Pillow Book

[Junko Tanaka]

Dear KineJapaners,

There was an inquiry and a reply re: Peter Greenaway's _The Pillow Book_
very recently. Now that I'm writing a bit about this film, I'd like some
worldwide reflections from you. My question is regarding "authenticity" -
depiction of Japan, Japanese, etc.

I wonder if _The Pillow Book_ is seen in line with such films as
Bertolucci's trilogy on the Orient and perhaps Attenborough's _Ghandi_. For
example, when I saw _The Little Buddha_ (in Canada), no one in the theater
seemed to take the film seriously because they just didn't think Keanu
Reeves was the right actor to play this role in terms of
physical-ethnic-racial (?) resemblance to Buddha. They also kept laughing
whenever Reeves appeared (back then, I believe Reeves was known more as a
comedian, and his appearance on screen as Buddha was nothing but funny for
them). Probably this wouldn't have happened in Japan. In the same manner,
there was one scene in _The Pillow Book_ where I just had to burst into
laugh, when Ewan McGregor, playing an interpreter supposedly fluent in
Japanese, said something in Japanese that was far from it. This might have
provoked some laughter among the Japanese audience, but not others?

I'd be interested in hearing the reaction of the general audiences (aside
from the critics) to the film in Japan, UK, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. I
guess my point is the relation between the image of self/other and
reception of it.

Thank you,
Junko Tanaka