Princess Raccoon Cannes Press Guide

Posted by Blake Etheridge of Cinemastrikesback


From the director of "Zigeunerweisen" comes a legendary
musical beloved by generations of Japanese.

"Princess Raccoon is yet another stunningly visual trip through the cinematic imagination of the great Seijun Suzuki. And it also stars the amazing Zhang Ziyi!"
- Jim Jarmusch

"Seijun Suzuki is a director who seems to have known the future before it happened. Certainly in terms of his ability to draw from a palette of popular and classic culture and engage those colours in an inventive use of the medium. In doing this he creates works that are not observational in terms of truth but that are committed to the pursuit of a singular and larger truth. His latest film 'Princess Raccoon' to the non-Japanese viewer such as myself, who undoubtedly will miss some of the more direct cultural references, is nonetheless relentlessly compelling in it's surprise invention and theatricality. The generation of filmmakers to whom I belong owe much to the fearless work of Seijun Suzuki."
- Baz Luhrmann

Internationally acclaimed director Seijun Suzuki brings the tale of Princess Raccoon to life in a brilliantly conceived film based on the hugely popular musicals of the 1940s and 50s! Seijun remembers how this extravaganza excited him in his youth and is delighted to bring his own vision of it to the silver screen.

Using cutting edge digital technology, Seijun fashions Princess Raccoon (originally titled "Operetta Tanuki Goten") into a combination of Kabuki, opera, Noh, traditional Asian visual arts, and modern rock 'n roll... redefining Japanese cinema by integrating elements of world culture!

About the Cast

Princess Raccoon stars Zhang Ziyi ("Memoirs of a Geisha", "House of Flying Daggers") as Princess Tanuki, Joe Odagiri ("Bright Future", "Out of this World") as Amechiyo, Hiroko Yakushimaru ("Twinkle") as Court Lady Hagi, Saori Yuki ("Copycat Killer", "The Family Game") as Old Maid Virgen, and Mikijiro Hira ("Mystery of Rampo", "Zipang") as Azuchi Momoyama.

About the Director

Princess Raccoon is no ordinary love story. The entire production - from costumes to set design to the carefully selected cast - is an extravaganza of sight, sound, music and romance that will amaze your senses and delight your heart.

Imagine blending elements of architecture, art, and traditional performing arts such as Kabuki and Noh... with opera, ballet and rock n' roll! Princess Raccoon tells a compelling story about the triumphant nature of self-determination, beauty, and love.

The master behind this exhilarating blend of trans-cultural images and music is Seijun Suzuki, now 82 years old and the director of "Zigeunerweisen" (1980) and "Yumeji" (1991). Seijun, a cult figure in the world of Asian cinema, has long celebrated for his unique pop-art aesthetic and his distinctive cinematic techniques; his original style is often referred to as "Seijun World"!

Born in Tokyo in 1923, Seijun has had a long and productive career (including over 40 films), and has inspired countless young filmmakers across the globe such as Quentin Tarantino (who paid tribute to Seijun's film "Tokyo Drifter" by extracting ideas for his 2003 film "Kill Bill Volume 1"). John Woo named Seijun one of the top 10 filmmakers in the world. Well-known director Jim Jarmusch also paid homage to Seijun (his 1999 film, "Ghost Dog" The Way of the Samurai" employs elements from Seijun's "Branded to Kill").

In 2001, Seijun was given the 'Homage to the Great Established Master' at the 58th Venice International Film Festival, one of only three recipients in the world at the time. Crowds of filmmakers and fans cheered him. He has also won numerous awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Japanese Academy Awards, and remains active and energetic.

Seijun has graciously accepted the honors bestowed upon his unique vision and body of work, and has stated his hope that his films "open people's eyes to Japanese and Asian films."

The Story

Princess Tanuki accepts an invitation to the Raccoon Palace. During her journey, she stumbles upon Amechiyo deep in the Sacred Mountain, where he was abandoned by his father.

This fascinating tale begins with a startling prediction. Azuchi Momoyama (Mikijiro Hira), a Lord of Castle Grace, asks a 100-year old Christian prophetess (Saori Yuki) who is the most handsome of all living things. "It's you, your Highness," she answers, as she always does. But this time, the prophetess reveals that his son Prince Amechiyo (Joe Odagiri) will soon become more handsome than he! Unable to bear the idea, Azuchi Momoyama decides to abandon his son deep in the wilderness of Sacred Mountain. As Amechiyo sleeps, a beautiful girl approaches. She is Princess Tanuki (Zhang Ziyi), invited to the Raccoon Palace on mysteriouis grounds. Soon, Amechiyo and the Princess are madly in love... but one obstacle after another keeps them apart. Will it be possible for Amechiyo and the Princess to overcome these obstacles? More importantly, can a man and raccoon fall in love with each other for the very first time?

About the Production

Princess Raccoon was produced by Geneon Entertainment, Dentsu, Nippon Herald Films, Shochiku, Eisei Gekijo and Ogura Jimusyo. Directed by Seijun Suzuki.

