What the Snow Brings
Screening: June 1 - June 7,2007
Laemmle's MUSIC HALL 3
9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 274-6869
Mon-Fri: 5:00, 7:30, 10:00
Sat-Sun: 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00
“Banei Race” which was born from the frontier spirit of Hokkaido, and it is the race which draft horses, whose ancestors were the dobbins, go over the obstacles, pulling the sledge which weights over a couple of hundred pounds.
These draft horses bend their enormous bodies over and do their best. Sometimes they stop walking to pace their breath, but they are surely moving forward.
A Japanese movie masterpiece is born when these horses and a young man, who struggles for the present but still walking towards his future with his family, come together in their lives.
Fresh Impressive Work Lasts Forever in the Heart of Audience
What is depicted through the life in the racing stable is the awkward communication between Manabu, who has left his home at once, and his elder bother, and Manabu’s shocking reunion with his aged mother.
This is a story about a young man, who has lost the way in his life, comes to a new start, and it is a story about the priceless family bond. The picture depicts the white snort of the horse and the steam’s illusionary, which looks as if it had absorbed the frozen air of Obihiro, Hokkaido.
The actors’ genuine performance, the grandeur but powerful presence of the horses- All of these aspects have come together, and it leaves an ever-lasting fresh feeling in the heart of the audiences.
The Story about Rebirth and Family by Skilled Diretocr, Kichitaro Negishi
The Director, Kichitaro Negishi, has directed many popular films since he was awarded for the Blue Ribbon Director Prize for Enrai (aka Distant Thunder) in 1981.
His proper and skilled direction gained fame and “What the Snow Brings” swept 4 awards- Grand Prix, Award for Best Director, Award for Best Performance in Leading role, and the Audience Award at 18th Tokyo International Film Festival.
It was the first time for the Japanese film maker to receive the grand prix after Shinji Somai’s work “Taihu Kurabu” (aka Taifu Club, 85). In this work, he has attempted to present a picture of “Banei Horse Race” and depicted the story which will give us the inspiration to the collapsing modern Japanese family concept.
Yusuke Iseya, Koichi Sato, Kyoko Koizumi, Kazue Hubuki…Gorgeous Faces!
It is their first time for the actors to work with Director Negishi. Manabu, who cannot get the dream of going to the large city out of his head, is played by Yusuke Iseya, the young key person whose other works are coming up.
Takeo, his strict elder brother with tremendous paternal love, is played by Kocihi Sato, an award winner of Best Performance in a Leading role at 18th Tokyo International Film Festival.
The housekeeper, who is regarded as the mother of the people working at the racing stable, is played by Kyoko Koizumi, whose presence was remarkable in “Kuchu Teien” (aka Hanging Garden, 05).
Kazue Fubuki shows the fresh performance as the female jockey who is trying to recover from failure. Moreover, there are other skilled actors such as Tsutomu Yamazaki, who plays the role of the old man who teaches Manabu how to buy a betting ticket, Mistuko Kuzabue as the mother of Manabu, Masahiko Tsugawa, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Kippei Shiina who also participated in this film.
From “Kazahana” to “Banba”, and to “What the Snow Brings”
The original novel is called “Banba” written by Shou Narimi, a writer living in Obihiro. One of his works was made into the movie, “Kazahana” (2000), by director Shinji Somai.
While he tells the story of journey through Hokkaido by a man and a woman who have failed in their lives in “Kaza hana,” he also illustrates the recovery of the people who have dropped out from the social competition in this work.
Director Somai, who was given the novel by Mr. Narumi at the earliest time, was hoping make this story into the movie, but he passed away in 2001.
Kichitaro Negishi, who is another leading figure among the Japanese film industry, took his will and completed it in the form of “What the Snow Brings.”