I happened to stumble across the trailer for Bunraku today and watched it three times before I felt like I could start picking it apart because there is SO MUCH going on. Admittedly, the trailer has me really excited to see the film. I’m hoping it’s as good as I want it to be! The film is coming to theaters nation-wide on September 30th. (It was first shown at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.)
In Japan, the term Bunraku is the name of a very traditional puppet theater art in which three kinds of performers weave the story together for audiences. The Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai (puppeteers), the Tayū (chanters), and the shamisen (traditional Japanese instrument) players. It’s a fascinating art form that shares many themes with another (more famous) traditional form of Japanese theater – Kabuki. (The story of the Forty-Seven Ronin is told frequently in both Bunraku and Kabuki forms.) Unlike Bunraku, however, Kabuki features a lot of deviations from theme and “script.” Prior to a performance in Bunraku, the performer will promise to follow the story perfectly (word by word).
In this instance, the film Bunraku is a re-imagined version of a 400 year old Bunraku play. The main character is “The Drifter,” who happens to be based upon the “Man with No Name” archetype. This ensemble cast is made up of Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman, Kevin McKidd and Japanese Visual Kei sensation Gackt Camui. The cast is pretty amazing…but most people are probably thinking, “Who the hell is Gackt?” I know Gackt from his music career, and that he has starred in a couple Japanese films; but I had no idea that director Guy Moshe apparently went to Japan to personally ask Gackt to join the project (after seeing him in an NHK production). Here’s a bit of Gackt’s music if you’re curious.
My first impression of Bunraku, based on the trailer alone, is that this movie could be really fun. Director Guy Moshe is noted to be a huge fan of westerns and martial arts films – so I’m sure there was no shortage of inspiration to pull from for this project. Bunraku is said to have mixed CGI and traditional sets to illustrate the highly stylized art form that is Bunraku storytelling – a concept I find fascinating and I hope really immerses viewers.
What do you think? Will you be seeing Bunraku in theaters?