Film four -- Battle Royale

[jack]

Every year a japanse school class are selected, and put onto an isolated island, where they are forced to fight to the death. They're issued basic supplies and a "weapon" each -- the weapons range from the useful to the brutal to the ironic to the lateral to the useless -- and sent out at minute intervals. They have explosive collars that kill them if they break the rules, or more than one is left at the end.

I hadn't heard of it before, but it's a weird Japanese film that I definitely liked. However, I'm not articulate enough to say why. Somehow it just spoke to me in a way that other similar films didn't.

Perhaps I don't know what the message of the film is, but agree with it?

Somehow, it just all felt right, despite not making any more sense objectively than other films.

And people tried all sorts of reasonable things one would do in that situation, they just didn't work. And the good guy wore white and the bad guy black. And were cool. And the kids felt real. And the teacher had a marvellous world-weary paternalistic evil to him.

Worth seeing.

I'm assured the sequels aren't -- I don't know anything about them, but it doesn't seem an idea which lends itself to more. The sequel to Hyperion (not quite finished yet) seems to have used up all of the "sequel which actually does successfully answer questions raised by the iconic original" fu available this millennium -- I don't think anyone else need try. ETA: The sequel is finished by Director Kinji Fukasaku's son. It apparently has shades of September 11th.

Comments

[dragonwoodshed.livejournal.com]

Ooh now that's weird. When I was in Bristle last week my mate Lou made me drunkenly text the RVT to see what the weird Japanese film he made her watch in Bury was and it turned out to be Battle Royale, I'd never heard of it either. Freaky how co-incidence works.

x

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

(What does RVT stand for?) Yeah. I guess it does make sense: if it's one of the nearly-best-known films, then people who aren't into them won't have heard of it, but it will be one of the ones most often chosen to show to them.

[dragonwoodshed.livejournal.com]

Religious Vegetarian Teacher. I haven't got my head round that yet, when I do he'll get a real lj pseudonym.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, of course. That makes as much sense as anything else, I guess.

*thinks* Did you see lavendersparkle's latest post? http://lavendersparkle.livejournal.com/60488.html?nc=3

[dragonwoodshed.livejournal.com]

Good grief. 'Eat pussy, not pork' sounds all wrong, what about the pork sword metaphor?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

My. I didn't read that far -- vegetarian slogans never seem convincing.

what about the pork sword metaphor?

I have heard female vegetarians saying things like "I've only eaten one sort of meat" I think perhaps the slogan should be something like "Meat is muder. Indulge only in the fleshy pleasures of the little death[1]"

[1] A continental expression for orgasm or other shock -- cool, does referencing that make me witty and/or sophisticated in my leering? :)

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

(Takeshi Kitano)++

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I quibble with your variable typing but agree with your sentiment :)

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

I liked that film sufficiently to watch it several times at the cinema when it came out, and a couple of times since then. It's also been on my lj interests list since I started my lj. I also liked the exploration of the different reactions to the unfairness of the situation - perhaps a metaphor for life in general?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I don't know I want to watch it more than twice, it was pretty intense. I'd like once more, to watch for any nuances I've missed, and see the first half again knowing who the characters are going to become. Have you read the book?

I also liked the exploration of the different reactions to the unfairness of the situation - perhaps a metaphor for life in general?

Aaaagh! Thinking. Uh, I mean maybe :) I did very much like that whatever I thought, someone tried that, it illustrated it well.

For me, I think it probably actually illustrated school; a lot of beign forced into arbitrary rules, even though it turned out ok in the end. Though I guess I still periodically fight against surging feelings that I'm supposed to be doing what it sounds like someone else says I should think, rather than what I know I should.

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

Have you read the book?

No, though I perhaps should. I'm sometimes reluctant to read books of films I've really enjoyed, or watch films of books I enjoyed, in case they spoil my attachment to the first version I encountered.

For me, I think it probably actually illustrated school; a lot of beign forced into arbitrary rules, even though it turned out ok in the end. Though I guess I still periodically fight against surging feelings that I'm supposed to be doing what it sounds like someone else says I should think, rather than what I know I should.

That's interesting. I didn't actually mind the rules aspect of my school - rules either prevented me from doing things I had no interest in doing in the first place, or protected me from my peers' more noxious behaviour.

I suppose I was seeing the film as a metaphor for life in general because life, in a particular society, follows various rules that are virtually inescapable, often unfair, and imposed on us from the start without us having any say in what they are. It can be seen as a game in that certain paths through life are socially valued (rising in a career, making money, being well-known, forming certain types of relationships, having children) and equate to "winning" to a greater or lesser extent, while other paths are socially deprecated and generally seen as failure. Each person is given physical, mental and psychological attributes ("weapons") at birth and through their upbringing, which make some people much better equipped to "win" than others right from the start. People react to their "weapons" (and the rules of the game) in many ways - they may exploit their advantages to the full in order to win; try to make the best of an unlucky start; try to steal other players' advantages; give up before they begin; share their advantages with other less fortunate players; actively reject the unfairness of the game as a whole by refusing to play (jumping off the cliff)...

Sorry, I'm getting carried away here - I must watch it again!

reluctant to read books of films I've really enjoyed

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hmm, good point.

Actually, I'm normally ok with watching a film of a book. I don't know why, but it feels like it will either be a good adaption, or good in it's own right, or so awful I'll just turn off; I don't think I've had a problem.

Sometimes I've gone to a book a film was based on (novelisations I don't trust *at all*, spin offs are sometimes ok) and sometimes I haven't dared.

For some reason this felt like the book might look deeper, but not repudiate what the film said to me, I don't know why.

I didn't actually mind the rules aspect of my school

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you're right. That is, I didn't really come up against the rules rules of the school either, so they didn't really affect me. I'm sure I was groping for something arising from school, but I'm not sure what.

Perhaps the casual assurance of the teacher that what he does must be for their own good, but that acquires a disproportionate importance to the students because all his statements carry weight; but where in my experience it was like "Thou shalt punctuate thusly, even if you don't understand it" and in theirs "You shall all kill each other"...

I suppose I was seeing the film as a metaphor for life

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

This metaphor makes an awful lot of sense, though I don't know where it goes.

Perhaps it doesn't work for me because (perhaps because my life has in fact been fairly fortunate) I always believe we *can* work together to make things better for all of us, which on the island fails? I don't know.

Sorry, I'm getting carried away here - I must watch it again!

Please carry on if you like, it's fascinating :) And now you *are* making me want to see it again :)

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

I soooo want to see an English version.

What would you propose as the silliest or most ironic 'weapon' for someone you didn't like?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Sorry, do you mean a similar film about Britain, or a dubbed version?

What would you propose as the silliest or most ironic 'weapon' for someone you didn't like?

Oh dear, I'm no good at hate. And I don't think I could top the fan, that seemed perfect. As did the saucepan lid, for that matter; not *completely* useless, and with a tantalising air of having some purpose.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely a British version. Set in Harrow, for maximum comic effect.

...I can think of several people who match your description of the saucepan lid.