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The remaining trio escapes the island on a boat, but Kawada succumbs to his wounds and dies after teaching Shuya how to pilot the boat. As he dies, he reveals that in Shuya and Noriko he accomplished his goal of discovering why Keiko smiled at him as she died—she, like he now, had finally found true friends and was willing to give up her life for them. Shuya and Noriko make it to land, where they become fugitives wanted for murder. Shuya, in the movie's final narrative, explains that the two of them, while still peaceful, will fight if they have to protect each other. Together, they go on the run.
The remaining trio escapes the island on a boat, but Kawada succumbs to his wounds and dies after teaching Shuya how to pilot the boat. As he dies, he reveals that in Shuya and Noriko he accomplished his goal of discovering why Keiko smiled at him as she died—she, like he now, had finally found true friends and was willing to give up her life for them. Shuya and Noriko make it to land, where they become fugitives wanted for murder. Shuya, in the movie's final narrative, explains that the two of them, while still peaceful, will fight if they have to protect each other. Together, they go on the run.

===Differences between the original book and the film===

Differences between the original book include (though are not limited to):
*The program administrator's name and personality are different—the subplot of Kitano's family and his love for Noriko is not present in [[Kinpatsu Sakamochi]]—the equivalent character—in the novel. Additionally, Sakamochi had no previous relationship with the class, and is significantly more sadistic than Kitano.
*[[Kazuo Kiriyama]] is a transfer student in the film (playing voluntarily), whereas in the novel he was a member of the class. In the film he is silent, and it is suggested he signed up for fun, whereas in the novel and manga he flips a coin to determine his course of action. In the novel/manga he is incapable of feeling emotion, which is unlikely to be true in the film if he did sign up for fun. Neither of these is confirmed or denied in the film however.
*Mitsuko's killing of [[Hirono Shimizu]] in the film—as opposed to [[Toshinori Oda]] killing Hirono in the novel—replaces a scene in the book in which Hiroki confronts Mitsuko over Chigusa's death shortly before he locates Kotohiki, though she escapes him.
*In the film, Kazuo does not kill [[Mizuho Inada]], and Hirono does not kill Kaori Minami. Instead, Mizuho and Kaori form a team and kill each other over a [[life preserver]].
*The film depicts the students as residents of the [[Kanagawa Prefecture]], as Mimura's postcard reveals a mailing address in the name of "Mr. Sinji Mimura" in Kanagawa Prefecture. With the exception of Shogo Kawada, most students in the film speak [[Japanese_dialects#Kantō Dialect|Kantō ben]], the dialect of the Eastern [[Kantō region]], which includes Kanagawa. The novel and manga set Shiroiwa in the rural [[Kagawa Prefecture]], on [[Shikoku]] island.
*Various students start with different weapons and die in different manners. Almost every student is given a background in the novel, whereas only the significant characters receive them in the film.
*The 'victory' deadline is changed from the book; in the film, the students are given three days to win, while in the book, the only deadline is that at least one student be killed every twenty-four hours. Further, only one class participates per year in the film, whereas it is fifty in the novel.
*In the film, the "police state" overtones are toned down (but are still noticeably present), while the idea of a major social and economic upheaval being the cause of the story's events is introduced in the introduction.
*The school uniforms featured in the film are different than the ones featured in the novel.
*In the book Kazuo is killed by Noriko and Shogo after a large shootout and car chase (the latter being fully absent in the film), while in the film Shogo Kawada kills Kiriyama.
*The Battle Royale logo is never described in the book.
*There is no "introductory video" in the novel. The rules of the Battle Royale are simply read out in the classroom by Sakamochi.
*Shogo mentions he was not with [[Keiko Onuki]] during the previous game in the book, also he makes no mention of killing a friend so they could both survive.
*Noriko is shot in the leg in the book, but is shot in the arm in the movie.
*The film portrays Mitsuko's coldness as having stemmed from a childhood during which she inadvertently kills a man to avoid being raped after she is pimped by her mother for money. In the novel, Mitsuko is unable to escape several incidents of rape in which she is a brain-washed and love-starved participant.
*In the film, the Battle Royale Act is introduced to deal with widespread youth delinquency. In the novel, reason for the Act is slightly different in that it exists to keep the totalitarian government in control, by inspiring people to fear and distrust each other.
*In the novel the character Hiroki Sugimura is adept at martial arts and utilises this skill in several scenes; no mention is made of it in the movie.
*In the film, Shogo initially runs off after saving Shuya from Kyoichi and they meet up later when Noriko is ill. In the novel, they stay together after this encounter and travel as a trio to a medical clinic when Noriko is ill.
*In the film, Shogo immediately returns after leaving saying that he was given the wrong day pack and receives a new one. His exit is not mentioned at all in the novel.
*In the novel, Kazuo Kiriyama is the leader of a gang consisting of Mitsuri Numai, Sho Tsukioka, Ryuhei Sasagawa, and Hiroshi Kuronaga. They are known in the original novel as "the Kiriyama family."
*Similar to the Kiriyama family in the novel, Mitsuko Souma was the leader of a group that consisted of Yoshimi Yahagi and Hirono Shimizu.
*Mitsuko is somewhat of a loner in the film. She thinks of herself as a loser. In the novel, she has friends and is very popular.


