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Tony Takitani (2005)
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:46
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Despite its deceptive wispiness, this delicately lovely and melancholy film about loneliness has a haunting power.
Theatrical Release:21-04-2006
Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]
Starring: Issey Ogata, Miyazawa Rie, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Shinohara Takahumi
Starring: Issey Ogata, Miyazawa Rie, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Shinohara Takahumi, Shihodo Wataru, Kino Hana, Kusano Toru, Oyamada Sayuri, Tanigawa Saho
Director: Jun Ichikawa
Director: Jun Ichikawa
Screenwriter: Jun Ichikawa
Producer: Ishida Motoki
Studio: Strand Releasing
Reviews for Tony Takitani
Ichikawa brilliantly captures Murakami's blend of whimsy, irony and melancholy, while finding intelligent and inventive ways to convert the author's verbal idiosyncrasies to a visual medium.
It’s an interesting aesthetic experiment that is only half successful.
This could reverently be called a model of minimalism, but I am more inclined to call it dull as dishwater.
Ichikawa evokes the heady and suffocating effect of the past playing irrevocable catch-up with itself.
Jun Ichikawa's film is a classic example that not all literature is capable of making the transition to film...
The pacing is reserved to the point of being funereal, and the Ryuishi Sakamoto score is likely to lull you to sleep.
Light on plot but heavy on mood, this Japanese import layers voice-over, fluid photography and a melancholy piano score to create a hypnotic poem about isolation and loss.
Heedlessly drawn to Eiko ... Tony takes a step onto spiritually hollow ground and falls through.... That's what this kind of ironic protagonist does, from Adam on down....
A gentle breeze of absurdism floats through this lyrically understated story. Its sadness is little short of magical.
Though it falters as a narrative, Tony Takitani sticks in the mind with its poetic contemplativeness.
It creates a mood that sweeps over you, that kind of movie works better on the big screen. On the small screen, it doesn't have the oomph to demand your attention.
Latest News for Tony Takitani
December 13, 2005:
Awards Season Gets Rolling with Crix Picks
If you're a fan of the late-year awards season, be sure to add Movie City News to your hit list, because they deliver some consistently excellent coverage. Mid-December is when... More...
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