Takeshi Kitano's artwork was a major part of perhaps his best film in "Hana-bi", and has been used subtly in some of his other works. But, "Achilles and the Tortoise" is where it is used most blatantly in what is one of his most conventional films, feeling in many ways like a made-for-TV movie.
Initially taking its inspiration from Zeno's Paradox in an animated sequence of the story of Achilles and the tortoise, young Machisu (Reiko Yoshioka) is a boy who wants to do nothing but draw. His father spends money on expensive works of art without any knowledge, and his ignorance soon brings his downfall, as he is left penniless and commits suicide. Machisu is orphaned and sent to live with his strict uncle (Ren Osugi). But his artistic temperament doesn't fit with his uncle's hardworking attitude, and so he once again starts a new life.
We then switch to Machisu as a young man (played by far-too-old Yurei Yanagi), working at a printing firm while at art school. Part of a collective trying to break new ground in the artworld, Machisu quietly continues his own work, but repeatedly gets turned back by his life-long dealer (Nao Omori).
Switching again to later life, Machisu is now a middle-aged man (Kitano) who, with (as is Kitano's want) his long-suffering wife Sachiko (Kanako Higuchi), continues to try and crack a career as an artist. Trying as many novel ways of making art as possible, the couple take their works to the dealer again and again, but continue to fail, or at least that is what they are told.
The opening segment has very much the feel of an old-fashioned melodrama with its homely setting and soft feel about a young boy with a dream. And indeed, this is quite a heart-warming film of the plucky underdog repeatedly trying and failing. If a couple of less-savoury scenes were removed, this could almost be billed as a family film - something that cannot be said of most of Kitano's oeuvre.
This niceness can be where the film fails, however. A film about a man trying to push the boundaries of artistic creativity, it lacks much cinematic risk, preferring safer and mainstream approaches. Morals are far from extraordinary either, with Kitano's portrait of the corrupt artworld where the artist is kept hungry while the dealers get fat far from illuminating.
This doesn't feel like a Kitano film, and that perhaps impacts on the impression of it. It's not so much that you expect something better, but something different. Completing the "Takeshi Trilogy" - a cinematic suicide in three parts - it shows a man struggling for creativity in various artforms, but ironically the films turned out to be simply that. But where "Takeshis'" and "Glory to the Filmmaker!" were confused and messy, this is to some extent more rounded and complete in its form and conclusions.
I was a bit disappointed with this when previously watching it nearer its time of release. Looking back on it, it is a solid enough film, with a nice story ticking many boxes for an enjoyable watch along the way. With Kitano's career being relatively quiet this last decade, the disappointment isn't there as before, and so the film just about holds up on its own. But this is more the result of looking back on the "Takeshi Trilogy" - that was quite dismissed at the time - and seeing that it may not be as bad as I remember, but that doesn't necessarily make it strong.
To conclude the trilogy, Machisu grows content with his role in life as one of its losers, but triers (even if we can see that he hasn't been quite the failure his dishonest dealer tells him he is). "Achilles and the Tortoise", however, would not have made Kitano stand out from the crowd early in his career as a director. Heart-warming, enjoyable, but, ironically, far from pushing artistic boundaries.
Politic1983.home.blog.
Initially taking its inspiration from Zeno's Paradox in an animated sequence of the story of Achilles and the tortoise, young Machisu (Reiko Yoshioka) is a boy who wants to do nothing but draw. His father spends money on expensive works of art without any knowledge, and his ignorance soon brings his downfall, as he is left penniless and commits suicide. Machisu is orphaned and sent to live with his strict uncle (Ren Osugi). But his artistic temperament doesn't fit with his uncle's hardworking attitude, and so he once again starts a new life.
We then switch to Machisu as a young man (played by far-too-old Yurei Yanagi), working at a printing firm while at art school. Part of a collective trying to break new ground in the artworld, Machisu quietly continues his own work, but repeatedly gets turned back by his life-long dealer (Nao Omori).
Switching again to later life, Machisu is now a middle-aged man (Kitano) who, with (as is Kitano's want) his long-suffering wife Sachiko (Kanako Higuchi), continues to try and crack a career as an artist. Trying as many novel ways of making art as possible, the couple take their works to the dealer again and again, but continue to fail, or at least that is what they are told.
The opening segment has very much the feel of an old-fashioned melodrama with its homely setting and soft feel about a young boy with a dream. And indeed, this is quite a heart-warming film of the plucky underdog repeatedly trying and failing. If a couple of less-savoury scenes were removed, this could almost be billed as a family film - something that cannot be said of most of Kitano's oeuvre.
This niceness can be where the film fails, however. A film about a man trying to push the boundaries of artistic creativity, it lacks much cinematic risk, preferring safer and mainstream approaches. Morals are far from extraordinary either, with Kitano's portrait of the corrupt artworld where the artist is kept hungry while the dealers get fat far from illuminating.
This doesn't feel like a Kitano film, and that perhaps impacts on the impression of it. It's not so much that you expect something better, but something different. Completing the "Takeshi Trilogy" - a cinematic suicide in three parts - it shows a man struggling for creativity in various artforms, but ironically the films turned out to be simply that. But where "Takeshis'" and "Glory to the Filmmaker!" were confused and messy, this is to some extent more rounded and complete in its form and conclusions.
I was a bit disappointed with this when previously watching it nearer its time of release. Looking back on it, it is a solid enough film, with a nice story ticking many boxes for an enjoyable watch along the way. With Kitano's career being relatively quiet this last decade, the disappointment isn't there as before, and so the film just about holds up on its own. But this is more the result of looking back on the "Takeshi Trilogy" - that was quite dismissed at the time - and seeing that it may not be as bad as I remember, but that doesn't necessarily make it strong.
To conclude the trilogy, Machisu grows content with his role in life as one of its losers, but triers (even if we can see that he hasn't been quite the failure his dishonest dealer tells him he is). "Achilles and the Tortoise", however, would not have made Kitano stand out from the crowd early in his career as a director. Heart-warming, enjoyable, but, ironically, far from pushing artistic boundaries.
Politic1983.home.blog.