Original subtitles

A ''Who's Camus, Anyway?'' Production Committee Presents

A Mitsuo YANAGIMACHI Film

MONDAY

Why can't you?

It's Kiyoko Hisada, the film workshop's assistant director.

The male Lead�s mother

has been rushed to hospital in Kyushu.

Last night... she'll only last 3 or 4 days.

He won't be in Tokyo for a while,

so I really want Ikeda to do it.

I know he's rehearsing.

Please. Ikeda was our second choice.

Please.

Shooting starts in five days

so we need him fast.

Don't you have a stand-in?

The director's arrived so we'll come over now.

No? The dress rehearsal is at 3:00?

Okay, we'll see you then.

The REK drama group rehearsal is at 3:00.

You think he'll drop the play for us?

Could be a problem, but we'll try.

The third choice is a no-go.

I need the murderer to be scary. Shuji KASHIWABARA

I'm off to the staff room for a read-through

and to reschedule.

Hello, Yukari. Hinano YOSHIKAWA

Ai MAEDA

WHO'S CAMUS, ANYWAY?

I couldn't sleep last night.

You didn't call. Hideo NAKAIZUMI

The lead has dropped out.

And we start in five days. Give me a break.

I hardly slept either.

You need your sleep.

Tomorrow TAGUCHI

We need to talk.

What did you eat this morning?

Cup of coffee.

You need a proper breakfast.

I might have time to see you after third period sociology.

Looks like another busy day.

Look, I have to go to admin.

Naoki, please...

just five minutes...

First scene of Welles' ''Touch of Evil '' is three and a half minutes...

''Shonben Rider'' is six and a half minutes.

Altman's ''The Player'' is a massive eight minutes.

But look carefully, and you'll see it's actually two cuts.

I think it's edited to look like only one.

I like Kenji Mizoguchi. He's professor Nakajo's favorite, too.

Mizoguchi's long takes are not for show.

Have you seen ''The 47 Ronin''?

No. That's the one with no raid scene right?

Parts one and two together... total length-- three hours, 43 minutes.

Part one has only 67 cuts, and part two has 78.

What's the usual number?

Normally between 500 or 600.

Good morning, professor Nakajo. Cinematography: Junichi FUJISAWA

Morning.

What about the male lead?

Everyone's in a panic.

Only five days to go. Music: Yasuaki SHIMIZU

Five days... five days...

My God... my God...

We're counting on you, as the producers.

Professor Nakajo.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

This is the murder weapon?

Do you think it can kill?

He's pretty serious about it.

Kamimura!

We have to talk about the budget.

Not you, Yoshizaki.

Good morning.

Nakajo's looking a bit down.

It's been two years since his wife died.

They say he used to be terrifying as a director.

He got drunk in a bar

and the ''Death in Tokyo'' story started.

Students and professors nicknamed him ''Aschenbach.''

Aschenbach?

As played by Dirk Bogarde in ''Death in Venice.''

About the old homo composer?

I like Visconti's ''The Damned.''

I go for ''Rocco and His Brothers.''

I'm for ''Innocent.''

Produced by Kazuo SHIMIZU

Written and Directed by Mitsuo YANAGIMACHI

Naoki, we have to talk.

No time for talking.

Just a Little.

I have to go to the REK dress rehearsal.

We never meet on campus and I'm not allowed on Location.

Let me come to your place, and I'II cook and clean.

Leave me alone. I'm up to my neck in it.

I have to be alone to do the storyboards.

I transferred here

to be with you.

Naoki,

you don't have to return the money I Lent you.

I'm still broke.

I don't care about the money.

You can keep it.

I've met a man.

- More Lies? - It's true!

I met him on the net.

You sleep together?

Not yet. But I might, before long.

Go ahead, sleep with him.

I really will!

Be my guest.

Yukari.

Yukari!

If you're going to lie, you should do it better.

You'd never see anybody except me.

Naoki, look at me.

Naoki, you're gorgeous.

Papa loved sucking on mama's nipples!

Who'd want to forget such satisfaction?

If the key fits the keyhole,

the door to pleasure is always open!

But if the key doesn't fit, then mockery reigns!

I don't want to be such a key!

A rusty bent key!

Screams of pain as it is thrust in the hole!

I don't want to be such a keyhole!

And outside, a hellish purgatory?

Mama has natural fangs for protection.

Her perfect breasts are her fangs.