==Cast==
==Cast==

Revision as of 12:45, 6 December 2009

Battle Royale
File:Battle royale pochette.jpg
Directed byKinji Fukasaku
Written byNovel:
Koushun Takami
Screenplay:
Kenta Fukasaku
Produced byKenta Fukasaku
Kimio Kataoka
Chie Kobayashi
Toshio Nabeshima
StarringTatsuya Fujiwara
Aki Maeda
Taro Yamamoto
Takeshi Kitano
Masanobu Ando
CinematographyKatsumi Yanagishima
Edited byHirohide Abe
Music byMasamichi Amano
Distributed byToei
Release date
Japan December 16, 2000
Running time
Theatrical Cut:
114 min.
Special Version:
122 min.
CountryJapan Japan
LanguageJapanese
Budget$4,500,000 (estimated)

Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル, Batoru Rowaiaru) is a 2000 Japanese film based on the novel of the same name and directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku, and stars Takeshi Kitano and Tatsuya Fujiwara. The film aroused much controversy.[1][2]

A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed. The music soundtracks for both movies were composed, arranged and conducted by Masamichi Amano, performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and features pieces of classical music with some original composition. The choral classical music used as the film's overture theme music is the "Dies Irae" from Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem.

Production

Creative process

Kinji Fukasaku stated that the novel reminded him of his time as a 15-year old munitions factory worker, so he decided to create the film adaptation. When he was 15 years old, Fukasaku's class was drafted, and he worked as a munitions worker during World War II. In July 1945, the class was caught in artillery fire. Since the children could not escape they had to dive under each other in order to survive. The surviving members of the class had to dispose of the corpses. Fukasaku realized that the Japanese government lied about World War II at that point and Fukasaku had a burning hatred of adults in general for a long time after.[3]

When asked in an interview with The Midnight Eye if the film is "a warning or advice to the youth," Kinji Fukasaku responded by describing the words "warning" and "advice" as "sounding very strong to me" as if they were actions which one tries to accomplish; therefore the film would not be "particularly a warning or advice." Fukasaku explained that the film, which he describes as "a fable," includes themes, such as crime by young people, which in Japan "are very much real modern issues." Fukasaku said that he did not have a lack of concern or a lack of interest; he used the themes as part of his fable. When the interviewer told Fukasaku that he asked the question specifically because of the word "run," the end text, which the interviewer describes as "very positive." Fukasaku explained that he developed the concept throughout the film. Fukasaku interpreted the interviewer's question as having "a stronger meaning" than "a simple message." Fukasaku explained that the film has his "words to the next generation" so the viewer should decide whether to take the words as advice or as a warning.[3][4]

Ratings

Kinji Fukasaku originally opposed the R15 rating given by the Eiga Rinri Kanri Iinkai (Eirin) because of Fukasaku's experiences as a teenager, the novel's use of 15-year olds, and the fact that many of the actors were around fifteen years of age. After he submitted an appeal and before Eiga Rinri Kanri Iinkai could rule on the appeal, members of the Diet of Japan said that the film harmed teenagers; the Diet members also criticized the film industry ratings, which were a part of self-regulation by the Japanese film industry. Fukasaku dropped the appeal to appease the Japanese Diet in hopes they would not pursue increasing film regulation further.[3][4]

In the Special Edition of Battle Royale, the opening intro reveals the rating being slashed and destroyed, representing Kinji Fukasaku's opposition to the R15 rating.

Plot

The prologue title card reads:

"At the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act—AKA: The BR Act..."
File:BR1 Yoshitoki Shuya Noriko Classroom.jpg
From left to right, Yoshitoki Kuninobu, Shuya Nanahara and Noriko Nakagawa stand after waking in the classroom.

