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The Bird People In China
Directed by Takashi Miike
Released: 1998
Starring: Masahiro Motoki, Renji Ishibashi, and Mako
DVD Released by: ArtsmagicDVD 2004
Mr. Wada (played by Masahiro Motoki) is chosen by his company to travel to China in search of a precious vein of jade which is rumored to be in the remote Yun Nan province. During his travels, Wada runs into Mr. Ujiie (played by Renji Ishibashi), a yakuza whose bosses bankrolled Wada's company's expedition in the first place, and is coming along to ensure that the jade is found. Their guide is Mr. Shen (played by Mako), who loses his memory after hitting his head on a rock in the middle of their journey. Now lost, the trio ends up in a small village, which is supposedly the home of the mythic flying people of China. With the help of a young girl who is teaching her students how to fly and the writings of her grandfather who (according to legend) came from the sky, Wada and Ujiie are learning much more than they ever intended to discover on their originally financially motivated endeavor.
Those following Takashi Miike's work will be thrown for yet another loop with
The Bird People In China. Although very different from Visitor Q or
Deadly Outlaw Rekka, this film will be a pleasant surprise even for those used to the director's extremes. The cinematography is gorgeous and the lighting is without fault. The scenery is lush and often breathtaking. The script is loaded with symbolism but doesn't get bogged down by its message.
The cast is excellent and leaves no room for improvement. Masahiro Motoki plays the uptight Mr. Wada expertly and gives the character room to grow as the story progresses. Veteran film actor Renji Ishibashi (Gozu,
Dead or Alive) is perfect as Mr. Ujiie, the tough as nails yakuza that must come to terms with his violent past or go insane. The ever-versatile Mako is hilarious as Mr. Shen, the zealous but unlucky tour guide.
The mixture of humor and mythology make this an engaging film. Whereas many directors would have been tempted to make this a thoroughly serious arthouse affair, Miike injects some much needed life into the proceedings with comedy (some profound, some slapstick, and yes, even some toilet humor). Every hardship this unlikely trio faces on their journey just makes the plot more ludicrous. But these instances are countered by moments of sheer poetic beauty.
The debate between the modern world and the traditional is raised very quickly in the film's early stages as the thoroughly modern Wada and Ujiie venture into the backward areas of rural China. The argument against modernization is presented when Ujiie wants to violently protect the village from what he describes Japan as a "diseased" place. Wada tries to defend his world when he tells Ujiie of the life-saving medicines that will be brought to the village. In the end, the film's settles on the theme that the modern world is empty without discovering the power and benefits of the old ways.
The Bird People In China is a landmark film for an already prolific director and his fans owe it to themselves to check this out. It isn't very often that a decidedly artistic film manages to be this funny or entertaining. With its interesting cultural twists and its mythological orientation, any viewer will gain from this film's unique direction and style. Fans of Miike will be surprised and even the director himself says that he feels like he's watching "someone else's film".
DVD Specs:
The film looks great in its anamorphic 1:85.1 widescreen with only a few noticeable scratches in the print. The audio is phenomenal and the 5.1 Surround Sound leaves nothing to be desired. The optional English subtitles are easy to read and are free of any typing or timing mistakes.
Extras:
ArtsmagicDVD does an incredible job in the extras department with this disc. There is the feature commentary by the always informative, Tom Mes (author of
Agitator: The Cinema Of Takashi Miike). There is also the film's original theatrical trailer. Next up is a 17+ minute interview with Miike about the film's casting, difficult shooting, and the film's meaning. There are also promotional materials for
Bird People and trailers for Miike's Black Society Trilogy. The lyrics and history of the Scottish song, "Annie Laurie", which is used in the film, is presented on the disc. And finally, there are extensive actor and crew bios.
For more information, be sure to check out ArstmagicDVD.
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