Yasuhiro Kasamatsu
Music composer of Ninagawa's "Hamlet"
From his Website essay on 9/12/2002
"Trend Talk"essay on Fukui Newspaper, on Kasamatsu's Website
Translation by Misty
Never-ending challenge of Hiroyuki Sanada
Fall of 18 years ago, I went to Nagasaki for my honeymoon. I was too tired with seeing huge crowd of students on their school field trip, so I decided to watch a movie there. It was "Mahjong Vagrant Life", and there was a shining star Hiroyuki Sanada as "Boya-Tetsu" in that movie. He has already established himself as a handsome action star in the movie industry, but this film brought him several movie awards and a fame in non-action acting. I was nothing more than a 24-year old music composer wannabe then, and the same 24-year old Hiroyuki was a person from a totally different world.
11 years later, I was asked to compose the music for Yukio Ninagawa's "Hamlet", and I met Mr. Sanada who acted Hamlet for the first time on the first rehearsal day. I remember very well now how nervous I was when I handed him the tape of "Hamlet" theme tune. It was my first big work, and I was meeting the actor with whom I am familiar on the silver screen.
The next day at the rehearsal, Sanada-san walked straight to me and said, "I realized well what kind of Hamlet I should play after listening to your tape. Thank you very much." I was surprised at such honest words and that he accepted my music like that.
It was also a suprise after surprise in the rehearsal after that. He was a bigger star than anybody else, but he worked harder than anybody else, too. He was the first to show up at the rehearsal site, and the last to leave. He worked together with young actors in no-name subordinate roles for their actions and lines. Even after the rehearsal, we naturally called him "his majesty". Everyone respected him from the heart. I thought I understood why a star can keep the position as a star.
"Hamlet" received a high acclaim, replayed three years later, and London stage became the reality. Ninagawa was supposed to direct "King Lear" by Royal Shakespeare Company for the first time after that. During "Hamlet" London stage, Sanada-san was asked by Sir Nigel Hawthorn, who was the main role for Ninagawa's "King Lear", "please take the role as Fool". He had to play Shakespeare in English at its home for three months. It was a risky job. But it probably had a very important meaning to him for his next step to play a role in English.
What he is trying to do is to play roles in foreign films that depict Japanese as just a human being, not as the "stereotypical" nasty Japanese or Asians, who often appear in Western movies. People like Yukio Ninagawa or soccer pro Nakata are internationally recognized with no nationality labels. Hiroyuki Sanada has a dream to do the same thing as an actor, overcoming the language barrier. He continues to work towards that target now. Even though he is the same age as me, he is my master.
Yasuhiro Kasamatsu, music composer for Ninagawa's "Hamlet"
September, 2002
<Related Link>
"King Lear" video clip on Jamie's site
