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Product Description
Published in 1987 and since translated into 33 languages, Norwegian Wood is a story of loss and heartbreak in a time of global instability. Haruki Murakami’s bestselling novel is brought to the screen by Tran Anh Hung (Golden Lion winner for Cyclo and Academy Award nominee for The Scent of Green Papaya) and features Japanese rising star Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City) and Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) alongside newcomer Kiko Mizuhara.
Tokyo, the late 1960s… Students around the world are uniting to overthrow the establishment and Toru Watanabe’s personal life is similarly in tumult. At heart, he is deeply devoted to his first love, Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman. But their complex bond has been forged by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Watanabe lives with the influence of death everywhere. That is, until Midori, a girl who is everything that Naoko is not – outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident – marches into his life and Watanabe must choose between his past and his future.
Tokyo, the late 1960s… Students around the world are uniting to overthrow the establishment and Toru Watanabe’s personal life is similarly in tumult. At heart, he is deeply devoted to his first love, Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman. But their complex bond has been forged by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Watanabe lives with the influence of death everywhere. That is, until Midori, a girl who is everything that Naoko is not – outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident – marches into his life and Watanabe must choose between his past and his future.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: Japanese ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Making Of, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Published in 1987 and since translated into 33 languages, Norwegian Wood is a story of loss and heartbreak in a time of global instability. Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel is brought to the screen by Tran Anh Hung (Golden Lion winner for Cyclo and Academy Award nominee for The Scent Of Green Papaya) and features Japanese rising star Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City) and Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi (BABEL) alongside newcomer Kiko Mizuhara. Original soundtrack from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Tokyo, the late 1960s... Students around the world are uniting to overthrow the establishment and Toru Watanabe's personal life is similarly in tumult. At heart, he is deeply devoted to his first love, Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman. But their complex bond has been forged by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Watanabe lives with the influence of death everywhere. That is, until Midori, a girl who is everything that Naoko is not - outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident - marches into his life and Watanabe must choose between his past and his future. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Venice Film Festival, ...Norwegian Wood (2010) ( Noruwei no mori )
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By J.E.T
Format:DVD
Norwegian Wood is a subtitled Japanese film, based on the book by Haruki Murakami. For those who don't know the plot, Wantabe is a teenage boy studying in Japan at a time of student protest. His own personal life reflects this turbulent backdrop, as he struggles to overcome the event that kickstarts this book, the suicide of his best friend. With 2 possible love interests, the beautiful and troubled Naoko, the ex of his best friend and an anchor to his past, and the vibrant and vivacious fellow student Midori, Wantabe has to choose between past and future, and life and death, which he seems to be caught in a world between. A notable line from The Beatle's song of the same name is "I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me" and this sums up the sense of the relationships in the film very accurately.
This film is fairly true to the book. All the key scenes are there and shot in the stunning and vivid way you see them in your mind, giving true justice to the scenes and emotions. There are some noticeable cuts, but overall enough was kept in to keep the plot true to itself and it is only what is to be expected anyway since not everything can be kept in and still make a good quality, none dragging, film. The only real criticism with the adaptation is that we don't get to know the background of the characters in any real way, which was a strong point of the book. It is definitely worth picking up a copy to read after if you see the film first, as so much more is gone into that feeds into the main plot and helps you understand influencing factors.
The actual shooting of this film is excellent.... Read more ›
This film is fairly true to the book. All the key scenes are there and shot in the stunning and vivid way you see them in your mind, giving true justice to the scenes and emotions. There are some noticeable cuts, but overall enough was kept in to keep the plot true to itself and it is only what is to be expected anyway since not everything can be kept in and still make a good quality, none dragging, film. The only real criticism with the adaptation is that we don't get to know the background of the characters in any real way, which was a strong point of the book. It is definitely worth picking up a copy to read after if you see the film first, as so much more is gone into that feeds into the main plot and helps you understand influencing factors.
The actual shooting of this film is excellent.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By sticky-sweet
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Picked up someones copy of the book that they'd left on the train i was on - read it and loved it, then watched the film and enjoyed that too. As with most books that are turned into films a little more detail here & there would have made a big difference to the enjoyment of the film ~
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By Clive
Format:DVD
I am a real Murakami fan. I have read many of his novels over the past few years. Norwegian Wood really struck me and was a very beautiful novel to read. It was very different to most of his other work which is fantasy linked and mentions cats and jazz a lot :-).
Ok, so when I saw that Norwegian Wood was about to be released as a film I went to see it in a really cool art-house cinema in Brighton. The film is very watchable for a Murakami fan. The story has been dissected a little from the book and certain characters are not fully established in the film as they are in the book. That said, the story is great and magical at times. The plot line covers, love, loss and the onset of disabling mental illness. It ends in a typical Murakami way, the viewer, not knowing , but rather intuitively guessing a suitable outcome.
