The Red Spectacles
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| 紅い眼鏡 The Red Spectacles |
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| Directed by | Mamoru Oshii |
| Produced by | Shigeharu Shiba Daisuke Hayashi |
| Written by | Kazunori Ito Mamoru Oshii |
| Starring | Shigeru Chiba Machiko Washio Hideyuki Tanaka |
| Music by | Kenji Kawai |
| Editing by | Seiji Morita |
| Distributed by | Omnibus Promotion |
| Release date(s) |  Feb. 7, 1987 |
| Running time | 116 min |
| Language | Japanese |
| Followed by | SrayDog |
The Red Spectacles (紅い眼鏡 Akai Megane?) is a 1987 Japanese feature film directed by Mamoru Oshii, co-written with Kazunori Ito, and starring Shigeru Chiba.
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[edit] Overview
Akai megane is a live-action feature film shot mostly in sepia-toned black and white with colour opening and closing sequences.
Akai megane is the first movie, but last episode, of Oshii's Orwellian, dystopian Watchdog of Hell feature trilogy.
The second and third feature film of the trilogy are based on the Kerberos Panzer Cop (犬狼伝説, Ken-roh densetsu) manga series published by Kadokawa Shoten between 1988 and 1990. This manga is illustrated by Kamui Fujiwara and written by Mamoru Oshii. A sequel, Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs, was launched in 2003 in collaboration with a different illustrator, Mamoru Sugiura.
In early April 2006, Mamoru Oshii theatrically released an animation movie, Tachiguishi-Retsuden based on key elements, including characters, from Akai megane. This spinoff is part of the Tachiguishi arc.
In late April of the same year, the Japanese author launched a radio drama series Kerberos Panzer Jäger".
[edit] Prequel (1987)
- For more details on the radio drama, see While Waiting For The Red Spectacles.
The radio drama While Waiting For The Red Spectacles (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ, Akai megane omachi tsutsu), it narrates a script written by Kazunori Itoh and features an original soundtrack composed by Kenji Kawai.
[edit] Story
[edit] Prologue
Summer 1995, with the arrival of the "Age of Cats" (猫の時代), the former Kerberos police unit is now dissoluted. However a last one is remaining, a stray dog who's coming back to his old roost after a three-years exile. This wild dog has no longer a master but now, the "Young Lady of Fate" (運命の少女) will guide him on his journey...
[edit] Chronicles
- For more details on this topic, see Kerberos saga chronicles.
Kerberos saga historical background and significant dates in both the real and fictitious History.
[edit] Plot
| "We are such stuff as dreams are made on... and our little life is rounded with a sleep." (William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act V, Sc.1) |
End of 20th century,
"Complete history of Criminal Police Organization (刑事警察機構 Keiji keisatsu kikō)" by Shōubei Shiozawa (塩沢庄兵衛)
Chapter IV: Brutal crime & fight (凶悪犯罪と闘争)
Appendix from "Glory & fall of the Kerberos" (ケルベロスの栄光と没落)
[edit] Characters
- Kōichi Todome
- Washio Midori
- Sōichirō Toribe
- Bunmei Muroto
- Young Lady
- Moongaze Ginji
- Hamburger Tetsu (offscreen)
- Beefbowl Ushigoro (offscreen)
- Medium Hot Sabu (offscreen)
- Baked Bean Pastry Amataro (offscreen)
- Crepe Mami (offscreen)
[edit] Sequel (1988)
- For more details on this topic, see Kerberos Panzer Cop.
In 1988, the manga adaptation of The Red Spectacles was serialized in Amazing Comics magazine as Kerberos Panzer Cop. Mamoru Oshii wrote the story and the illustration were done by Kamui Fujiwara. This series was first compiled in 1990, then adapted to a live-action film in 1991, and adapted to an anime feature in 1999. The 2nd part of the manga was serialized in Shōnen Ace magazine, and compiled in 2000.
[edit] References & influences to other works
[edit] Possible inspirations
- For more details on this topic, see Protect-Gear.
The most obvious inspirations in Akai megane's dystopian story are probably Chris Marker's avant-garde black and white science fiction short film La Jetée and George Orwell's 1984. However, the totalitarian Tokyo of 2001 imagined and described by Oshii back in 1987, is anachronistic (e.g. the Londonian Austin FX4 '50s taxicabs) and politically ambiguous with two antagonistic forces, the Dogs and the Cats, whose successive regimes are named "Ages". The serious tone of the film is tempered by elements of black humor. A strong influence on this film is Godard, to whom Oshii self-admitted borrows his anti-conformist view of screenplay [1]. The torture and philosophical dialogue scenes seems reminiscent of Godard's political black and white 1960 film, Le Petit Soldat.
The use of sepia photography to create a surreal and retro atmosphere, and to contrast with the realism of colored fragmented key scenes, was further developed in his later live-action film, Avalon. The subtle difference is, in Avalon the separation between dream and reality is replaced by a separation between virtual and real.
The Dogs (Kerberos) uniforms are mainly inspired by the 1940s German Schutzstaffel and the Protect-Gear suits are inspired by the samurai armor (yoroi).
In contrast with the Dogs, the Cats, with Bunmei Muroto as an exemple, are most soviet, or more accurately communist Chinese, inspired characters. A significant illustration is Muroto's officer uniform who's similar to. Muroto criticizes Koichi's "independent" and "adventurous mind" "egocentrism". Autoritarian. Tokyo is anti-consumerist, no ads (publicity) but cult of personality Mao/Staline. Brainswashing China/Dien Bien Phu re-education camps...