The film concentrates on Shuya Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a charismatic young boy living in Kanagawa Prefecture. After his mother abandons him and his father commits suicide, he becomes disillusioned with life. The rest of his classmates are similarly disillusioned, and have little respect for authority. Shuya's best friend, Yoshitoki "Nobu" Kuninobu (Yukihiro Kotani), attacks their teacher Kitano (Takeshi Kitano), but runs away before he can be identified. Noriko Nakagawa (Aki Maeda), a sweet, reserved young girl who happens to witness the incident, hides the knife that Nobu has just attacked Kitano with. Kitano, frustrated, resigns.

The next year, as the students are nearing the end of their compulsory education, they embark on a class trip. On the bus the entire class is gassed, kidnapped, taken to an isolated island, and fitted with electronic collars. Once there, the students are shocked to find that they are inside an abandoned school, and that Kitano (along with the government) is behind the entire operation. Kitano informs them that they have been selected as participants in Battle Royale, a game created by the Millennial Educational Reform Act (better known as the Battle Royale Act) where the students must kill each other until only one is left. One class from the country per year is selected to participate in the program. If after three days a winner is not declared, the explosive collars attached to each student's neck will be detonated. The collars also prevent the students entering certain areas of the field of participation, the "danger zones," with the intention of forcing the students to encounter one another. (These instructions are delivered by a cute, smiling girl via a video, who behaves like a kindergarten teacher and refers to herself as their "big sister".) After killing a student, Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, for whispering, Kitano also detonates Nobu's collar, killing him, to provide an example to the class. One by one, each student leaves the school, being provided with survival packs containing food, water, a flashlight, a compass, a map of the island and a random weapon. (In some cases said weapon might actually be deadly, such as an axe or submachine gun; in others it might not even technically be a weapon at all, such as a saucepan lid or binoculars.)

The students separate, some of them forming groups or teams for mutual protection, while others remain solo. A few embrace the program and become willing to kill the others to ensure their own survival. Kazuo Kiriyama volunteered for Battle Royale for the adventure, and manages to kill a large group of students and goes around the island alone, killing without remorse. Also willing to kill is Mitsuko Souma, who has taken it upon herself to win the game, using everything she has at her disposal, especially her sexuality.

Some students refuse to play the game. Shuya, grieving over Nobu's death, decides to take it upon himself to protect Noriko, the object of Nobu's affection. Elsewhere, class president Yukie Utsumi (Eri Ishikawa) gathers up a group of girls and decides to hide in an abandoned lighthouse, while junior revolutionary Shinji Mimura (Takashi Tsukamoto) gathers his friends and plans to hack the system and blow up the school (along with Kitano), thereby liberating the students.

File:ShuyaandNorikotogether.jpg
Shuya and Noriko wearing the issued collar and map.

Other students refuse to kill or hide. While some commit suicide, Hiroki Sugimura (Sousuke Takaoka) decides to make the best of his final hours, and seeks out his best friend, Takako Chigusa (Chiaki Kuriyama), and the girl he loves, Kayoko Kotohiki (Takayo Mimura).

The film's main plot focuses on Shuya and Noriko. They eventually run into Shogo Kawada, a seasoned warrior and Kobe native with an agenda. They witness Kiriyama murder Yumiko Kusaka and Yukiko Kitano, who were trying to call for peace, and Kawada runs off. Later, they run into Kawada again when they stumble upon his hideout. Kawada lets them in and reveals that he is out to avenge the death of his girlfriend, Keiko Onuki, who was killed in the first game. However, when Kiriyama kills Toshinori Oda outside the building (earning himself a bulletproof vest), Shuya tries to kill Kiriyama and only survives due to Hiroki Sugimura intervening while Shuya escapes. Sugimura then brings Shuya to the lighthouse where the girls are hiding out.

Shuya wakes up bandaged in the lighthouse, where many of the girls are hiding. Yuko Sakaki poisons a bowl of soup meant for Shuya. When Yuka Nakagawa is instead killed by the poison, all of the girls begin to distrust each other and they all kill each other, except Sakaki, who commits suicide over the guilt of killing her friend. An injured Shuya grabs all of the guns and begins looking for Noriko. Elsewhere, Noriko is confronted by Mitsuko, but Kitano scares her off and Noriko meets up again with Shuya.

