Kaname Ouki Joins the Cast Greeting for the Opening Premier Screening of “Memories”
2015年10月16日(金) Report
One of the highlights of this year’s Kyoto International Film & Art Festival, Director Kenichi Oguri’s “Memories” had a screening at Yoshimoto Gion-Kagetsu as an Opening Premier.
The film describes the battle of Peleliu Island between Japan and the U.S. in 1944. April of this year marked 70 years since the end of World War II, and in respect for the many people who fell during the ferocity of the war across the entire Pacific region, the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited the Republic of Palau to somberly remember those who did not come back from the 72-day battle which took place there.
In the Island in 1944, ten thousand Japanese and 1,700 American soldiers died alongside civilians in Palau as a result of air attacks and disease. The film offers an accurate documentation through various resources, verbal accounts and evidence so that they can become “Memories” for people in the modern world.
Producer Kazuyoshi Okuyama, Director Kenichi Oguri, Author of the original book Kinen Masumoto, Pianist Kenichiro Kobayashi and Kaname Ouki of the Takarazuka Revue appeared before the screening. Ouki performed in the musical “Robert Capa: Recording of Soul” as the lead actor in Takarazuka Revue in decades past. Because the theme of the film is about the war, she kindly joined the greeting.
Kei Shimizu as emcee opened the event and producer Okuyama explained how the film had begun. “At the beginning of this year, I got a call from Masumoto to introduce about his book ‘Love letter’. In my experience, I feel like a moment of destiny comes once in 10 years but this was the time again, so I immediately went to visit Masumoto.” Then when he saw the news that the Emperor and Empress visited the Republic of Palau, he was impressed about their beautiful appearance. And this was the reason to contact to director Oguri.
He asked Kenichiro Kobayashi to create the music and Akihiro Miwa to be the storyteller. “We decided to make a documentary film but I definitely wanted to have Miwa’s voice. If he didn’t agree, the film would not happened. It was April and we tried to finish it for KIFF. I am surprised that we actually could make it.”
Masumoto talked about how he created the piece. The story that describes the battle in Peleliu Island is based on a letter that Colonel Nakagawa, who was the supreme Commander of the Japanese Army in that area, wrote to his wife. Masumoto is also from Tamana city in Kumamoto prefecture, the same as Nakagawa and was shown the letter by Nakagawa’s relatives.
Director Oguri talked about his feeling to have the first screening in the World Premier section of KIFF 2015. “Like Masumoto said, over ten thousand Japanese and American young men died just in two and a half months in Peleliu Island. When I went there, I could hear the voices from their spirits asking ‘don’t forget’. Even today I feel they are here with us.”
Music director Kobayashi was offered the job 3 weeks before the movie was completed. He added, “I had an opportunity to hear the Empress’s piano played at the Imperial Palace. It was just after Great East Japan earthquake, and she talked about her sadness. I found the similarities between her performance and this movie, so I have tried to express her thoughts through my piano playing for the film.”
Then Kaname appeared to the stage. It was Kaname’s first appearance in public after her graduation in February this year.
“I have performed with war photographer Robert Capa before, and I am very interested in photography as the way to tell the truth. I am impressed how video recordings can show the truth from this movie.” Also she continued, “I felt warm the feeling of doing something for others, to think about something for others. Especially the American soldier’s words ‘Let’s stop’ in the movie was very touching for me.”
In the end, director Oguri added. “When I created the movie, I couldn’t find any documentation in Japan. There is no photo and video even letters were disposed of. So I contacted the Pentagon in U.S. and I borrowed films ‘The Battle of Peleliu Island’ that was 50 hours long, then started to edit. What we can find through those videos is what a war and a battlefield is really like. It’s not a simulated experience but I hope you can feel this kind of thing from the movie. Not only the meaning of life, I hope you can feel something from death too.”
