The Bird People in China

Description

Wada, a Japanese Salaryman is sent on a job to survey a Chinese village for a strain of Jade for his company. On the way though he meets up with a Yakuza collector named Ujjie who wants the money from the jade for his organization. The two set out with their trusty guide Shen for the mysterious village. They travel through forests, on rafts and many other hardships to come to this wonderful land, but once they're there will they want to leave?

Directed by Takashi Miike (AUDITION; GOZU; ICHI THE KILLER)

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Interview With Director, Takashi Miike
Full Length Commentary By Tom Mes
Original Movie Trailer
Biographies & Filmographies
Scene Selection

Customer Reviews:

Too special meaning.......2007-08-21

Beautiful landscape, poor surrounding, fictional people, realistic Mafia-Yakuza, handsome performers and overextended movie running time.

What is all this about?

T.I.C.: This is China.......2007-03-13

T.I.C.: THIS IS CHINA

Cult director Takashi Miike has made a warm departure from his more traditional and visceral yakuza crime epics, and presented us with a journey into the wilds of China, and into the interior of the human heart. What begins as a pedestrian last minute assignment to for a young Japanese businessman (Masashiro Motoki as Wada), rapidly becomes a tempestuous tale worthy of a Joseph Conrad rendering. He is shadowed by a yakuza henchman (Renji Ishibashi as Ujiie), there to insure the financial success of the venture in order to recoup a corporate mob loan.

There is a remote Chinese village that sports a jade mine. These men are sent to investigate its validity and secure the jade's distribution. The trip to the village is long, arduous and humorous, loaded with the edgy comic violence and absurdity that Miike excels in. Their guide is Shen (Mako in one of his last performances). He wears his hair long, pulled back in a ponytail. It is fun to see him with hair, since most of his roles required him to wear his hair very short. Shen is a Japanese adventurer that had lived for a time in the village.

As the travelers transition from rickety VW van to a two-cylinder mountain taxi, to just hiking on foot, dragging their modern luggage up steep trails, we are treated with some of the most striking scenery and visual imagery ever recorded on film. Swollen spring rivers, terribly muddy roads filled with ruts, and oppressive downpours are all part of the adventure. At one point they must travel by raft on a mighty river. The bamboo raft is towed by five large turtles. The underwater imagery of those towing turtles sticks with you. There is a feel of Werner Herzog on the rivers, and in the mountains, of a wildness and untouched majesty.

At the village they are greeted like family with a sweet simplicity and joy. They happen on to a swarm of children one morning, all wearing paper wings and hopping along while singing. A young girl teaches the children mythical techniques of "flying". The crags and towering peaks beckon as the wind serenades them. Ujiie is fascinated by the children, and by the prospect of actually soaring in the thin air. Wada is fascinated by the young girl, talking of her grandfather who discovered ancient texts in the village outlining the tradition of flying; how to construct the wings, and how to exercise the body, and prepare their spirits. It seems the grandfather was Irish, and he "fell from the sky" one day, and spent the rest of his life in the village. The young girl sings phonetically an Irish ballad. Wada is obsessed with solving the mystery of her past and of the village.

The stunning mist-enshrouded wind-swept mountains bring to mind Frank Capra's FAR HORIZONS (1937) and Shangra-La. As weeks turn into months, this time in the village permanently change these men, gently putting them in touch with their spiritual core, their essence -and as viewers, we too are touched by the pristine natural rhythm of the place. We find ourselves yearning to go there to, or find a similar place to divest ourselves of the urban blight we wear habitually like mackinaws in summer.

A Truly Great Takashi Miike Film: Fantastic And Magical!.......2007-02-12

I have been wanting to view this film for some time, and finally purchased this Miike film along with "The Great Yokai War." It's really amazing how versatile Miike really is as a director. You never know what to expect from his films. I really liked this film. And to think it was initially released in 1998? "The Bird People In China," is not typical Miike. Or maybe it is? Afterall, you never know what he is going to give you in a film. The film centers on a businessman named Mr. Wada (Masahiro Motoki), [who is a very versatile and funny actor]. In this film, his character portrays a business executive who is sent to China by his firm to look into a remote section of China, and to survey its potential for investment in a jade mine.