Her thighs, untouched by the ravages of time, are her fangs.

Adorned from head to toe in sparkling thorns.

That's right!

We have the same blood in our veins,

and the same female form.

But my breasts are not as yours...

- Two or three... - ...visits to the beauty parlor.

Living under the misconception that

it would result in beauty!

I want to be in the film.

The theater group agrees.

And I can learn from Professor Nakajo.

But he hasn't made anything for 15 years.

Good makeup.

Your hair should be more school boyish.

I'II dye it black.

Thanks, Ikeda. We'll work together.

Right. Kiyoko, you can start on rescheduling.

Costumes and kendo practice today, script reading tomorrow.

Okay! Okay! Okay!

Race you to the theater!

Go, Kiyoko!

Where is Kiyoko?

She was right there.

Where'd she go?

I'II be gone a week. Good luck.

Take care.

- Call me when you get there. - I will.

He's the mountaineering captain.

He's the one Kiyoko is seeing.

Tall, good looking. Quite a catch.

- I have to go. - Take care.

See you soon.

Insurance?

Nothing left in the budget.

Shut up!

Kamimura, you have some budget news for us...

''THE BORED MURDERER'' Staff Room

Hey, everyone. Over here.

- Well, about the budget... - Speak up.

The 350,000 yen budget has gone 50,000 over already.

So we can't buy props.

We'll have to pay out of our own pockets.

We had to insure the old woman who gets bumped off.

If she really croaks, we get the insurance.

Sorry I'm late.

Aya isn't here either.

Does continuity need to be here for a costume meeting?

Not sure.

Should she be here?

Beats me.

Got to pee.

Yoshizaki, how many shirts do you own?

Two.

How many days for this one?

Two.

Good morning.

Morning.

Right, Iet's fit him for his school uniform and kendo outfit.

School uniform.

Have you got two uniforms?

No, only one.

When he murders her, he'll be covered in blood.

I forgot. I'll get another.

Good. Let's get going.

You have a visitor, Naoki.

For me?

Back in a second.

Here's a T-shirt for you.

And some bananas for the crew.

Thanks.

I saw them on the way here, so I bought them.

I told you not to come here.

It'll be the first and last time.

I worry about you.

You should worry more about yourself.

I called my mother.

In Kanazawa?

She gave her blessing to our marriage.

But she hates me.

We've been going out for five years, so she's come round.

If you say you will, I can wait.

I told you a thousand times,

I don't want to get married.

Not until I've made a good movie.

This is Aya. She does continuity.

Aya Sasaki.

I'm making music for the movie as well.

Yukari brought these for the crew.

Thanks very much.

It's about a year since Yukari slit her wrists.

Naoki once told her she had a snub nose.

She went straight under the knife and had a nose job!

She's scary.

Scary... scary...

Bananas from Yukari.

I'II have one.

Yukari is Like Adele in ''The History of Adele H.''

Jean-Luc Godard directed it, right?

Patrice Lecomte.

No, Leos Carax, who did ''Pola X.''

AII wrong.

It was Francois Truffaut.

Victor Hugo's daughter

chases an EngIish sailor wherever he goes.

In the end, her heart and soul are in tatters.

What a film!

Someone should tell our director to watch it,

to learn about women.

Aya, continuity should note down all costumes, okay?

Ikeda has kendo from 7:30,

and this is from the director.

Thanks, everyone.

Don't take any pills to sleep tonight.

I'm not going to.

See you, Yukari.

Professor Nakajo, the director?

I'm Ikeda, pIaying Takeda.

A pleasure.

But I'm not the director.

Mr. Matsukawa is the director.

He has fabulous eyes.

So necessary for a good actor.

Do I have what it takes to be a director?

That's what you want to be, right?

Certainly, but...

Then why worry about other people's opinions?

I see.

''Taking aim at one wine-red rose.

A blank shot from

the toy gun you gave me.

The wavering of the light blue barrel,

sends a frisson through the thick petals.

A flower in my hand, a gun to my chest.''

I suppose you sent this to everyone.

TUESDAY

Stylized beauty can never be separated from the storyline.

That's the strength of kabuki.

Amazing that it holds our interest

even after 400 years of history.

Thanks to following tradition

and no new stories being written.

Will film ever make such a recovery?

Kabuki has had to deal with many crises.

It's not only film that has to contend with the ups and downs.

