Kubi (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kubi
Japanese首
Directed byTakeshi Kitano
Written byTakeshi Kitano
Based onKubi
by Takeshi Kitano
Starring
Edited byTakeshi Kitano
Yoshinori Ota
Production
company
Distributed byToho
Kadokawa
Release dates
  • 23 May 2023 (2023-05-23) (Cannes)
  • 23 November 2023 (2023-11-23) (Japan)
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Budget¥ 1.5 billion[1]

Kubi (首, lit. 'Neck') is a 2023 Japanese historical samurai film written, directed and edited by Takeshi Kitano, who also stars as Hashiba Hideyoshi (Toyotomi Hideyoshi). The film is based on the novel of the same name, which was released in 2019 and written by Kitano. The film depicts the historical event of the Honnō-ji incident, which took place in the Sengoku period in 1582. Kadokawa Corporation produced the film and co-distributed it in Japan with Toho. The film also stars Hidetoshi Nishijima as Akechi Mitsuhide, Ryo Kase as Oda Nobunaga, Tadanobu Asano as Kuroda Kanbei, and Nao Omori as Hashiba Hidenaga.[2]

It had its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2023. It was released in Japan on 23 November 2023.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

This film was conceived around the same time as Takeshi Kitano's early directorial work Sonatine (1993).[3] Akira Kurosawa was said to have high expectations, stating that "If Kitano were to make this film, it would be a masterpiece on par with Seven Samurai."[4] The reason it took Kitano 30 years was explained as follows: "Recently, I've been able to gather talented actors in the Kitano-group, and when such excellent actors come together, I felt like it was finally time to make it... and that's how it finally came to fruition," Kitano said.[3]

This film was produced with a budget of 1.5 billion yen, with funding from Kadokawa, and it was shot between April and September 2021.

On August 3, 2022, Weekly Shincho reported that despite the film's editing being nearly 90% complete, there was a dispute between Kitano and Kadokawa over the contract, resulting in a suspension of production. According to the report, Kadokawa sought additional funding from Netflix, but Kitano demanded a portion of it for himself. It was also reported that Kitano was unaware of this funding request and became suspicious, wondering if there were other hidden agendas involved.[5] On the same day, Kitano explained the situation on his official website, stating, "Due to Kadokawa's refusal to finalize the contract, I had no choice but to halt the production. Some staff members were also dissatisfied with the contract terms, and it seems that there were people who hadn't signed contracts until the end of the shoot." He further clarified, "It's not about money. The contract proposed by Kadokawa was extremely one-sided, and I haven't made any unreasonable demands. If they agree to the contract, I will resume the editing work."[6]

Release[edit]

On April 15, 2023, it was announced that the film would be released in Japan in the autumn of the same year, and confirmed its date of November 23, 2023 after the Cannes premiere.

The film was selected to be screened as part of the Cannes Premiere section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival,[7] where it had its world premiere on 23 May 2023.[8][9]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 7 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Awards and nominations for Kubi
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 26 May 2023 Queer Palm Takeshi Kitano Nominated [12]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "北野武監督の新作めぐりKADOKAWA夏野剛氏が説明「製作費15億。うちで出しております」". Tokyo Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "北野武監督、最新作で自ら秀吉役も「出るつもりなかった」 配役秘話語る". Oricon. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "北野武監督『首』が2023年秋に公開決定 "構想30年"「やっと実現したという感じです」6年ぶりの最新作は時代劇（WEBザテレビジョン）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  4. ^ "構想30年、北野武監督が世界に放つ時代劇！『首』完成報告会レポート". カドブン (in Japanese). 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  5. ^ "ビートたけし"最後の映画"がお蔵入りになっていた 契約を巡りKADOKAWAと対立し、現在も公開されず【スクープその後】". デイリー新潮 (in Japanese). 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  6. ^ "たけし「この週刊誌はうそばっかり書く」映画お蔵入り報道に反論「こちらで本当の話を伝えます」 - シネマ : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  7. ^ Schilling, Mark (19 May 2023). "Cannes Slots May Give Japanese Auteurs Box Office Boost at Home". Variety. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  8. ^ mraultpauillac (2023-05-10). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  9. ^ "北野監督、カンヌに復帰 成功には「無関心」". www.afpbb.com (in Japanese). 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  10. ^ "Kubi". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Kubi Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  12. ^ "La Sélection Officielle Queer Palm". queerpalm.org (in French). 8 November 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2023.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kubi_(film)&oldid=1219995051"