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Why Akira Kurosawa's version of the ``Tokyo Olympics'' never materialized - Part 1
What did Kurosawa see in Rome?
Kurosawa, who was appointed as the director of the Olympic documentary film, left for Rome on August 18, 1960. The purpose was to watch the filming of a documentary film for the 17th Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in Rome from the 25th of the same month to September 11th. Nearly 200 observers were on the trip to Italy, including Michio Ito, who is in charge of directing the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo Games, and Yosaku Suma, the chief of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's central band, who was the musical director. Since the 21st Venice International Film Festival was being held from August 24th to September 7th at the same time, Kurosawa apparently received an offer to serve on the film festival's jury, but he was also offered a seat on the film festival jury. He firmly declined, saying, ``My original duty is to submit a report to the sports association'' (Yukan Yomi Shimbun, August 4, 1960).
After arriving in Rome, Kurosawa was closely involved in the filming of the documentary film every day, but on August 30th he held a press conference and spoke from the perspective of a filmmaker as follows:
"Filming of the documentary film for the Rome Olympics is progressing smoothly. About 150 staff members were mobilized, and 20 cameras were placed inside the stadium during the opening ceremony. The entrance procession was carried out by helicopter, but they were scolded for taking pictures from as low as 10 meters above the field. Thirty cameras were used in the marathon, which marked the end of the event, and since it was nighttime, 200,000 yen was spent just for lighting. I was told that it would cost as much as Lira (120,000 yen).I met the director, Mr. Marcelini, twice.The aim of the documentary film is to bring people all over the world together through sports. But I also want to draw humans.'' (Yomi Shimbun, August 31, 1960)
The number of staff participating in the documentary film, the number of cameras, costs, and problems with filming are listed in detail, but what Kurosawa was most concerned about was the number of cameras. From the time he took office, he said, ``Since the Olympics are held on a wide stage in a short period of time, there will probably be over 50 cameras,'' (cited in Yukan Yomi Shimbun, supra), and ``At the Rome Games (omitted), seven cameras were used for each event. Since we will be using the machines, there will be a huge number of people involved, so I would like to ask for the cooperation of all Japanese filmmakers for the Tokyo Games.'' (Tokyo Shimbun Evening Edition, July 7, 1960) It's becoming a big problem.
Kurosawa's films and the number of cameras are inseparable. After introducing the multi-camera method, which partially uses multiple cameras to shoot a single scene in `` Seven Samurai '' (54), Gorky began using it in earnest in the subsequent `` Record of Creatures '' (55). In ``Don's Bottom '' (1957), which is based on the same masterpiece set in an Edo tenement house, the setting was limited to the vicinity of the tenement house, and only one open set and one indoor set were made, and three or four cameras were placed in vertical and horizontal positions. I placed it at a pulling and leaning angle and took pictures all at once. The editing process involves assembling these parts, which is more efficient than shooting from a different angle for each shot, and in fact, ``Bottom'' was shot in one month, which is unusual for a Kurosawa film.
Kurosawa said of the advantages of this multi-camera system: ``Firstly, the actor becomes less aware of the camera, which creates unexpectedly dramatic facial expressions and postures.Secondly, it allows for interesting screen effects that would be unimaginable with normal compositions.'' ``It brings out a realistic sharpness'' (`` World Filmmakers 3: Akira Kurosawa '', Kinema Junposha), but this is a method suitable for documentaries, and is particularly effective in sports competitions. This is clear from watching current sports broadcasts.
However, Kurosawa cautioned that in order for the multicam system to be most effective, ``Before starting filming, you must conduct a complete rehearsal'' (ibid.). In the case of the Olympics, there is some rehearsal for the ceremony, but there are no competitions in advance, so it is necessary to take time to bring cameras to another event and verify them. Kurosawa had already anticipated this point and said, ``Since there are many types of competitions and it is difficult to redo the competition, it will be necessary to train photographers about a year before the tournament.'' (Asahi Shimbun Evening Edition, 1960, 7) Kurosawa predicted that the Olympics would be held on May 7th, and from the very beginning the elements essential to making Kurosawa's Olympic film successful were presented: the number of cameras and rehearsals.
One of the staff members who accompanied Kurosawa to Rome was Yoichi Matsue, who was Kurosawa's assistant director. He studied abroad at the Italian National Film Experimental Center, and after returning to Japan, he worked as an assistant director for Kurosawa at Toho, and was also scheduled to serve as Kurosawa's assistant for a documentary film about the upcoming Tokyo Games. According to Matsue, Kurosawa was actively watching the competitions and filming of documentary films during the Rome Olympics, and was fascinated when marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who was to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, crossed the finish line. It is said that he chased her from the roadside and ran.
Meanwhile, Matsue also used his experience studying abroad to find out how the Italian film industry produces Olympic films. “In Cine Cita (Film City) in Rome, there is a building next to the film studio called the National Optical Research Institute, which is bigger than the Japanese drama (…).The film shot every day here is immediately developed. You can also study and correct the technology by looking at it.There are no large buildings in Japan with such equipment.I wonder what they will do, considering the location where dozens of expensive cameras and recorders are stored.'' (Asahi Shimbun) (June 19, 1962), some have expressed concerns about whether it would be possible to produce a documentary film comparable to the Rome Games, even if the current Japanese film industry combined all its efforts. For Kurosawa, visiting the Olympic Games in Rome must have both stimulated his creative desire and caused him great anxiety.
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