[KineJapan] Johnny Depp and Minamata

[Gerow Aaron]

I was surprised to see reports in the US entertainment press that Johnny Depp will be playing W. Eugene Smith in an adaptation of the book Minamata written by Smith and his wife Aileen Miyoko Smith. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/johnny-depp-play-war-photographer-w-eugene-smith-minamata-1154396 <https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/johnny-depp-play-war-photographer-w-eugene-smith-minamata-1154396>

It is being developed by Depp’s production company. Filming is supposed to start in January, and will take place in Japan and Serbia (?!).

There’s a lot to worry about with this. Depp has had some good roles in the past but seems to have mostly fallen into self-parody. But more than that, I worry this will be another of Hollywood’s “white man comes to non-white nation to save the day” films. And I worry about how the victims will be presented. Remember for instance that we are not supposed to use Smith’s most famous photograph of Minamata because the family of Tomoko don’t want us to anymore.

I hope they at least reference Tsuchimoto Noriaki’s films on Minamata, which thought a lot about how to depict the “kanja-san.”

https://www.zakkafilms.com/product/minamata-the-victims-and-their-world/ <https://www.zakkafilms.com/product/minamata-the-victims-and-their-world/>
https://www.zakkafilms.com/product/the-shiranui-sea-minamata-series-part-2/ <https://www.zakkafilms.com/product/the-shiranui-sea-minamata-series-part-2/>

Aaron Gerow
Professor
Film and Media Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Director of Graduate Studies, Film and Media Studies
Yale University
143 Elm Street, Room 210
PO Box 208324
New Haven, CT 06520-8324
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6729
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu <mailto:aaron.gerow at yale.edu>
website: www.aarongerow.com

















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