As the game continues and only a few students are left, Sugimura finds Kotohiki, the girl he loves, hiding in a warehouse. She kills him, thinking he is a threat. As Sugimura dies, he professes his love for Kotohiki, who is sorrowful at having not known this. Shortly after, Kotohiki is shot by Mitsuko and dies. Kiriyama then arrives at the warehouse and after a short battle, kills Mitsuko, taking her pistol. Elsewhere, Mimura and his friends have hacked into the system and are ready to destroy the school. One of Mimura's friends sees Kiriyama, and thinking it is Shuya, calls out to him. Kiriyama kills everyone of them, increasing his kill count to twelve, but not before Mimura manages to detonate the bomb, leaving Kiriyama blinded as Shuya, Noriko and Kawada arrive on the scene. Kawada confronts Kiriyama, who even while blinded, manages to injure Kawada severely until Kawada shoots his collar, killing him, leaving only Shuya, Noriko and Kawada on the island.

Kawada then, in a plot twist, reveals that he lied about Keiko and merely kept Shuya and Noriko alive because they trusted him. Kawada then seemingly kills both of them; the soldiers in charge go to check for the dead corpses, but Kitano stops them, ending the operation. Declared the winner, Kawada treks to the school. Kitano has since declared the operation a success, and is left on the island after the government leaves in helicopters. Kawada confronts Kitano, and is soon joined by Shuya and Noriko, who are revealed to be still alive after Kawada disabled their collars to fake their deaths. Kitano is unsurprised to see that Shuya and Noriko have survived, having realized Kawada's plan. He reveals that he had hoped that Noriko would survive, as his daughter, Shiori, hates him—he sees Noriko as the daughter he never had. Kitano then reveals a hand-painted picture of Noriko, smiling and standing among her dead classmates. Not wanting to return home, he orders Noriko to kill him. Shuya eventually does when Kitano threatens Noriko with a gun, which is revealed as he falls to be a water pistol. Following a final conversation with Shiori, over the telephone, in which he tells her one must accept the consequences of hating someone, he dies.

The remaining trio escapes the island on a boat, but Kawada succumbs to his wounds and dies after teaching Shuya how to pilot the boat. As he dies, he reveals that in Shuya and Noriko he accomplished his goal of discovering why Keiko smiled at him as she died—she, like he now, had finally found true friends and was willing to give up her life for them. Shuya and Noriko make it to land, where they become fugitives wanted for murder. Shuya, in the movie's final narrative, explains that the two of them, while still peaceful, will fight if they have to protect each other. Together, they go on the run.

Cast

File:ShiroiwaClassB.jpg
The main cast of Battle Royale.
See also: List of Battle Royale characters

Distribution

Distribution in North America

Despite rumors to the contrary, the film is not banned in the United States. Rather, there has never been a distribution agreement for the film, due to its controversial nature and reportedly unreasonable distribution terms specified by Toei (specifically the price of distribution being somewhere between 1-2 million dollars and that it must be a wide release on the order of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). These two stipulations put it outside of the range of most smaller movie distributors, and the larger distributors would not handle the film. Therefore, technically the film is not banned, but neither does a local distributor for it exist. It has been exhibited at film festivals in North America. Nonetheless, 'bootleg' copies of the film imported from China and Hong Kong have widespread availability on the continent, and a 'Special Edition DVD' of the film was carried to a limited extent by retailers such as HMV and Starstruck Entertainment in Canada and Tower Records in the United States; the legal status of this edition is not clear. Also, the film's UK distributor, Tartan Films, has released an all-region NTSC DVD version of the film that is available in North America from specialty outlets. One widely available Hong Kong import is a special edition without English subtitles that contains both Battle Royale and its sequel. Both Battle Royale and its sequel are available on NetFlix, a major film distributor in the United States.

Sasebo slashing controversy

The creators of the sequel postponed the release of the DVD (originally scheduled for June 9, 2004) to later that year, due to 'current events' which at the time was the Sasebo slashing. The killer was a fan of Battle Royale.[5]

Release of Special Version

A special version of the film was released after the original which has eight extra minutes of running time. Unusually, the extra material includes scenes newly filmed after the release of the original. Inserted scenes include (but are not limited to):

  • Flashbacks to a basketball game which is used as a framework for the entire story.
  • A flashback that explains Mitsuko's personality.
  • Three epilogues (referred to as "requiems"). The first is an extension of the basketball scene. The second is a vision of Nobu telling Shuya to take care of Noriko. The third is a scene between Kitano and Noriko, who talk casually by a riverbank.
  • Added shots of the lighthouse after the shoot-out
  • Added reaction shots in the classroom, and extensions to existing shots.
  • Extra CGI throughout the film

Reception

Battle Royale was labeled "crude and tasteless" by members of Japanese parliament and other government officials after the film was screened for them before its general release.[6] The film created a debate over government action on media violence.

