Tony Takitani Analysis
Tony Takitani
Samuel Choon
Tony Takitani is a film based on the short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami. This excerpt of the story gives the audience a deeper understanding of Tony’s character and introduces Eiko’s character.
The scene beginning at 15:44 characterises Tony Takitani according to the text in terms of his extreme focus at drawing and Tony’s reaction to symbols of human emotion.
This shot consists of one vertical half with darker shading while the other featuring a warm light source. The contrast between the dark colour of his clothes and the warm bright colour of the light source and the large amount of empty space around Tony accentuates the isolation and solitude that surrounds Tony. In the text, Tony’s drawings are considered as mechanical and highly accurate but the film goes further to portray Tony as emotionally detached while practicing his art. This shot features Tony working at his desk while a television is turned on. The television emits a recurring clip of human laughter, which annoys and disrupts Tony’s work, provoking him to turn the television off. His annoyance is made apparent by the frown he wears. Furthermore, the fact that the panning transition in between this shot and the next shot at 16:18 maintains a matching eyeline.
The panning stops when Tony is distracted by the television but continues when this distraction is removed and also in the next shot at 16:18. The break of continuity when Tony is distracted further emphasises that human emotion is an obstacle to Tony’s work.
Eiko, Tony’s soon-to-be wife is not as deeply characterized as Tony in this excerpt. However, this excerpt emphasizes the text’s description of Eiko as enveloped in a special wind through the shots at 17:20. This shot features Eiko walking up an inclined slope against the backdrop of the city and this shot has a reduced speed. This reduced speed combined with the breeze blowing through Eiko’s hair creates the text’s stated sense of
Samuel Choon
Tony Takitani is a film based on the short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami. This excerpt of the story gives the audience a deeper understanding of Tony’s character and introduces Eiko’s character.
The scene beginning at 15:44 characterises Tony Takitani according to the text in terms of his extreme focus at drawing and Tony’s reaction to symbols of human emotion.
This shot consists of one vertical half with darker shading while the other featuring a warm light source. The contrast between the dark colour of his clothes and the warm bright colour of the light source and the large amount of empty space around Tony accentuates the isolation and solitude that surrounds Tony. In the text, Tony’s drawings are considered as mechanical and highly accurate but the film goes further to portray Tony as emotionally detached while practicing his art. This shot features Tony working at his desk while a television is turned on. The television emits a recurring clip of human laughter, which annoys and disrupts Tony’s work, provoking him to turn the television off. His annoyance is made apparent by the frown he wears. Furthermore, the fact that the panning transition in between this shot and the next shot at 16:18 maintains a matching eyeline.
The panning stops when Tony is distracted by the television but continues when this distraction is removed and also in the next shot at 16:18. The break of continuity when Tony is distracted further emphasises that human emotion is an obstacle to Tony’s work.
Eiko, Tony’s soon-to-be wife is not as deeply characterized as Tony in this excerpt. However, this excerpt emphasizes the text’s description of Eiko as enveloped in a special wind through the shots at 17:20. This shot features Eiko walking up an inclined slope against the backdrop of the city and this shot has a reduced speed. This reduced speed combined with the breeze blowing through Eiko’s hair creates the text’s stated sense of