Tamasaburo "The Written Face - Interviews" 坂東玉三郎 書かれた顔

[mckavitt]

I adored this film and, most especially, the interview with Sugimura Haruko. How i love and miss this very great actress who often played unsympathetic women, but never totally and so naturally.

[tiffenakou]

@mckavitt I agree.

[SebrielLeCiel]

so cute when he was a little kid.

[manatsunoshi]

lol, comparing creative process to cooking food is so... japanese :D tamasaburo sensei is so adorable! i wish i could watch the whole movie! his musings seem worthwhile :)

[NowhereWoman152]

7:56 - 8:10 Just about broke my heart! What a lovely, intelligent, expressive guy.

[deejayrpm]

I was in tokyo last feb.... I went to kabiki za wz my japanese wife . I knew tamassaburo from youtube. I said to her before going into the evening represantation : '' lucky for me to see this great performer :( '' '' Gest what ? '' she said . '' he's playing tonight !!!! ''

I was so happy And I really hope the kabuki comes to Montreal Canada !

We have a really nice Japanese festival in summer and im sure the tikets would be sold out @ Place des Arts !

[paolopulici67]

someone tell me what work for piano by Liszt is contained in the soundtrack?

[XAnimeDollX]

i really admire their work, how accurate and precise their foot- and handwork is ^-^ though young tamasaburo is cute ^^

[sctaber56]

Tamasaburo's performances are absolutely magical, mesmerizing, astounding. He truly captures the deepest essence of "woman" in his portrayals. Breathtaking!

[tairanotomomori]

Look how he moves his hands as he speaks. It's already dance.

[tairanotomomori]

Great interview! Thank you so much for posting this!

I love the way he moves his hands as he speaks. They are so expressive like dance.

And I am fascinated by his personality. We tend to think great artists are difficult people. Look how he is simple and friendly and he laughs like a little girl.

[ixorafy]

Japan is sooooooooooooooooo amazing! EVERYTHING is amazing in Nihon!

[samirfouad1]

Note: Yes, Tamasabuto takes his roles VERY seriuously otherwise he wouldn't be where he is today.

A great perfoming artist of Kabuki - not so

easly to accomplish.

I have great respect for this dancer and have been a student of Kabuki style dances. Takes a lot of patience and dedication - like all dance forms.

Cal Hodgdon

[TeppeiDog1]

what a sweet guy!! i just wanna hug him! and he's such a wonderful actor, too.......

[mckavitt]

Sugimura Haruko is modest AND sincere, but in her roles in Ozu films, never "boring". At 88, still so much dignity, and so intelligent. She's a great part of this film. I miss her.

[tiffenakou]

I miss Sugimura Haruko too. As much as I admire Tamasaburo, there are things in Sugimura's roles that are unique to herself, and hard to imitate.

[mckavitt]

Haruko Sugimura is being modest and sincere. One of the very greatest, the why she appears in this film, at 88 still so alert and brilliant. Bravo!

[BlackMisay]

he was so cute as a little boy playing a geisha...being an onnagata runs in his blood thats why even he laughs like a woman

[0062592]

I have very much respect for this man. He takes his roles seriously and is proud of what he does. I very much enjoy his dances and this interview was very fun to watch. His hand motions and soft voice even seem to be very distinctive here, I love it :]

[syinyc]

from where could i get the whole movie ofかれた顔)" ?

[tiffenakou]

Icarus Films is a US distributor for this film.

[gypsygoddessdeva]

@tiffenakou I just wish it wasn't $398.00. If Kabuki was more popular here in the states, we would prob have much to choose from and at better prices. Oh well, guess I better start saving up! Tamasaburo is worth it.

[merryaardvark]

@gypsygoddessdeva That's ludicrous! Shop around and you can get it for far cheaper. I got a DVD of "the written face" (with English subtitles) from swissdvdshop for a decent price. If you can use a computer, the fact that it is a zone 2 DVD shouldn't be a problem. I have never seen kabuki filmed so well, I can't tire of watching it.

[Barasuishou]

This is a really fascinating interview - I'm writing my undergraduate dissertation on females roles within kabuki, so having a source like this is absolutely fantastic. Thanks so much for uploading it!

[hotarub]

Much appreciate!!!You chose the best part of the film.

He was mentioned about his gesture quite like Italian before. It is a shame that he tries not to move his hands recently.

He talks fast when relaxed, while he speaks slowly in interview. This interview is great!

[Lawrblood]

Oh my God, he is so adorable. He covered his face when he laughed. x3

[sasa110]

what a true artiste...btw good looking too!

[Rivieratime]

Fascinating interview and Thanks for posting this for us to enjoy. I don't know why this stands out in my mind, but my wife and I watched Kabuki in a theater in Japan and it struck me as the most appealing acting that I have ever seen on a stage. Simple scenes of a woman (onnagata) walking through the rain, and another walking with a friend stand out in my mind. So totally feminine. That was 15 years ago

[victimofsleep]

i think his movements are carried on to his real life though! Eg when he laughed its so dramatic!

[sou990]

utsukushii hito..........

[xxliew]

Great interview. I'm doing research on Kabuki and this gave me a lot of info as well as sources. From what I've seen this interview, this actor has my highest respect.

Btw, when they showed the clips of Tamasaburo when he was a child, I thought those were puppets! SO KAWAII~~~~~*hearts*

[pinguflap]

I'm in love with this guy 0_0

[cheng1LA]

He's very sincere and faithful to what he's doing. That's why he has got so many truthful realizations. Awsome interview!

[Cervallon]

Lovely man!

Great professional with a humble and open spirit.

No wonder he is a star!

[clarehane]

Do you own a copy of this film???

clarehane at gmail dot com

[JPandCo]

looks like a real courtesan amazing!! those hair pins look so original!!

[jhordan77]

this guy is pure talent

[Furzkopf888]

I don't want to be rude or something. but Tamasaburo is without playing a role very feminine, too. is that because of his female role, or is he gay? I respect homosexual people, I just want to know if his role influences his moves in the real life, or is he an onagata, because he is so feminine?... I don't know much about Kabuki, sorry

[kalindoscopy]

stupid observation. He is very handsome though.

[xxliew]

You don't have to be gay to be feminine. Males acting as females are one of the most traditional conventions of Kabuki theater... Moreover, onnagata roles and acting styles are often passed on in acting families, from father to son. So I guess it would have to be really difficult if being gay was a prerequisite to being an onnagata. Furthermore, currently many Kabuki actors switch between playing female and male roles...

[xxliew]

Sorry this is a reply to a previous comment. :P

[Cordoba82]

Hiya XX! I haven't read the posting that elicited your response; but it's not hard to imagine. These performers study female behaviors to "ACT" female. Regarding some gays, they "BEHAVE" female and isn't the same. By the way no problem with that, not my business. Men portraying female roles is nothing strange. Take a little read about Greek Theater, specially their Tragedies, and you'll find the same. Thanks tiffenakou, horoughly enjoyed, Tamasaburo is the best.

[mckavitt]

Many onnigata are homosexual tho' and this too is understandable. No judgement here, except for their talent and fascination for us.

[kieran196]

@xxliew I William Shakespears time female roles were played by young men.

[Medeatonal]

I fell in love with Tamasaburo. definitely!!

thank you for sharing this

[debonairestud]

insightful