“Violence is like comedy…”
The career of “Beat” Takeshi Kitano
Over the past 3 years my interest in the films and career of Takeshi Kitano has increased every time I view or re-watch one of his films. His ability to combine “shock horror” violence and dry witty comedy is second to none. His themes often deal with the Yakuza, a subject that he has had an interest in for many years, after he found out that many years after his father’s death, that he was a low level gangster.
Yakuza were also in and around the area in Tokyo where Kitano grew up. “When I was young I wanted to be either a Baseball player…Or a Yakuza”

Kitano dropped out of school in the late 60’s (where he was studying mechanics, his parents wanted him to become a Honda engineer) and became a Beatnik (Or Hippy, apparently so he could meet more girls).

He began to hang out in Jazz bars and cafes in “the Soho of Tokyo”. In 1972 he got a job as an elevator boy in a strip club; which is where he met Kiyoshi Kaneko. Together they formed the comic duo (or Manzai) The Two Beats. They began performing at the strip club and quickly gained a cult following among the younger people because of their risky and alternative humour. In 1974 they appeared on NHK, a huge network in Japan.
“In Japan, there is a broadcasting station called NHK, like BBC, but much, much stricter. When I was a rising star in comedy I appeared on a live program, and the director specifically said you can't say such-and-such, if you use these words you'll be finished. So of course I couldn't resist. I said 'shit' 12 times in a row. I said, 'I saw a shit-like substance on the street. So I went over and I picked it up and smelled it, and it smelled like shit. Then I felt it and it felt like shit, and I liked it, and it tasted like shit, so I put it away. Thank god I didn't step in it!' That was my coolest moment, because it was a tremendous risk. They could have cut me off but they didn't. The director was fired and the producer was moved to another program, far away from Tokyo…." - Takeshi Kitano
Veteran Director Nagisa Oshima commented that Kitano would perfectly suit a bad guy acting role, Kitano took this advice and starred in a TV serial in which he played a Pshycotic murderer. The show was a big hit, and Kitano began appearing regularly on TV in Japan. He appeared in more TV shows in an acting capacity, hosting talk shows, and writing. He worked this entire hectic schedule while still performing as The Two Beats with Kiyoshi, but eventually the duo parted company in the early 80’s.

Kitano starred in Danpu-Wataridori in 1981, a movie that saw him play a comedic policeman, it wasn’t a success. But his acting skills were first introduced to the west in Nagisa Oshima's 1983 film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. He played Sgt Hara, a brutal but clumsy officer in a Japanese POW camp. The film also starred David Bowie and British actor Tom Conti.
But when the film opened in Japan, people started to laugh during Kitano’s scenes because they where that used to seeing him as a comedian that the sight of him just made people laugh. This upset Kitano, as his role was completely straight and serious.

But since then, Kitano has become Japans most well known and well-respected celebrity. He is the hardest working entertainer in Japan, and has no equivalent in the west.

There was an incident where the paparazzi had been following Kitano around and had taken some pictures of him with a woman that he (who was married at the time) had apparently been seeing. Kitano and his associates burst into the magazines office and threatened the staff. But there are many different reports of this incident.
In 1989 Kitano made his directorial debut with Violent Cop. Kinji Fukasaku (Who recently directed Battle Royale, starring Kitano) was originally set to direct but when he realised that Kitano’s busy schedule, which included his many TV shows, would have slowed down shooting, he quit. The producer asked Kitano if you would like to direct, he said yes and completely re-wrote the script (“…Only the title remained…”) When Takeshi makes a movie the name Beat Takeshi is used for his acting role and Takeshi Kitano is used for his directing duties.

When Violent Cop was released the reviews criticised him, saying he didn’t know how to direct, all because of the stillness of the cameras, not influenced by Hollywood at all. But this didn’t deter Kitano whatsoever, going on to direct the likes of Boiling Point, A Scene at the Sea, Sonatine and Getting Any.

But his films tend to make less money in Japan and receive more following in Europe. The Japanese public seem to feel more at home with the funny man Kitano than the crazy Yakuza/Cop Kitano.
In 1994 Kitano was involved in a road accident when he got drunk and accidentally crashed his Moped. He lay in intensive care for weeks, and spent 4 months in isolation in hospital recovering. Everyone in Japan was in shock. The incident didn’t stop Kitano from goofing around though. He has said that he used to fill his urine sample cup with Orange juice and get his completely bald assistant to take his place in his bed to fool the nurses. Kitano came out of the accident with temporary paralysis of the left side of his face, accompanied by a nasty scar and a facial tic due to nerve damage.

1995 brought an opportunity to crack the American market, when a role to star in a Hollywood sci-fi actioner came his way. The film was Johnny Mnemonic, the role was a bad guy. The verdict = flop.
In 1996 Kitano was back behind the camera directing Kids Return, a tale of two young wasters who both discover something they each love. One discovers boxing and the other becomes a Yakuza. The characters are based on two people Kitano knew as a child.

In 1997 Kitano directed what most call his true Masterpiece, Hana Bi. His own near death experience in 1994 inspired the film. Also put to good use are the paintings that he did while in hospital recovering, a hobby that came about because of the horrific accident. The film took top honours at the Venice Film festival, winning the Golden Lion award. Hana Bi helped his reputation even more in the west and got over to people that had never experienced his work before.

With many books, movies, TV shows
(HiS extreme endurance show "Takeshi's Castle" may be familiar to some in the UK, clips have been shown on Tarrant on tv on ocassion), and newspaper columns under his belt, Kitano is a true maverick in Japan, and is respected there enormously.

He has opened many a film buffs eyes to his daring, and at times, shocking films, but never fails to make us feel some kind of emotion through his work. He is one of the true modern cinematic masters of the 20th century.
Filmography

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983) (Actor)
Demon (1985) (Actor)
Violent Cop (1989) (Actor, Director, Un-credited Writer)
Boiling Point (1990) (Actor, Director, Writer)
A Scene At The Sea (1992) (Director, Writer, Editor)
Many Happy Returns (1993) (Actor, Based On Takeshi’s Novel)
Getting Any? (1994) (Actor, Director, Writer, Editor)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995) (Actor)
Gonin (1995) (Actor)
Kids Return (1996) (Director, Writer, Editor)
Hana Bi (1997) (Actor, Director, Writer, Editor)
Tokyo Eyes (1998) (Actor)
Kikujiro (1999) (Actor, Director, Writer, Editor)
Gohatto (2000) (Actor)
Brother (2001) (Actor, Director, Writer, Editor)
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