Moreover, joining Mr. Wada on his journey is a yakuza named Ujiie (Renji Ishibashi), whose intentions are to take some of this jade due to the fact the Mr. Wada's boss owes debts to his people. However, this is not a film about the yakuza. When they arrive as far as the train can possibly take them, they are joined by a guide named Mr. Shen (Mako). As they journey to this remote section of China, they eventually arrive at a place which has remained free of modernization or industrialization. The scenery in the film is truly fantastic, and the cinematography is just magnificant. These two men, Mr. Wada and Ujiie find themselves in a place that neither wishes to leave. This is a film of exploration of the human soul. I really liked this film, and it is a shame that it took so long for this film to reach our shores.

There are some really strange; and yet beautiful shots in this film, such as the raft the the three travellers are floaating on trying to get to the village: which is pulled by turtles. Yes, turtles! Moreover, Mr. Shen, their guide, winds up losing his memory after a bad experience with a toadstool, which in turn causes him to bump his head on a tree. Not knowing where the village is now, these three men head off on an adventure that they will never forget. It is hard to believe that the same director who did "Ichi the Killer," did this magnificent masterpiece of a film. This film may be too slow, and without the violence others seek in Miike's films, so what? This is a definite masterpiece to me. And definitely one of Miike's greatest films. It is well worth the purchase, and I highly recommend the film.

Atypical film from an atypical director.......2006-11-09

I had seen several Miike films prior to spotting "The Bird People in China" in a video store. I had started out with "Imprint", a graphic, horrific tv drama he made for the Showtime Masters of Horror series. That film was so impressively shot, so determined to push the edges of what we consider entertainment..well, heck, I just had to see more.
The next Miike film I saw was "Audition", which can best be described as Alfred Hitchock on steroids. It is a brilliant film about sexism, loneliness and self deception. Then I saw "Iichi The Killer", which was an extremely dark comedy (for the most part, and that film had a lot of parts, most of them cut off from bodies) that was more in your face than your own face.
Then, just today in fact, I watched The Bird People.
For those who would be concerned that the film goes medieval on your brain--well, yes it does, but not by using violence. This is not a horror film, not a gangster film. In the end it is a remarkable modern fable with a haunting end.
To summarize the plot would spoil the surprises the film contains. It is fair to say that it begins with two mismatched men--an anal office worker and a yakuza thug--travelling together to check out a supposedly fabulous discovery of jade in a remote area in China. Actually, it is a voyage of self discovery.
The film contains a lot of humour, but not as dark as Miike is usually interested in. There is actual straight-on slapstick, and a charming gentleness. Yes, towards the end things seem to be getting into more normal Miike territory, but just hang in there.
If you watch it and think about it and let it sink in, this film will give you wings. When you see it, you will understand what I mean.

A bizarre and wonderful film -- a surprise for both fans of Miike and cinephiles of every stripe.......2006-07-29

As others have mentioned, this is not your typical Miike film. Most notably, and in spite of the presence of a disgruntled Yakuza, there is very little violence and almost no blood. But then, none of his films are typical. Even his most straightforwardly genre-driven films include elements of reality in its remarkable strangeness, moments in which the camera records little things that appear inconsequential yet lend the whole an aura of authenticity. What makes this film in particular wonderful is both its leisurely pace and its unpredictability, it's attention to details that are not so much about plot as rhythm, atmosphere, mood and feeling. For example, that the characters are drawn through a river by harnessed turtles. That the mysterious young woman they meet in their destination sings an Irish song. The occasional stumble as they walk on gorgeous mountain passes. The film captures so well the ambiguous draw of wild nature, of the simple life that can at the same time feel beautiful and mysterious as well as boring, primitive and backwards. This is a film unlike any other I have seen, and yet it is never so strange as to alienate its audience. Miike hardly (maybe once or twice) ever calls attention to himself as a director but puts the focus on the characters, the landscape, the moon, the settings. The best cinematic comparison I can come up with is to imagine Aguirre, the Wrath of God filmed in live action by Hayao Miyazaki. It is a very fine film.

The Bird People In China [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

The Bird People In China [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Takashi Miike
Manufacturer: Siren Visual
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1) Synopsis: A young Japanese salaryman is sent by his company to a remote Chinese village to evaluate precious Jade that is found there, but before he arrives meets the yakuza who was sent to tail him to protect his bosses interest in the company. When the men finally arrive their mission become sidetracked by their interest in a mysterious young village girl, her haunting English language song and the secret that makes men fly like birds.

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