Pictures of Takeshi Kitano capture the attention of the audience, immerse them in an unusual and fascinating world. There is a place in them and eternal love, and intolerable cruelty, and subtle humor. By 71, the talented director and actor managed to present about 20 films to the public, to appear in about 60 films. What can you tell about himself and his work?
Takeshi Kitano: family, childhood
The hero of this article was born in Japan, and more specifically in Tokyo. It happened in January 1947. From the biography of Takeshi Kitano it follows that he was born in a family far from the cinema. His father Kikujiro was a house painter, and his mother, Saki, took care of the house and children. Takeshi became the fourth child of his parents.
An important role in the life of Takeshi played a grandmother. It was she who was engaged in his education until entering elementary school. Thanks to her efforts, the boy was perfectly prepared for lessons, quickly became one of the best students. He gave preference to the exact sciences, he loved mathematics and considered connecting his life with it. Creative activities also attracted the child, for example, he painted beautifully.
At school, Takeshi Kitano was seriously interested in sports. He attended the baseball section, was engaged in boxing. Subsequently, this was reflected in many of his directorial works, for example, in “Boiling Point”.
Adolescence
In 1965, Takeshi Kitano successfully passed the entrance exams and became a student at Meiji University. Parents persuaded their son to give preference to the engineering department. However, his studies did not carry him away; he soon abandoned her. Takeshi left home and began an independent life. Two years later, the young man was expelled for numerous passes.
In his youth, Kitano tried many activities. He worked as a waiter in a jazz bar, a loader at the airport, a seller in a pastry shop, a security guard in a nightclub, a laborer, a taxi driver, and a gas station employee.
Actor
The first acting work of Takeshi Kitano did not make any impression on the audience and critics. The young man starred in several early films by Koji Wakamatsu. His roles were episodic, and the name did not even appear on the credits. The young man also took part in a number of student comedy productions.
Gradually, the acting began to drag out Takeshi. He seriously thought about how to connect his life with dramatic art. The young man began to take acting lessons from the famous artist and art director of the bar "France" Senzaburo Fukami. Then he began to hone his skills in small comic sideshow.
Kitano's first major achievement was the creation of the comedy duo Two Bits. His second member was the hundred Jiro Kaneko. The duet performed in cabarets, bars, strip clubs, enjoyed scandalous fame. Often the performances of friends ended in brawls. Then they began to appear in the program "Manzai-boom", which gained high ratings. The comedy duo broke up in 1982.
Takeshi played minor and episodic roles in films, led humorous television projects and talk shows.
Directorial debut
In 1989, he first tried his hand as a director, Takeshi Kitano. Initially, it was assumed that in the film "Cruel Cop" he will play one of the main roles. However, unexpectedly for all, Takeshi not only starred in this picture, but also took the lead on its creation.
The film tells the story of police Azuma. The detective is engaged in dangerous and thankless work, constantly risking his life. It differs from colleagues in that it uses “special” methods. Azuma defends justice without stopping at anything. One day he is forced to confront a dangerous maniac. In this battle, only one of them can survive.
First pictures
The first experience was successful. The aspiring director decided to continue making films. The next year, Takeshi Kitano presented his second picture to the audience court. The action film "Boiling Point" tells the story of an ordinary gas station employee. One day, a young man encounters a bandit from the Yakuza who decides to wash the car. A fatal meeting forever changes his life. The guy has to learn about what weapons, blood and death are.
The drama “Scenes by the Sea” was presented to the public in 1991. The film tells the story of a scavenger who wants to master the art of riding on a surfboard. The main obstacle to the goal for him is deafness. The novice athlete is bullied by others, but he continues his studies.
90s tapes
What other films of Takeshi Kitano saw the light in the 90s? The world audience learned about the Japanese director thanks to the thriller "Sonatina", released in 1993. He not only shot this picture, but also played a key role. Tokyo Yakuza Murakawa became the hero of Takeshi. The authorities send him to the island in order to put an end to the bloody struggle of the two clans. Gradually, Murakawa realizes that his mission is just a trap.
In 1994, a provocative tape “Did you take someone off?” Was presented to the public. The protagonist of the film is able to think only about sex. Unfortunately, the girls do not pay any attention to the guy. Once the hero decides that he needs a cool car in order to easily "take off" the ladies. The guy has no money to buy an expensive car, so he goes to rob the bank.
Next, Kitano released the crime drama "The Boys Are Returning." The film tells the story of two former classmates. They were friends at school, but after graduation their paths diverged. One of them became a yakuza, and the other a boxer.
In 1997, the crime thriller Fireworks was released. Takeshi not only shot this picture, but also played a key role. He embodied the image of a former policeman who begins a bloody struggle with the Japanese mafia. His main goal is to protect the widow of a murdered colleague, a paralyzed friend and his own sick wife.
