TONY TAKITANI is an eloquent, deftly told tale based on a short story published in The New Yorker, written by Japanese bestselling author Haruki Murakami (NORWEGIAN WOOD, KAFKA ON THE SHORE). Issey Ogata stars as the title character, a simple, undemanding mechanical draftsman who lives a lonely existence. His mother died shortly after he was born, and his father (also played by Ogata) is a jazz musician who is rarely around. But when Tony meets the young and beautiful Eiko (Miyazawa Rie), 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.
Written and directed by Jun Ichikawa (RYOMA'S WIFE, HER HUSBAND AND HER LOVER), TONY TAKITANI is told in long scenes with little or no dialogue; sometimes the characters themselves finish parts of the narration, which is delivered by Hidetoshi Nishijima at a soft, deliberate pace. The intelligent script, which is extremely faithful to Murakami's original story, is accompanied by Ryuichi Sakamoto's gorgeous, spare score and Hirokawa Taishi's stark, captivating cinematography.
Theatrical Release: July 29, 2005
TONY TAKITANI was the winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival.
DVD Features:
Full Frame
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Stars
Issey Ogata: YI YI
Miyazawa Rie: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Hidetoshi Nishijima: Actor, DOLLS (2004)
Shinohara Takahumi: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Shihodo Wataru: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Kino Hana: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Kusano Toru: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Oyamada Sayuri: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Tanigawa Saho: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Director
Jun Ichikawa: Director, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Producer
Ishida Motoki: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Screenwriter
Jun Ichikawa: Director, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Director of Photography
Hirokawa Taishi: Director of Photography, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Executive Producer
Hashimoto Naoki: Executive Producer, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Executive Producer
Yonezawa Keiko: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Source Writer
Haruki Murakami: Source Writer, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Music
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Japanese Composer/Actor
Review 1:
"A delicate wisp of a film with a surprisingly sharp sting..."
Source: New York Times
p.E14 07/29/2005
Review 2:
"It's a quiet dream of a movie, a vision of loneliness giving way to love..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.58 08/12/2005
Review 3:
Included in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Films Of The Year -- "A quiet dream of a movie -- it's like VERTIGO refashioned into a sedately haunted Japanese tone poem."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.118 12/30/2005
Review 4:
"[T]he film renders Murakami's story very satisfyingly; it's an engrossing and affecting watch."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.78 06/01/2006
Review 5:
4 stars out of 5 -- "A small, perfectly formed tale of loneliness and addiction, it succeeds in matching the way the action in Murakami's prose takes place between the lines."
Source: Total Film
p.46 07/01/2006