The Chef of the South Pole (南極料理人, 2009)

Nippon Connection got off to a delicious start last night with Shūichi Okita’s The Chef of the South Pole (Nankyoku ryōrinin, 2009). The film is a visual feast for the eyes and joins the likes of Babette’s Feast (Babettes gæstebud, Gabriel Axel, 1987), Like Water for Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate, Alfonso Arau, 1992), Tampopo (Juzo Itami, 1985) and Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shin an nu, Ang Lee, 1994) as one of my top ten food themed films of all time.

The film is adapted from the autobiographical writings of Jun Nishimura (b. 1952), a chef from Rumoi, Hokkaido. Nishimura served with the Japanese Coast Guard and was a member of both the 30th Antarctic Exploration in 1989 and the 38th Antarctic Exploration in 1997. His essay Omoshiro Nankyoku Ryōnin received high critical praise for its wit in depicting the everyday life of a group of men living in close quarters cut off from civilization for more than 400 days.

Life at Dome Fuji is filled with equal measures of hard work, good times, heartache and homesickness. Throughout it all, Nishimura’s cooking sustains, and at times confounds, the men. The character of Nishimura is played by Masato Sakai (b. 1973), who won my respect at Nippon Connection last year for his brilliantly understated comedic performance in Two in Tracksuits (2008). Sakai is the master of subtle expression, and his comedic talents are balanced by an amusingly diverse cast of characters who deal with their isolation from home comforts in a variety of ways: the doctor (Kosuke Toyohara) decides to train for a triathlon in undershorts, mittens, and boots in the freezing cold on a bicycle, taichō (Kitarō ) goes hilariously balmy when the station runs out ramen, and the chief of the station (Kanji Furuda) longs for long hot times in the bathroom due to the rationing of water.

One has to suspend one’s disbelief a little at some of the outdoor behaviour at temperatures ranging from highs in the -50s (Celsius, of course, for any Americans reading) to lows in the -70s. I didn’t get a chance to examine the credits thoroughly to see exactly where in Hokkaido the film was shot, but Hokkaido, while heavy on the snow, does not get such extreme temperatures. As the dialogue points out, it’s even too cold for any kawaii doubutsu (cute animals) like penguins and seals. It is most likely that scarves would have been worn over faces at such temperatures, but of course that would not really be ideal cinematographically, and the men all look quite cute bundled up in colourful snowsuits with only their faces showing.

The slow scenes, often unaccompanied by any music, are contrasted with amusing outdoor scenes. Particularly amusing is the scene in which the researchers pose against brilliant blue skies to the score of Ride of the Valkyries (see example in the trailer). Cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa (Loft, Tokyo Sonata) has a great eye for framing. The food scenes were arranged by Nami Iijima, who also worked with Naoko Ogigami on Kamome Shokudō (2006) and Megane (2007).

If it were any other film, I might criticize it for its slow pacing; however, in this film I believe that Okita was trying to convey a sense of what the characters are feeling as their countdown to going home to their families slowly ticks by. Okita has managed to finely balance comedy with pathos, times of harmony with times of discord, and moments of stillness with moments of action. With this being only his second attempt at a feature film, one has the sense that the future is bright for this graduate of the Japan University College of Art.

Directed by Shūichi OKITA

Written by Shūichi OKITA

Based on the writings of Jun NISHIMURA

Cast

Nishimura-san = Masato SAKAI

Moto-san = Katsuhito NAMASE

Taichō = Kitarō

Niiyan = Kengo KOURA

Doctor = Kosuke TOYOHARA

Miyuki Nishimura = Naomi NISHIDA

Shunin (Chief) = Kanji FURUDA

Bon = Daisuke KURODA

Yuka Nishimura = Karin ONO

Shimizu-san (the KDD Operator) = Kiori KOIDE

Nankyoku Ryorinin (Antarctic Chef) [Regular Edition]

Japanese Movie

Nankyoku Ryourinin Soundtrack

Original Soundtrack (Yoshiharu Abe & UNICORN)

Nankyoku Ryorinin (Antarctic Chef) [Limited Edition]

Japanese Movie

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2010

The Kyu Sakamoto Story (上を向いて歩こう〜坂本九物語〜, 2005)

I wept my way through last half of the biopic Ue wo Muite Arukou: Sakamoto Kyu Monogatari last night. The made-for-TV drama, which originally aired on Tokyo TV back in 2005 to mark the 20th anniversary of Kyu Sakamoto’s death, pushes all the usual buttons from a J-dorama. Even though it was all very predictable – his story has become a legend – hearing the songs and seeing the smiling face of Tatsuya Yamaguchi recreating the cherubic, pock-marked look of the singer lovingly known in Japan as Kyu-chan made the anticipation of waiting for the tragic end a weep-fest for me.

