SADO TEMPEST. A film by John Williams

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "SADO TEMPEST. A film by John Williams"

Russell Lindsey
5 years ago
Views:

1 SADO TEMPEST A film by John Williams

The Emperor and poet Juntoku was exiled there in the middle ages and later the Noh Playwright Zeami and the Buddhist Priest Nichiren.

2 Sado Tempest is a near-future, dysfunctional version of The Tempest, filmed entirely on Sado Island off the North West coast of Japan. Sado Island is famous as the island of exile, where Japanese intellectuals and dissidents have been traditionally sent throughout the ages. The Emperor and poet Juntoku was exiled there in the middle ages and later the Noh Playwright Zeami and the Buddhist Priest Nichiren. Noh theatre and other influences have left a tradition of Demon Masks, and a tradition of Demon drumming, which inspired the world famous Kodo Drummers, who now make their home on the island. The film blends the traditional culture of Sado island and Shakespeare s mysterious last play about exile, with Japanese rock music, to create a bizarre mirror of modern Japan.

3 STORY: Sometime in the near future, rebel rock singer Jun Tokushima (Juntoku) is exiled with his band to Sado Island. The island has fallen into permanent winter after a terrible storm that destroyed the secret Genetic Laboratory of Omuro (Prospero). His daughter, Miranda, has gone crazy and is now the mistress of the brutal head of the prison, Sugi (Caliban). Jun escapes from the prison and wanders the island, encountering cannibals and Demons. The Demons lead him inland, where he meets Omuro, who also seems to have gone crazy. But Omuro seems to want to use Jun for some purpose, connected to the Demons, who may be the force responsible for the storm. Jun is recaptured and sets to work to try to piece together the broken fragments of the Demon Songs, in an attempt to bring back the Spring. But just as he is about to complete the song, Sekihara, the head of the secret police, who exiled Jun, turns up on the island and reveals that he sent Jun there to lure Omuro out of hiding and destroy him. As Jun is dispatched to kill Omuro, Miranda begins to incant the Demon song, and a terrible storm approaches the island again...

DIRECTOR S NOTES: DIRECTOR S NOTES: In 2008 I was invited by the Film Commission on Sado Island to come and explore the locations In 2008 with I was a invited view to making by the Film a film

4 DIRECTOR S NOTES: DIRECTOR S NOTES: In 2008 I was invited by the Film Commission on Sado Island to come and explore the locations In 2008 with I was a invited view to making by the Film a film Commission there. This was on the Sado year Island of the to Lehman come and shock explore in Japan the and locations there was with a a general view to sense making of catastrophe a film there. hanging This was over the the year whole of the country. Lehman Sado shock seemed in Japan to symbolize and there the was absolute a general zenith sense of of this catastrophe catastrophe. hanging Sado over was the once whole one country. of the richest Sado seemed parts ofto Japan symbolize with a the Gold absolute mine that zenith produced of this much catastrophe. of Japan s Sado wealth, was a once thriving one of fishing the richest industry parts andof the Japan best with rice a in Gold the mine country. that produced Now the Gold much mine of Japan s is a spectacular wealth, a thriving ruin, the fishing industry and in decline the best and rice the in the population country. has Now decreased the Gold mine to a is low a spectacular of 60,000 ruin, people. the fishing At the industry currentin depopulation decline and rate the the population island will has be deserted decreased within to a 40 low years. of 60,000 people. At the current And depopulation yet, Sado rate Island the is island a kind will of be floating deserted cultural within treasure 40 years. house, the legacy of the artists and religious And yet, figures Sado Island who were is a kind exiled of there. floating Oni cultural Daiko treasure or Demon house, Drumming the legacy of exists the artists in every and village, religious farmers figures perform who were Noh exiled Plays and there. the Oni island Daiko is dotted or Demon with beautiful Drumming temples. exists It is in also every a natural village, paradise farmers in perform summer Noh and Plays in the and mountains the island in is the dotted centre with there beautiful is a temples. grove of It beautiful is also a Cedar natural trees, paradise twisted in into summer bizarre and shapes in the by mountains the wind, some in the of centre them there over 1,000 is a grove years of old. beautiful When Cedar I trees, suggested twisted making into bizarre a film shapes based by on the the wind, theme some of exile, of them there over was 1,000 some years resistance old. at first, When as I this suggested is also a making painful and a film embarrassing based on the subject theme on of the exile, island, there but the was young some resistance team at theat Film first, Commission as this also were a painful supportive and embarrassing of the idea subject and we on finally the island, managed but to the film young in March team at and the then Film later Commission in the summer were supportive of of Five the days idea into and the we finally shoot managed the terrible to film earthquake in March and and Tsunami then later struck in the the summer opposite of coast of Five Japan. days Hirotaro into the Honda, shoot the who terrible plays earthquake the Prospero and character Tsunami phoned struck from the opposite Tokyo. We coast thought of Japan. he was Hirotaro phoning Honda, to apologize who plays for dropping the Prospero out of the character film, but phoned he said from that Tokyo. he believed We it thought was more he was important phoning than to ever apologize to finish for the dropping film, which out of ends the film, with a but message he said of that hope he believed and regeneration. it was more Thanks important to him than and ever the to other finish actors the film, and which crew who ends decided with a to message continue of the hope shoot, and we regeneration. managed to Thanks finish this to him film. and the other actors and crew who decided to continue the shoot, we managed to finish this film.

Director: John Williams DIRECTOR: John Williams was born in the UK, grew up in Wales and studied French and German literature at Cambridge, where he began to make films.

feature, the multiple award-winning, Firefly Dreams (2001).

5 Director: John Williams DIRECTOR: John Williams was born in the UK, grew up in Wales and studied French and German literature at Cambridge, where he began to make films. After teaching in a secondary school in London for a couple of years he m oved t o Ja pan i n 1988, a nd c on ti nue d t o make independent films, before writing, producing a nd directing his first feature, the multiple award-winning, Firefly Dreams (2001). Since then he has been involved as producer or c o-producer on several s hort films, documentaries and features, completed a second feature, Starfish Hotel (2007) with some of Japan s top stars, including Koichi Sato, Tae Kimura and Akira Emoto. Sado Tempest is his third feature. CAST Jilber, Hirotaro Honda Noriko Eguchi Tsuchiya Ryota Yoji Tanaka

6 CAST Noriko Eguchi Ryota Tsuchiya Hirotaro Honda Yoji Tanaka Kyokaku Ichi Minoru Sawatari Jilber

The Byzantine Empire and Russia ( )

The Byzantine Empire and Russia ( ) Copyright 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved. Chapter 10, Section World History: Connection to Today Chapter 10 The Byzantine Empire