploration of Japanese identity as it faced Western influences in the 1920s. He went on to establish a reputation as a top art-house film director.
Zhang has also shown a willingness to work with a variety of filmmakers. She’s appeared in Chinese, Japanese, South Korean and Hollywood movies.
The quirky “Tanuki-Goten,” which never generated much mainstream attention despite screenings in 2005 at several film festivals, including Cannes, shows a different Zhang.
For Zhang fans accustomed to her feisty characters in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or “Rush Hour 2,” her cheerful fantasy character in “Tanuki-Goten” is a refreshing, amusing change of image.
Source: The Hindu News