The film starts by giving an idyllic impression of his childhood, in spite of the hardships the family went through during the war. There is an emphasis on his mother as his moral and emotional center. His parents’ divorce is depicted with a dash of humour to lighten the mood, and the family is shown to be fairly forgiving of their often misguided father. The biopic is at its best during the performance scenes and the depiction of Kyu-chan’s relationship with his family. The name ‘Kyu’ means 9 in Japanese and indicates that he is the ninth child in his family. I always found this comical and was pleased to see (if the screenplay is an accurate portrayal of events) that his mother was against this name and preferred to call him Hisashi.

There are several scenes in which Kyu-chan’s parents explain to him why he is famous (so that he doesn’t forget to appreciate his fans and to make sure he keeps his ego in check), but the moment that really encapsulates his success for me is the scene when he is first trying out “Ue o muite aruko.” The lyricist Rokusuke Ei has misgivings about the liberties Kyu-chan is taking with his enunciation, complaining that he doesn’t even sound Japanese. Composer Hachidai Nakamura wins him over by explaining that Kyu-chan is modernizing Japanese pop music by learning from Elvis. It’s a great little scene and perhaps the only one in which Tatsuya Yamaguchi sings. Yamaguchi does also sing professionally, but they were wise to have him lip-synch this film. Kyu-chan had such a unique sound it would have detracted from the film if his voice hadn’t been central to it. To give Yamaguchi credit were it is due, I think he did a rather fine interpretation of Kyu-chan. The look and style of talking are so removed from Yamaguchi’s own star pop-star image that I didn’t recognize him at first. He was brave to take on such an iconic figure… and such iconic pimples!

I was disappointed that they didn’t stretch the budget to shooting overseas, or at least with non-Japanese actors, to show his whirlwind visit to the United States and Europe after the surprise success of Sukiyaki on the North American and European charts. For those of you who don’t know the story, Kyu-chan’s Ue o muite aruko (I walk while looking up) was released to popular success in Japan in 1961. A British music executive heard it and a cover version was released in the UK by Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen under the title Sukiyaki. They thought the song name would be too difficult to remember in English so the executive chose the name of his favourite Japanese food. It became a surprise hit in the States when a Washington DJ picked it up and started playing the original by Kyu-chan. Sukiyaki had the distinction of being the first and only song sung entirely in Japanese to go to number one in the States.

They could have added some really comical, refreshing scenes to the biopic if they had added his stop in America at least. This clip of his on the Steve Allen show gives you a glimpse of what I’m talking about. I also wonder why they only hinted at his work in movies. Surely, there must have been some drama to be found there. Instead, we are given montage after montage over Kyu-chan’s greatest hits. While this was all pleasant to watch it lacked drama and didn’t satisfy my curiosity about the man behind the image and voice. I also thought they would show the final note he wrote to his wife before the plane crashed. I believe his wife wrote about it in her memoirs. Perhaps they thought it would be too much.

To end on a more cheerful note, here’s a little bit of movie trivia, related to Kyu-chan: the very last person he interviewed for television before he died was the legendary cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (ie. Rashomon). You can watch the show here – sorry no English subtitles, but it’s worth watching! The best is part three when Shintaro Katsu, of the 1960s Zatoichi series, joins the proceedings. Miyagawa also shot some of the Zatoichi films. Some hilarious stuff! Shinataro Katsu’s jokes are made all the funnier watching Miyagawa trying to restrain his laughter.

The DVD of Ue no Muite Aruko: Sakamoto Kyu Monogatari is available at cdjapan:

Ue wo Muite Aruko Kyu Sakamoto Monogatari

TV Drama

Kyu-chan No Uta Dai 2 Shu [Cardboard Sleeve]

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2008