What's in a name

[Mark Anderson]

    Mr. Koreeda's remarks involved concerns which had been brought to him by someone else about U.S. distribution. The assistant in question was present at the event I intended. As best I can recall, he was not very specific about who, what, when, and where. I was left with the impression that he was referring to the distributors of the film, but Dennis Doros's theory may well be correct--that he was in fact referring to a conversation which took place with another party before the company itself became involved. 
    I wouldn't know if he invented the rest of the story or not. I know that is the story he told at the event I attended. It was not a point he particularly stressed, I believe he mentioned it in answer to a question from the audience regarding whether the title was meant to have religious overtones. He replied that it actually had a very pragmatic origin involving these concerns about distribution, and suggested that it was an ad-hoc, stopgap title which he did not feel particularly expressed any artistic intent on his part. 
                                                                                                                                                                                Mark Anderson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: MileFilms at aol.com 
  To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu 
  Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 1:00 PM
  Subject: Re: What's in a name



  In a message dated 12/4/02 1:36:29 PM, ander025 at umn.edu writes:



    Dear Roland,
    At a presentation at the Guthrie Museum in Minneapolis a couple of years
    ago, Koreeda related that the U.S. distributors were fearful of having the
    film confused with Frank Capra's, "It's a Wonderful Life", and Koreeda was
    persuaded to take them at their word and approve an alternative title for
    the English language market. He suggested that the decision was driven
    solely by a concern for potential misunderstanding on part of American
    viewers and programmers. He prefers the original title himself.

    Mark Anderson



  The story is possible, but if true, it was most likely a conversation between Mr. Kore-eda and his American advisor/friend who helped on his first two films. By the time the film premiered and was offered for distribution, the  title was already AFTER LIFE.


  Dennis Doros
  Milestone Film &  Video
  PO Box 128
  Harrington Park, NJ 07640
  Phone: (800) 603-1104 or (201) 767-3117
  Email: milefilms at aol.com
  www.milestonefilms.com

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