The Naked Island
The Naked Island • 1h 36m
Directed by Kaneto Shindo • 1960 • Japan
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka
Director Kaneto Shindo's documentary-like, dialogue-free portrayal of daily struggle is a work of stunning visual beauty and invention. The international breakthrough for one of Japan's most innovative filmmakers, who went on to make other unique masterworks such as ONIBABA and KURONEKO, THE NAKED ISLAND follows a family whose home is on a tiny, remote island in the Japanese archipelago. They must row a great distance to another shore, collect water from a well in buckets, and row back to their island, a nearly backbreaking task essential for the survival of these people and their land. Featuring a phenomenal modernist score by Hikaru Hayashi, this is a truly hypnotic experience, with a rhythm unlike that of any other film.
Up Next in The Naked Island
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THE NAKED ISLAND Commentary
This audio commentary for THE NAKED ISLAND, recorded in 2000, features director Kaneto Shindo and composer Hikaru Hayashi. It is presented here in Japanese with English subtitles.
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Kaneto Shindo on THE NAKED ISLAND
The following is excerpted from a video director Kaneto Shindo recorded as a greeting for “The Urge for Survival,” a 2011 retrospective of his work at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
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Benicio Del Toro on THE NAKED ISLAND
This interview with actor Benicio Del Toro, a longtime advocate of the work of director Kaneto Shindo, was conducted in Los Angeles in February 2016.