In the film "Kikujiro" Kitano also played the main role. In this comedy, he embodied the image of an uncouth man who suddenly begins to take care of an orphaned neighbor's child. By the end of the picture, the character turns into a touching good man.
Yakuza Brother
“The Yakuza Brother” is a film by Takeshi Kitano presented to the audience in 2000, in which he traditionally played a key role. The main character of the picture is an action movie of the mafia clan Anika Yamamoto, nicknamed "Big Brother." He flees to the States from Japan after defeating his gang. In America, Yamamoto decisively enters the struggle for power, hoping to win his place under the sun. The hero piously observes the ancient code of the yakuza, which cannot be said about his rivals.
Yamamoto understands that victory or death awaits him at the end of the bloody path. This does not stop him from fighting alone with dangerous enemies. The film deserves to be watched thanks to its unexpected and shocking ending.
"Dolls"
What other director's films are you sure to see? “Dolls” is a film by Takeshi Kitano, which also cannot be ignored. This is a difficult tape about love and choice, that generations are changing, not morals. The main character gives up his love for the sake of money. He is about to enter into a marriage of convenience, and his rejected love cannot endure betrayal and goes crazy.
The main theme of the picture is the fragility of love. The film warns about how easy it is to break feelings and hard to glue. Takeshi does not hide that he considers this picture to be one of his main achievements as a director.
"Banzai, the director!"
"Banzai, the director!" The 2007 film, which every Kitano fan should also see. This comedy drama tells the story of a simple employee of an insurance company. A man falls in love with a stewardess, is going to marry her. However, due to his distraction, he suddenly dives headlong into other people's problems. This negatively affects his relationship with the bride.
The hero sucks deeper and deeper into the abyss. His adventures become so incredible that he already refuses to believe in their reality. The beloved woman is going to leave the unlucky groom.
"Complete lawlessness"
Full Mayhem is a 2012 film that Takeshi also directed. A thriller with drama elements tells the difficult story of the Sanno crime family. She grew into a large organization that extended its power to legal business and politics.
Confront the mafia is decided by an ambitious detective Kataoka. He uses dirty tricks in order to push Sanno with their old enemies Hanabishi. The detective hopes that the two criminal families will destroy each other in a bloody struggle. Only time can determine the winners in a bloody and destructive struggle for power. The film "Complete Mayhem" in 2012 should see every fan of Takeshi. It is full of action-packed scenes, unexpected twists and beautiful performances of fights.
What else to see
Battle Royale is a 2000 film in which Takeshi played a key role. The picture tells of a terrible experiment, the participants of which are schoolchildren. The crisis in the country leads to the introduction of a new program that needs to be tested. Children are forcibly sent to an uninhabited island, where they are forced to play a dangerous "game." Only the fittest can survive - the schoolboy who can kill all classmates who arrived on the island with him. The 2000 Battle Royale film is capable of surprising its end.
Remembering the vibrant acting work of Kitano, one cannot fail to mention the painting “Blood and Bones”. His character in this film is Kim Shunpei, who comes to post-war Japan. He seeks to go to a foreign country in search of a better life, but he does not expect anything good in a foreign land.
"Johnny Mnemonic" is another fascinating film featuring Takeshi Kitano. The events of the picture unfold in the distant future. The main character gets a job mnemonics. He is a courier who transfers confidential information in his memory. He erased childhood memories and many important moments of the past, as resources may not be enough. The operation would help him return all this, but he does not have money for it. Once mnemonics are entrusted with dangerous information, which people who are ready for anything hunt for. The hero is forced to save not only confidential information, but also his own life.
Personal life
What happens in Takeshi Kitano's personal life? For many years now, he has been happily married to comedian Miki Matsuda. Lovers married in 1979. in 1981, Miki gave her husband a son Atsushi, and in 1982, daughter Seko.
Atsushi chose a profession that is not related to the world of dramatic art. She went in the footsteps of parents, became an actress. Takeshi's daughter, for example, can be seen in his movie Fireworks.
Interesting Facts
What more can you say about Takeshi Kitano? For example, the fact that the famous director and actor is the owner of an explosive character. Once a tabloid newspaper published a photograph of a maestro with a girl. Takeshi got so angry that in the company of friends he broke into the editorial office and beat several of her employees. For some time after that, he was forbidden to appear on the TV screen.
Kitano did not leave many of his childhood hobbies. For example, he has been seriously interested in mathematics for many years. The actor and director does not hide that if he had not “lost his way”, he would have connected his life with this science. Over the years, he has been doing his best to popularize mathematics.
During his life, Takeshi has already managed to release several collections of poems. He also wrote several novels, and permitted the use of some of them as scripts. Kitano has also been a lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts for several years now.
In 2018, Takeshi’s new film will be presented to the audience. It is a drama called "Analogue". Unfortunately, the plot of the picture is kept secret. However, it is already known that the main role will be played by Kitano.