Recently I discovered Mad Men, I bought the box set thanks to a gift card I received from my friend Kirsty—and I literally bought it blind. I had no idea what the show was about, or I fit was any good. I was impressed, very impressed. It is an incredible show with all the subtleties of the era in which is takes place. Watching Mad Men is a lot like watching an old movie from the 1960s the pacing, the cinematography all reminiscent of the era. The thing about Mad Men, they don’t hold anything back from the shovenist era. Much like one of my favorite films, Chinatown (1974 directed by Roman Polanski starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway) everybody in the show smokes and drinks. Men smack women, women use men and everybody has a dirty little secret. Funny, that sounds a lot like Ashita. Mad Men is yet another affirmation that I am not insane (and me looking forward to the padded cells and the three square meals a day of the funny farm). I was a little weary when making Ashita, I had been getting a lot of comments about the level of alcohol and tobacco consumption seen in the film. Literally, every character smokes and drinks in the film. Andy, the editor, and I were joking about how we will go down as the worst influence on young minds in cinema history (cool). Of course, most of my characters are women with a contemporary setting, so I can’t hide behind the “it was the 60s that what everyone did” banner. Instead I will hide behind the “they’re Japanese that’s what they do” banner.
When I was in Japan a few years ago, everywhere I went 80% of people smoked and more than that drank actively. Simply put, it’s a way of life for the Japanese. Maybe they’re not as “health enlightened” as us North Americans or maybe they just don’t care. So when making a movie about Japanese I needed to incorporate their character traits. And besides most people who are troubled or lonely tend to smoke and drink anyway. Don’t get me wrong I smoke cigars on occasion and I am a social drinker (long live the Irish Car Bomb) but I, honestly, take offence when someone comments that my film will promote smoking and drinking. If the message a view gets when the see someone smoke or drink on the screen is that smoking and drinking is cool, well then they’re in the wrong part of the ball park (unless you’re watching things like Pineapple Express or Cheech and Chong, which are movies about casual self medication). My hope is that when you see Ashita and see my characters, their cigarettes and booze will fit in naturally with their characters. These are lonely, sad and depressed characters it is natural for them to seek some kind of dependence (oddly enough the one who doesn’t smoke has become dependant on adultery).
My point is simple, as a filmmaker I would never glorify anything or put anything in my film simply because it looks cool, that is for the young and foolish. It is progresses the story, enhances the character or makes a statement about the character then it should be used. Much like violence, I would never put in a violent scene just to put one in. For example in one of Ashita’s stories “The Gift” the Toshio character violently smacks his wife. I’ve seen the edited scene a number of times now and Andy and I have the same view, the smack needs to be brutal and, believe me, it is. The reason it has to be brutal is because it needs to show people the sheer destructive nature of domestic violence. There is nothing pretty about that scene, nor is there anything pretty about a man who hits his wife. Like Roman Polanski once said: “You have to show violence the way it is. If you don't show it realistically, then that's immoral and harmful. If you don't upset people, then that's obscenity.”
It’s the same with smoking, drinking or sex. These are all things that may intrude on people’s sensitivities, but if they say something in art, then the artist should not be afraid to hide them. Filmmaking is art. Art is interpretive. No matter what it is, art always risks offending and always risks being disliked. That’s the nature of the beast.
When I was in Japan a few years ago, everywhere I went 80% of people smoked and more than that drank actively. Simply put, it’s a way of life for the Japanese. Maybe they’re not as “health enlightened” as us North Americans or maybe they just don’t care. So when making a movie about Japanese I needed to incorporate their character traits. And besides most people who are troubled or lonely tend to smoke and drink anyway. Don’t get me wrong I smoke cigars on occasion and I am a social drinker (long live the Irish Car Bomb) but I, honestly, take offence when someone comments that my film will promote smoking and drinking. If the message a view gets when the see someone smoke or drink on the screen is that smoking and drinking is cool, well then they’re in the wrong part of the ball park (unless you’re watching things like Pineapple Express or Cheech and Chong, which are movies about casual self medication). My hope is that when you see Ashita and see my characters, their cigarettes and booze will fit in naturally with their characters. These are lonely, sad and depressed characters it is natural for them to seek some kind of dependence (oddly enough the one who doesn’t smoke has become dependant on adultery).
My point is simple, as a filmmaker I would never glorify anything or put anything in my film simply because it looks cool, that is for the young and foolish. It is progresses the story, enhances the character or makes a statement about the character then it should be used. Much like violence, I would never put in a violent scene just to put one in. For example in one of Ashita’s stories “The Gift” the Toshio character violently smacks his wife. I’ve seen the edited scene a number of times now and Andy and I have the same view, the smack needs to be brutal and, believe me, it is. The reason it has to be brutal is because it needs to show people the sheer destructive nature of domestic violence. There is nothing pretty about that scene, nor is there anything pretty about a man who hits his wife. Like Roman Polanski once said: “You have to show violence the way it is. If you don't show it realistically, then that's immoral and harmful. If you don't upset people, then that's obscenity.”
It’s the same with smoking, drinking or sex. These are all things that may intrude on people’s sensitivities, but if they say something in art, then the artist should not be afraid to hide them. Filmmaking is art. Art is interpretive. No matter what it is, art always risks offending and always risks being disliked. That’s the nature of the beast.
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