| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Animation |
ORIGINAL STORY Franz Kafka “Ein Landarzt”
SCRIPT, STORY BOARD, CAMERA & EDITOR Koji Yamamura
MUSIC Hitomi Shimizu(SYZYGYS) / SOUND DESIGN Koji Kasamatsu
DIRECTED BY Koji Yamamura
Being an anime fan for most of my life, I've been subconsciously looking for something to totally blow me away from an ever-increasing ennui when watching films in general and animation in particular.
This film did it.
This film opened my eyes.
This film made me sit up and almost not blink in the 20 minutes that it was dancing and flowing across the theater's screen.
Direct, and yet distorted.. and jaw-droppingly surreal is how I see Kōji Yamamura's short animation of Franz Kafka's tale. The story might be mind-boggling (and gives rise to existentialism thoughts) but since on the heels of that observation, "bizarre" is another word which this time is applicable to the film adaptation...and so they are made for each other.
Truth to tell, I have not read "A Country Doctor" - a writer, not matter how talented he may be - once described as the father of angst - is not something to get me all hot and bothered about pawing through his works - and a German tale? that goes for some more patience on my part...and that is not a virtue I have in spades.
While it may be a German story which is the basis, the director has imaginatively used elements of Noh drama to present his adaptation.
It was my first time to see animated layered textures, all scratch-y and distortion-y..and paired with dramatic narration which I may have seen in other animated films, but never at the same time - and never blended together with seamless ease that the viewer can only be just simply amazed that this kind of work even exists. And in animation!
An excellent review I found just now, which I will direct you to as I don't think I could do justice to Yamamura-san's multi-awarded work (I'm still actually in a kind of daze) is found on this particular link,
please click here.
Of course, credit must be given to Herr Kafka for his short story which has inspired this kind of animation.
btw, I saw this in Eiga Sai 2010.
ReplyDeletebefore this event, I was actually of the mind that I would be enjoying "Miyori in the Sacred Forest" and probably crushed underfoot (in terms of angst and misery) by "A Country Doctor"..but afterwards, it was really a no contest at all. I mean I enjoyed Miyori as a film too especially as it takes on a more relevant theme these days of caring for the environment and Mother Earth in the grand scheme of things - but honestly? any animated film showing after Yamamura-san's work is just not going to be as visually appealing :-)
when it pertains to the story too...anything coming after this film is simply not Kafkaesque enough to give you thoughts to ponder on about your own life...
Synopsis picked from the internet, as I was gushing with my review above and promptly forgot to say what the story was about...
ReplyDeleteOne dark and blustery night, a lone doctor is called to a village ten miles away in order to help with a sick patient. Quickly losing his servant to ill-intentioned hands and whisked away upon frightening horses, the doctor meets his young and ailing patient under the scrutinizing eyes of his family. It is here that the doctor will try to discover the root of the boy’s illness and also try to make some sense out of his own psyche.
for reference:
ReplyDeleteRemember I said in my review about that "dramatic narration"? (though it sounds such a mild and an oft-repeated phrase)...
I found out that the voice acting was done by the the Shigeyama (茂山) family.
That is one good coup - as VAs (voice actors) the Shigeyamas are masters of Kyōgen ( 狂言).
This is a comical form of traditional Japanese theatre that originally developed as a kind of entertainment to lighten the mood between the acts of a Noh drama. (I think I had posted about Kyogen as one of the things I saw in Kyoto).
From the net -
The Shigeyama family has specialized in Kyōgen since around the turn of the 19th century, and the patriarch of the family, Shigeyama Shigeyama III (茂山千作) has been received the rare honor of being designated a Human National Treasure. He does the main voice for the doctor and four other members of the family do the other voices apart from the children's choir and the award-winning novelist Hitomi Kanehara (金原ひとみ) who does the voice of Rose.
my last comment before I turn in...
ReplyDeleteafter reading the English interpretation above..I belatedly noticed that I do still have the tendency to write a long sentence instead of chopping it up into shorter ones - and this trait I have to watch out for unless there's something good to be gleaned about such habits..
my last comment before I turn in...
ReplyDeleteafter reading the English interpretation above..I belatedly noticed that I do still have the tendency to write a long sentence instead of chopping it up into shorter ones - with a liberal use of dashes and dots..and its like am having a conversation without pause, so much so that writing this way may be irritating to those who read or attempt to read what I type in. This trait I have to watch out for unless there's something good to be gleaned about such habits..
Parang mga kayumanguitos when they gather. : )
ReplyDeleteI wonder how Yamamura came to choosing this to do his film.
ReplyDeletegood thing we younger Kayus know how to prioritize (eat and eat..while the others talk...hehe)
ReplyDeleteI heard there are actually several adaptations already..though I do not know at this point if they be Japanese animation or some other countries' efforts
ReplyDeleteit would be interesting to know your feedback if you do get to see the film..
Is there any other?
ReplyDeleteare you saying all Kayus are more of less under the term of young...or you are asking if there are other younger Kayus besides me?
ReplyDeleteThe former.
ReplyDeleteyoung at heart, young at mind..young in face...:-)
ReplyDeleteang years lang (in age) magkaiba...
i wish works like these are accessible not only in theaters...sana may DVD's too, i'm sure there are but maybe not available here...missed this.
ReplyDeletebut there may be on the internet naman daw...kaya nga Marie (another friend here) told me not to worry pwede daw sa internet if mahanap lang...
ReplyDeletekaso ako I don't like to download..only streaming..also I think the effect here was better if shown on the big screen..than on my puny little tv...
definitely, a lot will be lost on small screen...ipa hanap ko sa anak ko...busy ako mag post...hehehe
ReplyDeleteteka Doc Philip..mahilig ka ba animation? parang konti lang kc alam ko dito sa network ko who enjoys it...
ReplyDeleteand this is vastly different sa mga Disney stuff ....
if you read Kafka's work, there's nothing humorous about it pa...:-(
i am a pretty 'weird', very diverse interests from, music, arts & movies...even my son would say we are different....hehe..i used to watch films during Film Center ..i just wish i had more time & tiyaga to go out more.
ReplyDeletehehe...I'm glad to see am not the only "oddball" *wink*
ReplyDeleteanimation though and manga are in my top 5 loves...
I just noticed, A Country Doctor..tapos ikaw din Doc Philip doctor pupumunta sa countryside :-)
ReplyDeletePara mong sinasabi na may Rosa din si Doc. : )
ReplyDeletehmm...that would be a better interpretation hehehe..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yamamura-animation.jp/E_Body.html
ReplyDelete