Zen (2009 film)

Zen (禅) is a 2009 film directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Nakamura Kantarō II as Dogen, and Yuki Uchida as Orin.[1][2] The story is based on the novel Eihei no kaze: Dōgen no shōgai written by Tetsuo Ōtani in 2001.[3]

Zen 禅
Directed byBanmei Takahashi
Screenplay byBanmei Takahashi
Based onA novel by Tetsuo Ōtani
StarringNakamura Kantarō II
Yuki Uchida
Edited byJunichi Kikuchi
Music byRyudo Uzaki
Production
company
Release date
2009
Running time
2h 7m
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese language

The film is a biography of Dōgen Zenji, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher. After travelling to China to study, Dogen founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. The Buddhist Film Foundation described it as "a poignant, in-depth, reverent and surprisingly moving portrait of Eihei Dogen."[4]

Reception

Russell Edwards of Variety described it as "The origins of a spiritual tradition are depicted with prerequisite solemnity and a pleasing veneer of arthouse showmanship."[5] Mark Schilling, writing for The Japan Times, gave the film three and a half stars and described it as a "rare serious film about this form of Buddhism, which has had a huge cultural influence but is little understood — let alone practiced — by ordinary Japanese."[6]

Release

The film premiered in Japan in 2009. The following year, it had its US debut at the International Buddhist Film Festival.[7] The film was released on DVD and includes a short documentary entitled The Zen of Dogen with Kazuaki Tanahashi.[8]

References
  1. "Zen - Reviews, Movie Trailers, Cast & Crew. Movies at Film.com". Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  2. Ouellette, Kevin (15 May 2009). "DVD release - Zen (Amuse Soft Entertainment) available on 6/25/2009". Nippon Cinema. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  3. Giuliano Tani (2018). Cinestoria del Giappone : il Sol Levante attraverso i suoi film. Kappalab, 2018. ISBN 9788885457102.
  4. "Zen". The Buddhist Film Foundation. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  5. "Zen". Variety. January 25, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  6. "Zen". The Japan Times. January 16, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  7. "IBFF Showcase 2010". The Buddhist Film Foundation. 30 November 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  8. "New Film Zen, Now on DVD". The Buddhist Film Foundation. 21 October 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2015.


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