Norwegian Wood Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Rinko Kikuchi Grabs 'Norwegian Wood'
Filed under: Drama », Foreign Language », Casting »
If there's an adaptation that should make for an enticing and lyrically beautiful film, it's Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. The novel is named after a great Beatles song, follows a post-suicide star-crossed attraction, is set on the landscape of 1960s Japan, and is rife with melancholia and detachment. Nevertheless, things like this always rely on those who make it come to life, and after this latest bit of news, there shouldn't be any cause for worry. Sweet relief!Variety reports that Tran Ang Hung's project will star Kenichi Matsuyama as Toru, Rinko Kikuchi as Naoko, and model Kiko Mizuhara as Midori. The New York Times review is the best way to get an idea about the plot, but briefly: A man named Toru hears "Norwegian Wood," which sends him back to memories of his life in the '60s. As a teen, he was best friends with a couple, Naoko and Kizuki. Kizuki killed himself, leaving the remaining pair damaged and struggling. They fall in love, but Naoko still struggles and goes to a sanitarium to try and work through her pain. Meanwhile, Toru meets another, Midori, who is the light to Naoko's darkness, and feels torn between them.
It's about time Kikuchi got a more prominent role. Her work in Babel and The Brothers Bloom was excellent but painfully brief, and it'll be nice to see her take a central role that can let her talents run wild.
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until at least the Fall of 2010 to see for ourselves.
Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood' Is Headed for the Big Screen!
Filed under: Drama », Foreign Language », Romance », Deals », Fandom »
In a world where many people aren't too keen on voracious reading, Haruki Murakami exists in an ultra-rare common ground that bringsliterary fiends together with casual readers, in what the Virginia Quarterly Review describes as "easily accessible, yet profoundly complex" writing (Wikipedia intro). But even with worldwide, far-reaching popularity, Murakami has been pretty particular about adaptations of his work, only allowing a few short films to get made. Until now, that is.Finally, HK is getting the feature treatment, should planning go well. Variety reports that French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung is planning to adapt Norwegian Wood. I would imagine that a script must have been whipped up, although there is no mention of it in the report, because they're already looking to get this into production in Japan this February, for a 2010 release.
If you happen to be one of the few who is unfamiliar with the story, the novel focuses on a man named Toru Watanabe who is catapulted to memories of his youth in the '60s when he hears an orchestral version of "Norwegian Wood" in Germany. As a teen, he was friends with Kizuki and Naoko, until Kizuki kills himself and the two remaining friends tried to deal with the shocking loss. The pair fall in love, consummate the relationship, and then Naoko quits school and heads to a sanitarium to try and deal with her problems. Toru, meanwhile, starts to fall for Naoko's opposite -- an outgoing girl called Midori.
In the meantime, you can watch a short film based on one of Murakami's best short stories, On seeing the 100% perfect girl on beautiful April morning, here.
Is Taylor Lautner Our Next Superhero?
100 Greatest Films Beyond the Canon
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
