Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14033 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-24
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Synopsis
Tony Takitani is a simple, undemanding mechanical draftsman who lives a lonely existence. His mother died shortly after he was born, and his father is a jazz musician who is rarely around. But when Tony meets the young and beautiful Eiko, he falls for her instantly, despite their 15-year age difference. Their friendship slowly develops into love, and Tony soon discovers that Eiko is a shopaholic who cannot stop buying clothing. When tragedy strikes, Tony is forced to look at his life in a whole different way. Based on a short story published in The New Yorker, written by Japanese best-selling author Haruki Murakami ('Norwegian Wood', 'Kafka On The Shore').

Customer Reviews

Small but well formed Murakami adaptation
Jun Ichikawa's film 'Tony Takitani', based on a short story by the popular Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, is only 75 minutes long. This, though, isn't too surprising if you have read the source story, because it's quite a slight little tale in the first place.

The film's strongest points are its unusual, dreamy images (I have never seen a simple car journey filmed in the way seen here before), use of stills and voiceovers to tell some of the story, and general sense of dislocation which mirrors its lead character well. He is an illustrator/designer in Tokyo, who seemes to live apart from people in general; having been a solitary child, he continues to be a solitary adult who then becomes completely besotted with a woman he meets and marries.

Perhaps less successful is this central love story, which is brief to say the least, and, I think, produces a consequent difficulty most viewers may well experience in connecting with any of the characters. But then, perhaps 'Tony Takitani' needs to be approached more like a dream than a film - it is memorable but not in a conventional way - it's more the feeling and look of it which lingers in the mind rather than any spectacular dramatic scenes. I found it quite refreshing as it is certainly unlike anything else I have seen in a while, although, being a 'mood piece', it's probably best to watch it if you are in the mood for something pretty unconventional.

Extras are straightforward - a 'making of' documentary, stills from the production and the film, and a trailer.

Overall, this is essential for Murakami fans, and a non-essential but interesting curio for world cinema followers.

Beautiful Cinema
I originally read the Murakami short story as part of his Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman collection aware of the fact that the short story had been filmed. After reading, I was intrigued as to how someone could create a lengthy piece of celluloid from the very short and enigmatic source material.

Jun Ichikawa has done a marvellous job of capturing the essence of the original short story and uses the cinematic artform to add a different perspective on the themes of love, loss, loneliness that the book explores. The film is very simply and beautifully filmed, moments of stillness and rather brave scenes in real time reminiscent of Omar Sharif's Desert entrance in Lawrence of Arabia ground the film and give it a sense of events occurring in the moment.

It's an absolute joy to watch - simple and beautiful

a tale of loneliness
What I liked about this film was the successful manner in which the director adapted a Murakami story about a man who has spent most of his life alone, albeit briefly puntuated by an all consuming love for a designer textile addict! For me the dreamy, poetic visuals encapsulate the enigmatic sadness of the principle character (there are a few very touching scenes, particularly when Tony is a boy), voiceovers reveal the internal dialogue of characters and the hypnotic cinematography gently moves the viewer from one scene to another (like turning the pages of a book). This is not a film for those viewers wanting answers, instead Ichikawa presents Murakami's hero as a perpetually socially isolated individual who may or may not be a victim of destiny. Certainly fate deals Tony a bad hand but his ability to carry on without descending into a pit of misanthropy and long term despair is surprising. Perhaps the room full of clothes is a metaphor for lives crowded with consumer aspirations but empty of meaning.