Technological advances led to the invention of cinema.

This helped it to flourish, but also contributed to its decay.

Are you blaming Hollywood for the decline?

Not in the least.

But some are under that delusion.

Kabuki thrives in the computer age,

while film faces extinction.

Ah, cruel history!

It's film's fragility

that makes it so dear.

Professor Nakajo.

Mr. Oyama.

I need to talk to you, sir.

Please go ahead.

I must be off.

Am I going to pass?

My attendance was poor last semester.

How old are you?

Thirty five.

Keep working as the artistic director, and you'll be fine.

Thank you, sir.

As you were walking

I sensed an evil spirit.

It's lurking around you.

You should see a medium about exorcism.

Was this demon

speaking through me just now?

Yes, but strictly speaking,

it's called a wraith.

Wraiths have long histories

and are mentioned in old chronicles...

I'm a Little tired.

I'd Like to rest.

Sir.

In the script

when Takeda cycles to the house.

No one understands his reason

for murdering the old lady.

It must be God's will.

God told him to kill her.

When did you decide to murder her?

A few days ago.

But that dimension is of no consequence.

Time and dates were immaterial.

I just wanted to kill.

I've thought about it since first or second grade in high school.

When did you decide to carry out this idea?

I just told you. Two or three days ago.

Cut.

Stop a minute.

Ikeda.

He's just murdered someone.

I think his feelings would show more turmoil.

But in the book,

Takeda responded calmly to questioning.

But this is a movie, okay?

Let's continue from there.

And...

action!

What were you doing beforehand?

I was at kendo club.

Did you quit?

In my senior year. It got boring.

Did boredom turn you to murder?

I don't Like to be bored.

I was thinking about what to do.

That was motive enough.

Aren't you sorry for stabbing an old woman to death?

No, I felt no sorrow

for my prospective victim.

A person is dead because of you.

I've wondered for a long time

what it would be Like for me to end a life.

You're...

I wanted the experience,

to see what it felt Like to kill.

Okay, stop there.

You know, from the script,

it's hard to understand Takeda.

The original non-fiction

gives a clearer idea.

Yes, Naoki hasn't written in much

about his background.

Why did he kill?

Why did he commit murder?

Murder... murder...

Hey, did you all pay your respects to the studio God?

Takeda is a sacrifice to Him.

We ought to...

Right, form a group!

Bow twice.

Clap twice.

GO FOR BROKE

Bow once.

Rei!

I thought this would work for the final credits.

These are permit applications for the roads,

and these for the park.

What's up, Kamimura?

I watched Godard's ''Masculin Feminin'' on video yesterday.

Cafes in Paris aren't the same as Japanese ones.

Jean-Pierre Leo and a woman enter and stand at the counter.

They go into the back room, circle the pool table and return.

The camera turns to two men

sitting reading a porno magazine.

There's a dubious...

...dubious looking couple

sitting here.

Then Leo and the girl leave. Total time-- three minutes, 17 seconds.

Matsukawa here.

A 400 gigabyte hard disc

and an OS upgrade.

And ''Final Cut Pro'' software.

A hundred thousand yen?

Kamimura, is that your phone?

No, it's not.

Yoshizaki speaking.

Yes, yes.

About the permits...

Hello?

The permits are all okay.

Great!

When we find the old woman's house we can start.

Will we make it?

Naoki and Aya are there?

None of the art staff are anywhere to be seen here.

Where on earth have they gone?

On time?

How should I know?

Yes, see you later.

This could be the ring Takeda got from his father...

Ms. Hisada!

I used to be in the climbing club.

Going down!

What was the book you were talking about?

''The Stranger,'' have you read it?

''Stranger''?

It's a novel, not a comic.

By Somerset Maugham?

What was it you're studying?

Sociology.

You're confusing it with Camus.

Cam - Moo?

I'm such an idiot.

It's where he kills a guy

because the sun is too bright.

Professor says Takeda is Like a modern day Meursault.

But you've no time to read it.

I'II stay up aII night to finish it.

''The Absurd Mr. Clouseau.''

Clouseau is the inspector.

It's ''Meursault.''

More - So.

- Excuse me. - Yes?

Could you get Naoki?

Our director?

Okay.

Why are you here?

We haven't got time to talk.

I need my freedom.

Freedom?

Your life is full of freedom.

But I'II say one thing.

If you sleep with another woman, I'll kill you.

