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Product Description
Adapted from the renowned novel by Shusaku Endo, Masahiro Shinoda's 1971 film Silence (Chinmoku, co-written with Endo) explores the violent cultural conflict amid the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in seventeenth-century Japan. Shinoda's excellent direction coupled with a pensive score by the legendary Toru Takemitsu gives cinematic expression to inner spiritual paradox, and imbues with religious mystery a landscape that seems already sentient with wind, rain, and light. Two Portuguese priests disembark upon an anonymous Japanese shore. Under cover of nightfall, they seek to infiltrate those Christian sects driven underground by a ruthless magistracy, and re-establish the foothold of the Church on the isolated island-nation. Soon, however, the priests find themselves drawn into the mire of persecution, and gradually learn the truth behind the ominous disappearance of another Catholic missionary decades earlier... By way of a heavily made-up and polyglot Tetsuro Tanba (Assassination, Kwaidan, Samurai Spy), Silence builds toward a revelation that approaches the impact of Colonel Kurtz's entrance in Conrad's Heart of Darkness (or Marlon Brando's take on Kurtz in Coppola's Apocalypse Now). Rendered in a tender colour palette courtesy of master cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon, Yojimbo, Ugetsu monogatari), Silence unearths lies and beauty at the intersection of religion and Japanese society. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present for the first time on DVD in the UK Masahiro Shinoda's Silence based upon the same novel that has intrigued American filmmaker Martin Scorsese for decades, and spurred his own work on a film adaptation of the source material. Special Features are a Newly restored high-definition Toho transfer, New and improved optional English subtitles, Full-colour PDF facsimiles of two historical texts long out-of-print: --- A History of the Missions in Japan and Paraguay by Cecilia Mary Caddell (314 pages, c. 1856) --- Japan's Martyr Church by Sister Mary Bernard (130 pages, c. 1926), A 20-page booklet containing a new essay by writer Doug Cummings, and more...
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Booklet, Interactive Menu, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Adapted from the renowned novel by Shusaku Endo, Masahiro Shinoda's 1971 film Silence (Chinmoku, co-written with Endo) explores the violent cultural conflict amid the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in seventeenth-century Japan. Shinoda's excellent direction coupled with a pensive score by the legendary Toru Takemitsu gives cinematic expression to inner spiritual paradox, and imbues with religious mystery a landscape that seems already sentient with wind, rain, and light. Two Portuguese priests disembark upon an anonymous Japanese shore. Under cover of nightfall, they seek to infiltrate those Christian sects driven underground by a ruthless magistracy, and re-establish the foothold of the Church on the isolated island-nation. Soon, however, the priests find themselves drawn into the mire of persecution, and gradually learn the truth behind the ominous disappearance of another Catholic missionary decades earlier... By way of a heavily made-up and polyglot Tetsuro Tanba (Assassination, Kwaidan, Samurai Spy), Silence builds toward a revelation that approaches the impact of Colonel Kurtz's entrance in Conrad's Heart of Darkness (or Marlon Brando's take on Kurtz in Coppola's Apocalypse Now). Rendered in a tender colour palette courtesy of master cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (Rashomon, Yojimbo, Ugetsu monogatari), Silence unearths lies and beauty at the intersection of religion and Japanese society. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present for the first time on DVD in the UK Masahiro Shinoda's Silence based upon the same novel that has intrigued American filmmaker Martin Scorsese for decades, and spurred his own work on a film adaptation of the source material. Special Features are a Newly restored...Silence (1971) ( Chinmoku )
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By HAN XIAO
Format:DVD
A great film of humanity, belief and betrayal, but could history really teach us anything to avoid the same tragedy from happening again?
For a DVD like this one, Moc has definitely done their best, simply the two historical texts worth the price, without any problem, they enforced my realization of the history background and brought out my better understanding of the related history. Besides, there's the IMMACULATE film, almost in restored, breathtaking HD image quality. For Japanese film fans, it's a must, for both the film itself and the disc production.
For a DVD like this one, Moc has definitely done their best, simply the two historical texts worth the price, without any problem, they enforced my realization of the history background and brought out my better understanding of the related history. Besides, there's the IMMACULATE film, almost in restored, breathtaking HD image quality. For Japanese film fans, it's a must, for both the film itself and the disc production.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a wonderful film about the clash of Japanese and European cultures in the 15th century (or is it 16th?). Not a lot happens in the movie so I'm not sure what else I can say without spoiling it. Nevertheless, I recommend it to all fans of Japanese cinema.
There is also an excellent little booklet that comes with the DVD.
There is also an excellent little booklet that comes with the DVD.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Apostasy Now
Format:DVD
This is a great historical film that plays out a little like a Japanese Wicker Man.
