Press conference with Takeshi Kitano

 Takeshi Kitano was accompanied by Masayuki Mori, producer of Outrage and member of Kitano Office, for his press conference. Here are a few quotes.

Violence or comedy ? For Kitano, it’s both:
I have to be a pendulum: to be extremely violent, then, on the other hand, show humour. That’s how I would describe my work. I can show scenes of both hate and love. One of my greatest fears would be for the pendulum to get stuck and to start going round in circles, like the hands of a clock.

How to direct a film according to Kitano:
I have a four line comic strip; the start, the development, the tipping point and the end. If I can find these four points for a film, I can end up with a script. Once the scipt is finished, I can work on the details. That’s how I find my films.

The Yakuzas today seen by Kitano:
I don’t think the Yakuzas are out of date. In any case, I’ve heard that they still exist (laughs). Their method has changed, they are very active on the financial markets. But I don’t know much about this, so I can only talk in general terms. There’s a very strict hierarchy between the younger and the older members. To become a member before, you had to cut off a finger. That has changed.

TK