American Cinematographer - September 2002 - 21

twisted tale's final act is

grisly and
unhinged that it actually inspired some

audience members to
out of theaters

U.S.

so

scream

and rush

during the pictures brief

last year.

run

In

a

way,

this reaction is a tribute

to the brilliant manner in which Miike

manipulates his audience into a placid,
unguarded state; the first hour of the
film is dominated by long, patient takes
and wide, symmetrical compositions
that invite the viewer's eye to wander
around the frame. The story focuses on
Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a lonely but
likable widower whose movie-producer
friend, Yoshikawa (Jon Kunimura) cooks
up a scheme to find him a new girlfriend
by staging a fake film audition. The
moment Aoyama sees the willowy,
white-clad Asami (Eihi Shiina) walk in
for her "interview," he's powerfully smit¬
ten, despite her curious manner and
Yoshikawa's immediate suspicions. "I
can't say exactly what's wrong [with
her],'' the producer warns. "Something
chemical."

Audition

then

fHt

Art

The most

-

Of

HI

critically acclaimed film of the year,
according to a poll of 40 critics nationwide.

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

follows

Aoyama's tentative courtship of Asami
while gradually dropping clues about her
shadowy past.
Until all hell breaks loose in its

climax, Audition marks a stylistic depar¬
ture for Miike, who is renowned for his
visceral, wildly sensationalistic films
(which he churns out at an incredibly

prolific rate that sometimes reaches four
five per year). To make Audition, he
turned to one of his longtime collabora¬
tors, cinematographer Hideo Yamamoto,
who responded to the change of pace
with a perfect understanding of the
or

Experience the dazzling story of cinematography seen
through the lenses of the world's greatest filmmakers and
captured in classic scences from over 125 immortal
movies!

Discover

Gordon

Willis's

of

increasingly bold use of color to match
abrupt detour. Happily,
the cinematographer's moody and versa¬
tile work has been given a sharp, clean

lighting
Godfather and Gregg Toland's contributions
to Citizen Kane. Hear William Fraker on
filming Rosemary's
Baby, Vittorio Storaro on his use of color and light in
Apocalypse Now and much, much more. From black and

transfer

white

visual tone that Miike desired. After the
film's restrained, tasteful first hour,
Yamamoto employs dutch angles and an
the narrative's

on

this DVD.

The star of the DVD's
features is

none

special

other than Miike, who

captured in an interview at the
Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The
impish director's candid responses to
questions are a refreshing antidote to
the typically airbrushed comments one
was

secrets

Brando in The

to

musical

Technicolor, silent
to

film noir and

to

talkie, glittering Hollywood

art

film to

blockbuster, this

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American Cinematographer - September 2002

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