Many conservative politicians used the film to blame popular culture for a youth crime wave. Ilya Garger of TIME magazine said that Battle Royale received "free publicity" and received "box-office success usually reserved for cartoons and TV-drama spin-offs."[1]

Battle Royale grossed ¥3.11 billion domestically. (around $25 million US)[1][7]

At the 2001 Japanese Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Picture of the Year, Director of the Year, Screenplay of the Year, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Tatsuya Fujiwara), Outstanding Achievement in Music (Masamichi Amano), and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording (Kunio Ando). The film won Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing (Hirohide Abe) and the Popularity Award, and Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda both won Newcomer of the Year.[8]

Critics note its relation to the increasingly extreme trend in Asian cinema and its similarity to reality television.[9]

In 2009, Quentin Tarantino listed the film as his favorite film released since 1992[10].

TOKYO 10+01

Main article: TOKYO 10+01

Battle Royale heavily influenced the 2002 Japanese film TOKYO 10+01, which was directed by Higuchinsky and makes several references to the Battle Royale film itself. It involves eleven strangers being forced to play a game with a set time limit or face death. Instead of explosive collars, they have bracelets with hypodermic needles which can inject a deadly poison if they try to remove them or time runs out. TOKYO 10+01 has two actors who respectively appeared in both Battle Royale and Battle Royale II: Requiem: Masanobu Ando, who played Kazuo Kiriyama in the first film, and Natsuki Kato, who appeared in Battle Royale II as Saki Sakurai.

Soundtrack

Main article: Battle Royale (soundtrack)

Remake

In June 2006, Variety reported that New Line Cinema, with producers Neil Moritz and Roy Lee, intend to produce a new adaptation of Battle Royale.[11] Several websites echoed the news, including Ain't It Cool News, which claimed the remake would be a "an extremely Hard R - serious-minded Americanization of BATTLE ROYALE."[12] New Line tentatively set a release date of 2008.

The next month, The New York Times reported on an internet backlash to the remake. Through the article, Lee assured fans of his respect for the original work, claiming, "This is the one I'm going to be the most careful with." He stated that despite earlier concerns the movie would not be toned down to PG or PG-13, the characters would remain young teenagers, and that it would draw elements equally from the novel and the original movie and the manga.

The reporter noted "the hubbub ... was at least slightly premature [as] New Line hasn't yet purchased the remake rights."[13]

Following the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007, Roy Lee claimed that prospects for the remake had been "seriously shaken." While he remained willing to proceed, he stated, "we might be a little more sensitive to some of the issues." The reporting article noted that New Line still had not secured remake rights - their spokeswoman claiming "no news" when asked about progress on any deal.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Garger, Ilya. "Royale Terror." TIME. June 30, 2003.
  2. ^ Ito, Robert. "Lesson Plan: Kill or Be Killed." The New York Times. July 9, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c "Director's statement at the Internet Archive". Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  4. ^ a b "Kinji Fukasaku", Midnight Eye
  5. ^ "Japan schoolgirl killer 'sorry'". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  6. ^ Leong, Anthony (2001). "Battle Royale Movie Review". Issue 33 of Asian Cult Cinima. Retrieved 2007-01-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ J. T., Testar (2002). [(U.S. $23,208,955.22)http://www.accj.or.jp/document_library/Journal/1053151390.pdf "Japan Goes to the Movies"] (PDF). The Journal. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "24th Japanese Academy Awards" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  9. ^ Korsner, Jason (2001-09-13). "Battle Royale (2001)". BBC. Retrieved 2007-01-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ "Quentin Tarantino's Favorite 20 Films Since 1992". Retrieved 2009-09-20.
  11. ^ McNary, Dave (2006-06-07). "New Line set to do 'Battle'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  12. ^ Harry Knowles (2006-06-08). "BATTLE ROYALE American Remake Set Up..." Ain't It Cool News. Ain't It Cool, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  13. ^ Ito, Robert (2006-07-09). "Lesson Plan: Kill or Be Killed". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  14. ^ Cieply, Michael (2007-04-30). "After Virginia Tech, Testing Limits of Movie Violence". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
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