What's in a name

[Jonathan M. Hall]

Let the afterlife alone.  I am much more interested in whether Capra's film
was in mind when Kore-eda developed the original film title ... did Kore-eda
speak to that question?  Certainly, Kore-eda's film could be seen as a
critique of a conventional Hollywood model of fantasy, for which Capra's
film is a fine example.  Is it possible, even, to have avoided making that
reference?  Is that why he so much likes the "original"?

Jonathan

From: "Mark Anderson" <ander025 at umn.edu>
Reply-To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 14:03:48 -0600
To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: What's in a name


    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

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