An Epic Historical Drama, an Academy Award Frontrunner, Finally Arrives in Japan

It is 2016, the 20th anniversary of Shusaku Endo's passing. Director Martin Scorsese, revered by filmmakers worldwide and an Academy Award winner, has finally adapted "Silence," a masterpiece of post-war Japanese literature that has been translated in over 20 countries and continues to be read today.




"Ever since I first read the novel 28 years ago, I've been thinking about this work.—"
Scorsese was profoundly moved when he first read "Silence" in 1988, feeling as though Endo was speaking directly to him. "The themes Endo presented in the book are ones I've been contemplating since I was very young. Even now, I grapple with and question faith and the human condition, and these are precisely the themes that Endo's book directly addresses," he says. For 28 years thereafter, Scorsese was resolute in his decision to adapt it into a film, and overcoming numerous challenges, this monumental project finally came to fruition.




What is human strength and weakness? What does it mean to believe? And what is the meaning of life? In this age of extreme confusion, marked by poverty, inequality, and cultural clashes, Martin Scorsese's magnum opus, which delves profoundly and reverently into humanity's eternal themes, and is this year's strongest contender for the Academy Awards®, is finally arriving.

As production neared, Scorsese, in search of actors, auditioned several young talents and was struck by Andrew Garfield. Fresh off "The Amazing Spider-Man," Garfield seemed to Scorsese like the reincarnation of Father Rodrigues. Alongside Andrew Garfield, the cast includes Adam Driver and Liam Neeson, who previously played a priest in "Gangs of New York."





Scorsese also visited Japan from 2007, meeting with several actors. For the crucial role of the interpreter, he cast Tadanobu Asano, whom he knew well from the film "Mongol," where Asano played Genghis Khan. Issey Ogata, a versatile actor known for portraying Emperor Hirohito in Aleksandr Sokurov's "Sun," was cast as Chikugo-no-kami Inoue. Yosuke Kubozuka, one of Japan's finest young actors, was chosen for the role of Kichijiro, while Yoshi Oida, a theater director based in France, was cast as Ichizo, an elder in Tomogi village. Shinya Tsukamoto, playing Mokichi, expressed his gratitude, saying, "I'd play an extra if it were for Director Scorsese."

　


Based on the novel by Shusaku Endo and directed by Martin Scorsese, this heartfelt work set in Japan is finally complete. "Silence" opens nationwide on January 21 (Saturday).






In the early 17th century Edo period, a young Portuguese priest, Rodrigues, arrives in Japan to ascertain the truth about his mentor, who is said to have apostatized amidst fierce Christian persecution. What he witnesses is a Japan beyond his imagination. Faced with the ultimate choice: to uphold his faith or renounce it to save the lives of his followers.