Two zealous Portuguese Jesuit missionaries arrive in 17th Century Japan, determined to convert yet more local heathens to the 'true' religion of Christianity.
Little do they seem to realise how intent the Japanese authorities are on preventing this foreign and unwanted religion taking hold on their shores. The Japanese already have their own gods that they're perfectly happy with.
Of course the Jesuit priests have no interest in these 'false' gods and are intent on converting the Japanese people to the 'true' one. This puts them on a collision course with the local magistrate, who is determined not to let this alien faith take root in his country, and will torture any Christians he finds until they apostatise.
Whilst the torture of anyone refusing to renounce Christianity might seem a little harsh to modern eyes, one must remember that anyone professing non-Christian or heretical beliefs in 17th Century Europe would have been tortured and executed at least as brutally by the same Catholic priests that suffered as missionaries in Japan.
All in all, this is a stunningly shot film with beautiful locations and a brilliant storyline. It portrays both the suppression of Christianity in Japan, but also the zealotry and arrogance of the Christians and the reasons why Christianity was suppressed.
Well worth watching. The only detraction is the appearance of another Portuguese priest later on in the film, it looks like they cast a Japanese actor with bad make-up in the role, rather than using a Western actor.
Two zealous Portuguese Jesuit missionaries arrive in 17th Century Japan, determined to convert yet more local heathens to the 'true' religion of Christianity.
Little do they seem to realise how intent the Japanese authorities are on preventing this foreign and unwanted religion taking hold on their shores. The Japanese already have their own gods that they're perfectly happy with.
Of course the Jesuit priests have no interest in these 'false' gods and are intent on converting the Japanese people to the 'true' one. This puts them on a collision course with the local magistrate, who is determined not to let this alien faith take root in his country, and will torture any Christians he finds until they apostatise.
Whilst the torture of anyone refusing to renounce Christianity might seem a little harsh to modern eyes, one must remember that anyone professing non-Christian or heretical beliefs in 17th Century Europe would have been tortured and executed at least as brutally by the same Catholic priests that suffered as missionaries in Japan.
All in all, this is a stunningly shot film with beautiful locations and a brilliant storyline. It portrays both the suppression of Christianity in Japan, but also the zealotry and arrogance of the Christians and the reasons why Christianity was suppressed.
Well worth watching. The only detraction is the appearance of another Portuguese priest later on in the film, it looks like they cast a Japanese actor with bad make-up in the role, rather than using a Western actor.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I like stuff about the traditional Japanese culture, yes definitely sword movies, but the interesting characters and scenes.
I made a mistake buying this film, it never really gets off the ground (ever), the characters aren't particularly interesting, the film's more or less about Christians being tortured by the Japanese, but I can honestly say 'torture' is a feeling you'll feel personally if you try to watch the film beginning to end.
You never really feel that much sympathy for the Portuguese Christians, but you do feel that the Japanese in charge are total b*****ds.. However, after you've finished watching the film it comes at you like a B movie as opposed to a blockbuster, and you remember particular scenes that seemed uninteresting at the time, but now stick in your mind. Of course, you also remember how much trouble Christianity has caused in the world over the years, and your sympathy for Christians in Japan disappears, and you remember how intelligent the Japanese culture is, or has been.
The blurb suggests some parallel between this story and 'Heart of Darkness' or 'Apocalypse Now', I've never managed to read 'Heart of Darkness' or the original book from which the film 'Silence' is taken, but compared to 'Apocalypse Now' it doesn't have the same sophistication or intelligence to be compared.
I made a mistake buying this film, it never really gets off the ground (ever), the characters aren't particularly interesting, the film's more or less about Christians being tortured by the Japanese, but I can honestly say 'torture' is a feeling you'll feel personally if you try to watch the film beginning to end.
You never really feel that much sympathy for the Portuguese Christians, but you do feel that the Japanese in charge are total b*****ds.. However, after you've finished watching the film it comes at you like a B movie as opposed to a blockbuster, and you remember particular scenes that seemed uninteresting at the time, but now stick in your mind. Of course, you also remember how much trouble Christianity has caused in the world over the years, and your sympathy for Christians in Japan disappears, and you remember how intelligent the Japanese culture is, or has been.
The blurb suggests some parallel between this story and 'Heart of Darkness' or 'Apocalypse Now', I've never managed to read 'Heart of Darkness' or the original book from which the film 'Silence' is taken, but compared to 'Apocalypse Now' it doesn't have the same sophistication or intelligence to be compared.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Jan
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Good drama, it should have been on tv more. A bit ponderous in places, but the actors help pull it out of its lethergy. Well worth a watch, on an interesting period of history.
2 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Z. Hanzlik
Format:DVD
Religion as experience or as substance abuse always depends on ... Licence . Great movie to see and ponder what changed in passage of time. ? Packaging..
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