Executive Producer Nobuyuki Tohya
Producer Satoru Ogura, Ikki Katashima
Script by Yoshio Urasawa
Production Design Takeo Kimura ("Mt. Aso's Passions", "Zipang")
Cinematography Yonezou Maeda ("Pistol Opera")
Lighting Kazuo Yabe
Visual Effects Norio Ishii
Music by Michiru Oshima and Ryomei Shirai, featuring the Tokyo SKA Paradise Orchestra

Zhang Ziyi Profile:

Zhang Ziyi was born on February 9, 1979 in Beijing. Zhang Ziyi, only 26 years old, is recently being widely watched as a long-awaited international star from China with great talent. She studied performing arts and ballet and had a promising future as a dancer, but instead decided to enter the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing to pursue a career as an actress. Zhang Ziyi was soon discovered by Director Zhang Yimou and made her spectacular debut with "The Road Home" (1999). This film won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000, which triggered her great leap into the international scenes and won her international acclaim. With an increasing wave of popularity, she was soon cast in Director Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000). The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Zhang Ziyi herself was conferred the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress. In 2001, she was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Scene and selected as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. She is enjoying international success, making appearances in Hollywood blockbuster movies such as "Rush Hour 2" and "Hero." Her recent movies that have been screened include "Musa" (2001), a great Korean history film, "The House of Flying Daggers" (2004), and "2046" (2004). Upcoming in December 2005 is a US film "Memoirs of a Geisha" produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Rob Marshall.

Joe Odagiri Profile:

Joe Odagiri was born on February 16, 1976 in Okayam Prefecture. Joe studied acting in the United States and Japan and made his debut in "Dream of Passion" in 1999. His major motion picture roles so far have been in "Platonic Sex" (2001, directed by Masako Matsuura), the lead in "Bright Future" (2003, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa) which was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, "Azumi" (2003, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura) for which he won the Japan Academy Prize for Rookie of Year as well as the Elan D'Or Newcomer Award, "Out of this World" (2004, directed by Junji Sakamoto) for which he won the Yujiro Ishihara New Face Award of the Nikkan Sports Film Awards, the Mainichi Film Concours for Best Supporting Actor Award as well as the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actor, "Chi to hone" (2004, directed by Yoichi Sai) and "Pacchigi!" (2005, directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu) among others. For "Chi to hone" he received the Kinema Junpo Best Supporting Actor Award, the Best Supporting Actor Award of the Tokyo Sports Movie Awards as well as the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor Award. On stage, he has starred in "Slapsticks" (2003, directed by Keralino Sandorovich). His upcoming performances include "In the Pool" (directed by Satoshi Miki), "Scrap Heaven" (directed by Lee Sang-il), "Maison de Himiko" (directed by Isshin Inudo) and "Shinobi" (directed by Ten Shimoyama) among others.

Music

Michiru Oshima

A composer, Michiru Oshima graduated with a degree in composition from Kunitachi College of Music. Michiru started her career of composing and rearranging music while in school and has been successful in various genres of music from films, commercials, TV programs, animation to institutional music and more. Michiru also released a symphonic piece "Orasho" while studying at Kunitachi College of Music. The dynamic and dramatic sound of grand scale and the beautiful melody brought to life with her masterly technique with the orchestra and synthesizer has captured the attention of various circles. Michiru received the Music Award at the Mainichi Film Concours and also won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Music of the 21st, 24th, 26th and 27th Japan Academy Prize. Her first best CD album, "Michiru Oshima Cinema Music Best" has been released.

Major film music includes: "Kita no Zeronen (Year One in the North)" , "Umineko" , "Nagasaki Bura Bura Bushi" , "Shitsurakuen (Paradise Lost)" , "Godzilla: Tokyo SOS" , "Mohouhan (Copycat Killer)" , "Ashura no Gotoku" , "Hi wa mata noboru", etc.

Ryomei Shirai

This time, not only did Ryomei produce the music, but to our surprise, he made his debut as an actor playing the head of the Tanuki Gakudan (The Raccoon Orchestra). Achieving high appraisal as a guitarist, he became a member of Moonriders. Moonriders has made 16 CD releases so far. Over the course of approximately 30 years, the number of songs he played as a studio musician amounts to over a few thousand pieces. In recent years, Ryomei has successfully taken on the career as a producer and an arranger as well. As for his film music, his representative work, the soundtrack of the movie "Iden & Tity" ranked in the top chart of indie music. Upcoming works include "Tanaka Hiroshi no Subete" , "Linda, Linda, Linda", etc.

Produced by the "Princess Raccoon" Production Committee
GENEON ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
DENTSU, INC.
NIPPON HERALD FILMS, INC.
SHOCHIKU CO., LTD.
EISEI GEKIJO., LTD.
OGURA JIMUSYO CO., LTD.

 

 

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