Look, this has to wait until after the film.

Which do you love, me or the film?

That's a line from a movie if ever I heard one.

I called my mother again.

I told her our wedding is on hold

while you're being a director.

We might never get round to it.

That's so sad.

I want something from you.

I want your sperm.

I'II keep it in a sperm bank

and have your kids later.

You can't be serious.

Please give some to me.

It's hardly the time for that.

Why not now?

Because...

Is it money?

I have to fix the computer for editing.

How much?

One hundred thousand.

I might have 70,000.

Thanks.

Will you?

Okay. I will.

Super!

How many times?

Three would be good.

WEDNESDAY

I'II be in touch.

Well, I'll be...

Okay?

Jeez!

Ms. Hisada.

Who was that you were with?

We take French class together.

On the Sociology course?

Yes.

I've seen her in the Literature Department.

Foiled again!

I just chatted her up at the gate.

I'm half way through ''Stranger.''

Up to where Meursault murders the Arabian guy.

Who do you Like, Meursault or Takeda?

Takeda, of course.

There's Adele.

Excuse me.

Would you give this to Naoki?

If you will.

A script cover.

Handmade!

Hello, professor.

Your usual noodles, right?

When is your wife's memorial?

Day after tomorrow. Friday.

Two years...

have passed quickly.

In a flash.

I'II make her favorite tempura.

You can place it on her altar.

Thank you.

Mr. Kamimura.

This is yours. The schedule.

The overall schedule?

You look a bit pale.

Did you argue with the director?

I had another rejection from a TV station.

Didn't get past the first stage.

That's my third one.

Why do they always reject me so quickly?

Who knows, this business.

Mr. Nakane.

I have to go home for a while.

We have a rehearsal, and a meeting from six.

I'II be back for the meeting.

You're assistant director!

I have to go to a lecture.

Here we are.

You should start making films again.

At least while I'm still alive.

What is impressive in my life?

Having killed someone.

Don't you know that what you did is wrong?

No. That's why I did it.

If I'd known, I wouldn't have done it.

And how did you feel afterwards?

It was a valuable life experience.

You don't feel bad about the victim?

If her ghost were here now, I would say sorry.

But she's not, so what can I do?

If you asked me what I really think about it,

I'd say it was bad luck.

She was unfortunate.

Stop there.

That was good.

I can feel Takeda's character.

I'm exhausted.

Yeah?

A bit.

Let's take a break.

I'm not sure I understand it.

It's just Like Meursault.

Blame it all on bright sunlight?

It might drive me to murder.

How about you, Motosugi?

Me?

I might kill a whole load of people.

I'm not sure I agree.

Can you really say he was unbalanced?

I don't know if Takeda was acting normally, and I don't care.

He isn't abnormal. He's just a high school kid.

That's your opinion.

Well, what's yours?

You wrote about murder and you emphasize the violence.

It still doesn't explain his character.

So, should I write more

about his family background?

So we can understand him better?

I don't mean that.

We should give more thought

as to the state of his mind.

We can't just say, ''Yes, he's nuts.''

Stop filming with that stupid camera!

Now look!

I can't do this anymore.

I bought it for you, and now you don't want it.

Used all my lunch money too.

If you're going to cry, cry properly.

I don't want to.

It's all too much.

Naoki just thinks it's cool

being a director.

That's not the point.

I don't understand Takeda.

I don't know whether

he is sane or insane either.

Old Venice is a strange one as well

in choosing this subject.

Damned if I know.

It's all too much.

Say.

Can you lend me some money?

How much?

30,000 for some software.

Okay.

Really?

I'II ask my dad.

Thanks, it'll be a real help.

Can I stay with you tonight?

Sure.

Really?

Disappeared again.

Where to?

Toilet.

''A persistent streak is particularly noticeable...

Social skills are lacking, and resistance to change is strong...

Inclined to use unusual turns of phrase, bordering on mimicry...

Subjects may talk to themselves...''

Me?

You're wrong.

Talks to himself... Talks to himself...

Talks to himself... Talks to himself... Talks to himself... Talks to himself...

''Poor understanding of irony, humor and other's feelings...

Often good with figures...

Sometimes referred to as 'geek'...''

It's me?

This is from the director.

- Eat. - Thank you.

Sorry I'm late.

I was playing with my niece and couldn't get away.

For an hour?

Just about.

How old is she?

Five.

- Five. - Five.