Thank you for featuring Director Obayashi. Despite the fact that he has consistently made important films over the decades, I think he has been quite underrated when viewed from a global perspective. In particular, the films of the 80's and 90's that you have chosen to feature in this issue were a rich body of work in which visual expression and Japanese spiritual themes were inextricably intertwined. “The Rocking Horsemen” is based on a novel set in Kannonji, Kagawa Prefecture, and I’ve read somewhere that Obayashi insisted on filming on location there. Also the film company had requested that one of the members be a woman, but the director insisted on having all the members be men, true to the original story. Obayashi is very protective of his own origin, and this is expressed in the films he makes, and I think this attitude has also been reflected in his respect for the origins of others as well. By the way, one of the rocking horsemen is nominated for an Emmy Award this year as a supporting actor in Shogun.
Thank you for featuring Director Obayashi.
Despite the fact that he has consistently made important films over the decades, I think he has been quite underrated when viewed from a global perspective.
In particular, the films of the 80's and 90's that you have chosen to feature in this issue were a rich body of work in which visual expression and Japanese spiritual themes were inextricably intertwined.
“The Rocking Horsemen” is based on a novel set in Kannonji, Kagawa Prefecture, and I’ve read somewhere that Obayashi insisted on filming on location there. Also the film company had requested that one of the members be a woman, but the director insisted on having all the members be men, true to the original story.
Obayashi is very protective of his own origin, and this is expressed in the films he makes, and I think this attitude has also been reflected in his respect for the origins of others as well.
By the way, one of the rocking horsemen is nominated for an Emmy Award this year as a supporting actor in Shogun.