Norwegian Wood - The Movie

[MulletProof]

Not a big fan of Murakami here (or the book) but I'm somewhat excited about the adaptation and I just read that Jonny Greenwood is doing the score!..

Starring Rinko Kikuchi as Naoko (I still think she's more Midori although she's done tragedy quite well in the past), Ken'ichi Matsuyama as Toru Watanabe & Kiko Mizuhara as Midori.

[topicstoke/movieoverdose at wordpress/zukimia.ru]

 

[MulletProof]

Official synopsis and first stills:

“I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.”

The melancholy tune and sentiment of this classic Beatles song seems to have taken the life of Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), who is similarly uncertain as to how he should view his relationships. At heart, a quiet and serious young Tokyo college student in 1969, Watanabe, is deeply devoted to his first love, Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi), a beautiful and introspective young woman. But their mutual passion is made by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Watanabe lives with the influence of death everywhere, while Naoko feels as if some integral part of her has been permanently lost. On the night of Naoko’s 20th birthday, they finally made love to each other. However, shortly thereafter Naoko decided to quit college and become a recluse. It is at that time Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) – a girl who is everything that Naoko is not !X outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident – marches into Watanabe!|s life and he has to choose between his future and his past.

[wildgrounds.com]

 

[sweetpop]

MulletProof, thankyou for the information! ^^ I was only made aware that the book was going to be made into a film just today... The model Mizuhara Kiko sure is garnering a lot of interest as of right now because of rumours swirling around her and a certain member of a Korean group, but I don't think that type of information is really relevant here. The release date of the movie I just read will be Autumn 2010...so that should be soon!

 

[loonaka]

So have anyone seen the movie?
I saw it last Saturday and I didn't like it that much, it was visually quite beauitful, but I found the characters a bit annoying. Mostly hysterical crying and sex in beautiful environments IMO

 

[sweetpop]

Loonaka, I saw the movie not too long ago! In fact I saw the movie really shortly after I had finished the novel, so everything was still fresh in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking how cute Ken'ichi Matsuyama was as Toru throughout the film! XD Rinko Kikuchi's portrayal of Naoko was slightly different to the type of Naoko I had built up in my head, but I liked Kiko as Midori; perhaps it was because before I had started reading the novel I had heard that she was cast as Midori that I had her face in my head as I read, but having seen interviews she's given and just her disposition that she has about her, I thought she was a good choice as Midori. She's carefree, curious and bold but she also has this sense of seriousness about her that makes you not take her for a fool; exactly what I think of Midori.

The scenes were definitely very beautiful, but if anyone were to really appreciate the story, like most of the time, I think you'll have to go and read the novel. The hysterical crying and sex that loonaka mentioned is more...'muted' ( for lack of better word right now) when reading about it in the novel, and Murakami makes you really think about yourself, your world...at least that's what his novel did for me

 

[louisbabble]

I watched the film when I finished reading the book. I was expecting a little bit more from the film tbh, but it was still good. I didn't like the actors in the film though - I found them quite annoying and strange. Maybe it was the purpose, I'm not entirely sure. It's still worth watching, esp if you like Japanese dramas.

PS. I hated the very end of the film.
It just didn't feel right to me.