Silence (1971 film)

Silence
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMasahiro Shinoda
Screenplay byShūsaku Endō
Masahiro Shinoda
Based onSilence
by Shūsaku Endō
Produced byKiyoshi Iwashita
Kinshirô Kuzui
Tadasuke Ômura
Starring
CinematographyKazuo Miyagawa
Edited byShikako Takahashi
Music byTōru Takemitsu
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • 1971 (1971)
Running time
129 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguagesJapanese
English

Silence (Japanese: 沈黙, Hepburn: Chinmoku) is a 1971 Japanese historical drama film directed by Masahiro Shinoda, based on the novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō.[1] It stars Tetsurō Tamba, Mako, Eiji Okada, and Shima Iwashita alongside English actors David Lampson and Don Kenny. Endo co-wrote the screenplay with Masahiro Shinoda. Most of the film's dialogue is in Japanese, though it has short sequences in English. It was entered Un Certain Regard into the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, and won four Mainichi Film Awards including Best Film and Best Director.[2]

The film's themes analyze the conflict of human nature versus divine requirements and their compatibility, life's purpose, the interplay of emotional needs, suffering, and contentment. The storytelling device the film uses is circumstantial and depicts the struggles of life, allegorical presentation, and Christian theology. It is the first of three movie adaptations of the novel, succeeded by the Portuguese Os Olhos da Ásia in 1996 and the 2016 American film of the same name.

  1. ^ "沈黙". Agency for Cultural Affairs 映画情報システム. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Silence". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2009.