Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:57 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
I can't but help think (know?) that those actresses were chosen because they are known quantities in the U.S....
Sure, they're talented, but they ain't Japanese.
well you're absolutely right...despite being of Chinese extraction they are marketable heavyweights in the world of acting...with an eye to money, Hollywood once again sacrifices artistic integrity and realism.
she has to be the most well recognized japanese actress outside of japan..and deservingly so. she should have at least had a role in memoirs of geisha instead of picking THREE chinese actresses.
I know that Miyazawa spent time in the United States battling her eating disorders and staying away from the pressures put on her by the Japanese press, but to what degree is she fluent in English? The film, after all, is in English, and I think that was one reason (of many reasons) why there are no Japanese actresses in the three major roles. Having seen her in period pieces like Tasogare Seibei and Aoi (Taiga drama), she certainly would have brought substance and authenticity to the very traditional and culturally rich world of the geisha.
She couldn't be no more worse or better than Ziyi Zhang and she's in the movie.
I read somewhere that she's spent the last several years trying to learn English in order to become a Hollywood movie star. She even westernized her name from Zhang Ziyi to Ziyi Zhang. Michelle Yeoh, as everyone probably knows, is thoroughly fluent in English (right down to her British accent). Don't know about Gong Li though.
I read somewhere that she's spent the last several years trying to learn English in order to become a Hollywood movie star. She even westernized her name from Zhang Ziyi to Ziyi Zhang. Michelle Yeoh, as everyone probably knows, is thoroughly fluent in English (right down to her British accent). Don't know about Gong Li though.
Gong Li might be in the same boat as Ziyi Zhang.
I don't see have big of a detriment the language thing could be: I remember that the actress who played Mariko (her name escapes me ) in Shogun didn't know a lick of English and she learned her lines phonetically.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:46 am Post subject:
shin2 wrote:
I know that Miyazawa spent time in the United States battling her eating disorders and staying away from the pressures put on her by the Japanese press, but to what degree is she fluent in English? The film, after all, is in English, and I think that was one reason (of many reasons) why there are no Japanese actresses in the three major roles. Having seen her in period pieces like Tasogare Seibei and Aoi (Taiga drama), she certainly would have brought substance and authenticity to the very traditional and culturally rich world of the geisha.
bmwracer wrote:
She couldn't be no more worse or better than Ziyi Zhang and she's in the movie
yeah miyazawa lived in los angeles (santa monica) for a few years....but yeah i agree with the comment about zhyang ziyi....she spoke no english whatsoever until recently....at least with someone like rie miyazawa you wouldn't have to teach both japanese and english (if she couldn't speak it already)...and the proper accent wouldn't be an issue.
edit: i just saw the trailer for this movie
Last edited by Tu_triky on Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:42 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:10 am Post subject:
Japan and South Korea move a little closer together on this week's "Drama Complex" (Nihon TV, Monday, 9:30 p.m.), a "full-scale detective thriller" entitled "Futatsu no Sokoku: Ai to Kanashimi no Kizuna (Two Homelands: The Bonds of Love and Sadness)."
A police detective named Eguchi is found murdered in Yokohama harbor. His partner, Nakahara (Kippei Shiina), looked up to Eguchi as he would a father, and is determined to find his killer. Nakahara determines that a man found burned to death in a car not far from the murder site was the culprit.
A young Korean woman named Myon Sung helps Nakahara by identifying the burned man as her father. Later, the detective starts to look deeper into the case and makes a shocking discovery: 31 years ago, the burned man and Eguchi were both involved in a robbery-murder case.
The detective travels to Seoul to track down Myon Sung in the hope that she will be able to shed more light on the mystery.
This week, Fuji TV will present three original drama programs about three famous Japanese women whose lives were defined by passion and a devotion to their respective crafts.
On Nov. 24 at 9:03 p.m., Rie Miyazawa plays Harumi Setouchi, who ran away from a husband and child for a string of lovers and a life of sensation, which she turned into a series of best-selling novels.
