Hana-Bi (DVD)

Takeshi Kitano has been a mainstay of the Japanese entertainment industry for more than twenty years. He first entered the world of directing with 1991's Violent Cop, a film that was originally intended to be directed by Yakuza movie legend Kinji Fukasaki. However, Fukusaki became ill whilst filming
and so the helm was passed over to star "Beat" Takeshi. From that day on, Kitano has continued to carve out a niche in world cinema ...
...and sharp bursts of violence. This combination reached its cumulative best with 1997\'s classic Hana Bi(Fireworks).
Hana Bi went on to win much critical acclaim, including winning the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. All of these accolades were richly deserved. Hana Bi is principally the story of an ageing police officer who takes a loan out from Yakuza members to pay for a trip around Japan with his terminally ill
wife. ... more

Takeshi Kitano has been a mainstay of the Japanese entertainment industry for more than twenty years. He first entered the world of directing with 1991's Violent Cop, a film that was originally intended to be directed by Yakuza movie legend Kinji Fukasaki. However, Fukusaki became ill whilst filming
and so the helm was passed over to star "Beat" Takeshi. From that day on, Kitano has continued to carve out a niche in world cinema with his original blend of poetic imagery, long silent shots and sharp bursts of violence. This combination reached its cumulative best with 1997\'s classic Hana Bi(Fireworks).
Hana Bi went on to win much critical acclaim, including winning the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. All of these accolades were richly deserved. Hana Bi is principally the story of an ageing police officer who takes a loan out from Yakuza members to pay for a trip around Japan with his terminally ill
wife. Meanwhile, his partner is shot because Kitano\'s character is not there to provide backup.
This film was made soon after Kitano suffered a near fatal motorbike accident, since then his films have shown far more maturity and tranquility than his earlier crime dramas. Though Hana Bi is still about relations between Yakuza and "Violent Cops" and does have its fair share of violence, Kitano appears far more interested in the emotional side, concentrating on the relationship between Kitano and his wife as well as his partner adjusting to his new life after being shot. This film is concerned with the screen image, with Kitano showing several
long shots of the sea, something found in much of his later work such as "Kikujiro" and "A Scene At The Sea", it is even a feature in his earlier film "Sonatine" which is also highly recommended. As in the later "Kikujiro" the film contains several paintings by Kitano himself, who as well as film making, is a noted writer, TV presenter and amateur painter. He has published over 80 books in his native Japan and is currently seen on 6 TV shows a week.
There is something in Kitano's deadpan features that has struck a chord with the youth of Japan, though many of his TV shows are admittedly terribly generic dross (trust me, I've seen some), Kitano shows that he is fully aware of this fact and uses this to identify with his viewers.
I think it is fair to say Kitano is a better Film maker than he is comedian and TV presenter. He is one of the fresh new voices in World Cinema and in Hana Bi, has created a truly outstanding film. Here he manges to convey true beauty and love in a purely sexless relationship between his protagonists. So few modern
filmmakers are willing to make films that aren't centred around a passionate couple of 20 year olds, this makes Kitano's film all the more spectacular. This is a phenomenal character study that finally introduced Takeshi Kitano to a world audience and we are all richer for it.
 

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