A must to watch, I took my girlfriend to see it. It is subtitled, but you can soon get past that. It is a splendid film and one that I will purchase as a DVD.
Ok, so when I saw that Norwegian Wood was about to be released as a film I went to see it in a really cool art-house cinema in Brighton. The film is very watchable for a Murakami fan. The story has been dissected a little from the book and certain characters are not fully established in the film as they are in the book. That said, the story is great and magical at times. The plot line covers, love, loss and the onset of disabling mental illness. It ends in a typical Murakami way, the viewer, not knowing , but rather intuitively guessing a suitable outcome.
A must to watch, I took my girlfriend to see it. It is subtitled, but you can soon get past that. It is a splendid film and one that I will purchase as a DVD.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you have read the novel that this film is based on, I would say beware. Where the book retains an emotional distance from what the characters are going through and this is in many respects what makes it an enjoyable and healing read , the film does the opposite and intensifies every moment of emotional pain. Much of the "action" is shot in partial darkness and some very overwrought music heightens the mood. Saying this though the film is extemely well made and thought out cinematically. If you like a slow moving melo-drama this is for you, if you are depressed on the other hand it could make you want to jump in a river or from a tall building.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By JD139
Format:DVD
Not being a huge Murakami fan myself I had bought this for my girlfriend as she is an avid follower. However even though the film is at a slow pace the direction was astounding! Definately worth a buy for any film buffs or those who can appreciate a sound direction over pace. And after watching this film I have begun to read his back catalogue of books and can say without any doubt that I have been converted in to a fan.
For those who haven't read the books before watching this, such as myself, I would thoroughly recommend starting with either Kafka on the Shore or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as they are both fantastically weird yet wholly wonderful books.
For those who haven't read the books before watching this, such as myself, I would thoroughly recommend starting with either Kafka on the Shore or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as they are both fantastically weird yet wholly wonderful books.
By J. Wilkie
Format:DVD
You just can't put Murakami on the screen and make it work. You don't get the inner voice 1st person delivery which makes his work so special.
The characters are not so fully realised and no emotional connection was made- I felt nothing just a cold detachment.
The characters are not so fully realised and no emotional connection was made- I felt nothing just a cold detachment.
By Specialised
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being a fan of Murakami's literary output (and The Beatles songs too) I confess to being somewhat disappointed when viewing the film of one of his best loved works. The film is quite well shot although the locations could have been made more of. I feel it illustrates how difficult it must be to translate Murakami's novels onto film. Whereas the books seem to convey all the angst of hidden longings, complex and subtle plots interwoven with unusual events the film left medissatisfied but a second viewing may change that opinion. Firsdt impression is not the most memorable film of a most memorable book!
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A poor version of the book
the film had some beautiful scenes, and unusual ways but generally I found it a disappointing version of the book distant in content and in satisfaction
Published 5 months ago by Gry Kristiansen
3.0 out of 5 stars
ok
I bought it as a gift, I was told that it was ok but not what was expected, a bit too arty
Published 5 months ago by Mr Neil Shoubridge
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not sure about the hype.
Film had been recommended. Beautiful but not so sure what all the hype was about. Will watch again in case it was my frame of mind.
Published 5 months ago by Rebecca Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Feel like reading Murakami
The film is great. Anyone who enjoys reading Murakami should see it. The atmosphere of the movie, the lightning, colors, dialogues - it is exactly what you visualize when you read... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Zarko Modric
3.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn't quite do the book justice
Murakami wrote this story so beautifully, with lyrical descriptions that lept from the page. It provided a fantastic foundation for the movie, and the movie does tell the same... Read more
Published 12 months ago by BooKB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvellous
What an amazing movie. A real masterpiece, it's the kind of movie that I can watch over and over again and never get bored. Highly recommended.
Published 14 months ago by Monica
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Film for Sensitive Lovers...
I have to admit I found the whole experience of watching Norwegian Wood to have been a very deep and fulfilling one. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Tim Kidner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Norwegian Wood DVD
Norwegian Wood is a story of a boy living in Tokyo after his best friend kills himself. He meets his dead friend's girlfriend and they fall in love, but she is seriously... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Gwen
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dull.
Extremely boring and visually uninspiring. Even the soundtrack fails to communicate any feeling. This film moves so slowly and just doesn't go anywhere at all. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Axup
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful.
Beautiful, sensual and breathtaking from every angle. Managing to capture through film what poets capture in words. A transcendental beauty which is so elusive. Read more
Published 17 months ago by bored vesuvian
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