SILENCE is a film like no other. I am assuming it is the first, and possibly, one of the only of its kind. The subject matter was rather taboo for its time and if released today would still remain very controversial. SILENCE takes place in a time when Christianity was outlawed in Japan. It’s a bit ironic that Martin Scorsese is in the process of remaking the film figuring the first film that popped into my mind as I sat watching this was none other than his gem LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. Masashiro Shinoda’s film is profoundly moving and nevertheless thought provoking in its execution. This new print courtesy of UK’s Eureka! Entertainment will draw a new crowd to the film, many of which will be deeply exhilarated by the material as I was. I really get a kick out of watching films that shake up your prospective and rattle the cages of our own existence. Lets be honest with us, no one is perfect. We all do what we think is right to protect our countries even if they may be taken to the extreme. The Japanese during the time of this story never wanted anything to do with western influence, which lead to such brutality towards the emergence of Christianity. In the end, the film is an attempt to conquer mind over matter in a very severe manner. 

One very interesting and rewarding choice in creating the film was Shinoda’s decision to have Toru Takemitsu bring his signature sounds to SILENCE. Takemitsu’s compositions are most recognizable to fans of Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara, who used his music in nearly all of his films including such classics as WOMAN OF THE DUNES and FACE OF ANOTHER. His music is beautiful and unique without becoming too over abundant and out of place. While his mood clearly fits to a ‘T’ in the work of Teshigahara, it still manages to feel right at home in a more subtle piece like Shinoda’s SILENCE.

Aside from the outstanding musical score a few other components of this production help the film to excel above the rest. Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa lights up the screen with his use of color, which rivals his work with Akira Kurosawa. Miyagawa, who also filmed the works of Yasujiro Ozu and a handful of Zatoichi pictures, never backs away but instead captures the faces of the emotionally torn in gruelingly raw close-ups. A stunning supporting role from the late Tetsuro Tanba (a staple of numerous Samurai films, not to mention Takashi Miike’s filmography), who is almost unrecognizable in his performance of a long lost missionary, and he really brings the film to a compelling finish. The acting of lead actor David Lampson as Padre Rodrigues, the Portuguese missionary who travels to Japan with his colleague in hopes to spread the word, should also be dually noted. His performance comes off as very passive but also so honestly real. 

This leads us to the director, Masahiro Shinoda. He respectively is a master of his craft. From PALE FLOWER and ASSASSINATION to DOUBLE SUICIDE and UNDER THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS, the man seems consistently at the top of his game. SILENCE is no exception. He adapts the Shusaku Endo novel of the same name with easy and elegance. A novice director would stumble and most likely crumble under the pressure of such heavy material, however, Shinoda expertly handles it with care with just the right touch of unease. Not to say that the director takes the easy way out; far from it actually. The film is constantly walking on thin ice when it comes to the topic of religion and the brutality that came along with its dedication. Shinoda really knows how to work his actors to the bone and it shows through with shining colors in his work especially SILENCE. 

While obviously harder to watch at great lengths than most films in Shinoda’s repertoire, SILENCE manages to be in league of its own. The film takes a very touchy subject and really creates something worth watching. In that essence, I found SILENCE to be pretty groundbreaking in the terms of film and the religious themes with them. Shinoda never backs away and I salute him for that. It will be curious to see what a mastermind like Martin Scorsese can do with the material. While some may beg to differ, I do believe that he has already taken a masterwork of a film and faithfully accomplished an intriguingly American remake of it. Let’s hope that he is nearly as successful with this material. Shinoda has made better films than SILENCE but it is definitely a film that you will linger with you long after it is over. And let’s be honest, that is a very good thing.