Tony Takitani

The documentary on offer shows the pressures and rigors of shooting Tony Takitani. It was made during the summer of 2003.

Director Jun Ichikawa recalls minutely the context of the time: summer heat, a nearby fire in a bicycle factory, no tennis championships and the close proximity of Mars. Sets on a piece of land in Yokohama were used and a lot of interior scenes were filmed on hastily erected stages. On set the mature director Ichikawa appears very relaxed and in control despite the difficult conditions.

Tellingly it is revealed that a lot of extra material was added to the source material. The in depth preparations of the leading actor are well depicted. Some casual thoughtful moments between director and star are captured. One is struck by how on earth such a stylized piece of work was created on temporary stages in the stifling heat of a Japanese summer. Like the film, however, the documentary has little concern for narrative tension.