Later in life, Setouchi abandoned materialism and became a Buddhist nun, changing her name to Jakucho. However, her fame only increased, and she became a dispenser of worldly and spiritual advice, renowned for her uplifting lectures. Recently, she retired from her position at a temple in Iwate at the age of 83.
Singer Fubuki Koshiji is the subject of Friday night's drama, which also begins at 9:03 p.m. Koshiji was one of the most popular male-role specialists in the history of the all-female musical theater company Takarazuka, and after she retired she enjoyed even greater fame as a pop singer. Though she died in 1980 at the age of 56, her records still sell well today.
However, her backstage life was filled with tribulations, mostly health-related. She was supported by a loving husband and a female manager, Tokiko Iwatani, who was one of the most respected lyricists in Japanese show business. Koshiji is played by Yuki Amami, who is also a Takarazuka veteran.
On Nov. 26 at the same time, Ryoko Yonekura tackles Haruko Sugiura, Japan's most influential stage actress who died in 1997 at the age of 91. Sugiura was mainly famous for having played Blanche Dubois in thousands of performances of "A Streetcar Named Desire," but she also appeared on TV and in movies. She was a favorite of film director Yasujiro Ozu, but she was also a notoriously tough woman.
I don't see have big of a detriment the language thing could be: I remember that the actress who played Mariko (her name escapes me ) in Shogun didn't know a lick of English and she learned her lines phonetically.
And she did a wonderful job.
The name of that actress was Yoko Shimada, and you're right, she did learn her lines phonetically and did a wonderful job. The Japanese star of that miniseries, the great Toshiro Mifune, in his later years, also learned lines phonetically when he appeared in a slew of English language movies. Unfortunately, his efforts fell sadly short of his former magnificence. That series--Shogun--aired on Japanese TV in 1981 a couple of years after being broadcast in the U.S. and was roundly criticized in Japan. I read that one reason was because Japanese audiences couldn't understand why the characters' names were fictionalized when the series obviously was based on historical figures and events. They were so used to watching Taiga dramas in which important historical events and figures were depicted, they thought it was stupid to have fake names.
The name of that actress was Yoko Shimada, and you're right, she did learn her lines phonetically and did a wonderful job.
Thanks for the update.
Quote:
That series--Shogun--aired on Japanese TV in 1981 a couple of years after being broadcast in the U.S. and was roundly criticized in Japan. I read that one reason was because Japanese audiences couldn't understand why the characters' names were fictionalized when the series obviously was based on historical figures and events. They were so used to watching Taiga dramas in which important historical events and figures were depicted, they thought it was stupid to have fake names.
Just 'cause the names were fictionalized doesn't mean the audiences should have completely dismissed the series... Seems a little nitpicky to me.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:45 am Post subject:
bmwracer wrote:
Just 'cause the names were fictionalized doesn't mean the audiences should have completely dismissed the series... Seems a little nitpicky to me.
well if they dismissed the performance due to the fictionalization of names...what reaction should be expected from a flick that has 3 chinese actresses playing distinctly japanese roles.
Saw that recently and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. For me, most Japanese supernatural fantasy period movies are crap. But this one is definately worth a watch.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:15 am Post subject:
loris wrote:
Saw that recently and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. For me, most Japanese supernatural fantasy period movies are crap. But this one is definately worth a watch.
Ichikawa Somegoro was great, as was Rie.
really? cool...i haven't seen it...was the version you saw subtitled by any chance?
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:44 am Post subject:
loris wrote:
Sure thing. In English even.
that's sweet. did you download this off the web or see it on dvd? i'd really like to see it so if you could enlighten me on any resources that i may be able to avail myself of i'd appreciate it.
that's sweet. did you download this off the web or see it on dvd? i'd really like to see it so if you could enlighten me on any resources that i may be able to avail myself of i'd appreciate it.
Uh, yeah, I saw it in Theater Bittorrent, now playing at FSS and FSC.
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