Maneki neko (beckoning cats) are appearing in The Red Spectacles, as a metaphor for a structural change in the society Todome left in 1998. It incarnates the "Age of Cats". In a video interview (available on the DVD of Jin Roh) Oshii states he his fascinated and focuses on warriors who are not adapted to the world they live in and they perish for that. Making of Jin Roh, DVD published by CTV Int'l, 2000, France
[edit] References
Akai megane is probably Oshii's most literate feature work. Not only, dialogue and narrative parts are prominent over drama but the film contains a variety of philosophical concepts such as Free will and Determinism, mentioned through fables, like "The Magnet and the Iron Sands" and "The Ogre Saved by the Fisherman", or through classic poet-authors quotes, Shakespeare and Pushkin. The characters refers to European medieval tales and Greek mythology, such as oral versions of Little Red Riding Hood and the three-headed watchdog of Hell Cerberus.
- La Jetée a short film by Chris Marker (France), 1964.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four a novel by George Orwell (England, 1949).
- As You Like It a play by William Shakespeare (England), 1600.
- The Tempest a play by William Shakespeare (England), 1611.
- The Tragedy of Julius Caesar a play by William Shakespeare (England), 1599.
- The Captain's Daughter a novel by Aleksandr Pushkin (Russia), 1836.
- The Red and White Song Battle a musical TV show won by Kenji Suzuki (Japan), 1983.
- Rotkäppchen an oral folktale later popularized by the Brothers Grimm (Germany), 1812.
[edit] Influences
- Killzone a video game series by Guerrilla Games (Netherlands), 2004~2006.
[edit] Video releases
Akai Megane was released on VHS in Japan on March 28, 1987.
In February 25, 2003, the DVD edition was made available in Japan as part of the Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy anthology box set, which contained four DVDs and one soundtrack CD. On November 4 of the same year, a subtitled version of Akai megane was released in North America as both a single DVD and also as part of a US release of the box set. The US version of the trilogy box set has different box artwork and lacks the "Revisited Scene & Production" DVD of the Japanese version
The American The Red Spectacles DVD edition was reprinted in 2004, and since then is only available in the box set which was printed three times as of 2006 and remains the only edition released outside Japan.
- 1987.08.23: Akai Megane VHS (Bandai Visual, BES-164)
- 2003.02.25: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy 4DVD+1CD (Bandai Visual)
- 2003.11.04: The Red Spectacles DVD (Bandai Entertainment)
1st print - 2003.11.04: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy 3DVD+1CD (Bandai Entertainment) 1st print
- 2004.03.02: The Red Spectacles DVD (Bandai Entertainment) 2nd print
- 2004.03.02: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy 3DVD+1CD (Bandai Entertainment) 2nd print
- 2006.11.28: Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy 3DVD+1CD (Bandai Entertainment) 3rd print
[edit] Quotes
- Koichi Todome (offscreen, in the trailer only): "If I execute justice... it will enrage half of the world."
- Bunmei Muroto (to Koichi): "A dog is supposed to obey his master."
- Koichi Todome (answering to Bunmei): "A dog is supposed to know who his master is."
- Bunmei Muroto (answering to Koichi): "Rather than a long, pointless life, an immediate death could be better in some cases."
- Koichi Todome (to himself): "A dream? It can't be!"
- Bunmei Muroto (answering to Koichi): "How many times do you have to repeat it until you are satisfied?"
[edit] Cast
- Kōichi Todome: Shigeru Chiba
- Washio Midori: Machiko Washio
- Sōichirō Toribe: Hideyuki Tanaka
- Bunmei Muroto: Tessho Genda
- Young lady: Mako Hyodo
- Middle-aged man in billiards, taxi driver's voice: Ichiro Nagai
- Taxi driver: Yasuo Otsuka
- Oriental Hotel receptionist: Oikawa Hiroe
- Yakuza A: 兼松隆
- Yakuza B: 古川登志夫
- Chinpira：西村智博
- Bunmei subordinates: 中村秀利, 平井隆博, 立木文彦, 船戸健行, 中村大樹, 三井善忠, 上部光弘
- Bodyguard: 吉永尚之
- Soba Udon cook：Fuyuki Shinada
- Billiards master: 田内和夫
- Helicopter pilot: 栗崎教雄
- Airport announcer: Fumi Hirano
- Cat: 伊藤乃良
- Umibōzu: Kintaroh Sakata
- Moongaze Ginji (Moon-viewing Ginji): Hideyo Amamoto
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy DVD box set.
| Japanese Cinema |  |
| Live action films by Mamoru Oshii | |
| The Red Spectacles (1987) | StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991) | Talking Head (1992) | Avalon (2001) | Killers: .50 Woman (2003) | Otoko Tachiguishi-Retsuden (2006) |
| Kerberos saga by Mamoru Oshii |  |
| KERBEROS ARC | While Waiting For The Red Spectacles (1987) | The Red Spectacles (1987) | Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988) | StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991) | Jin-Roh (1999) | Kerberos Saga: Rainy Dogs (2003) | Kerberos Panzer Jäger (2006) | Kerberos & Tachiguishi (2006) TACHIGUISHI ARC | Tachiguishi-Retsuden (2004) | Tachiguishi-Retsuden (2006) | Otoko Tachiguishi-Retsuden (2006) OFFICIAL BOOTLEG | Images Of The Last Battalion (2005) KERBEROS FILES | Saga | Chronicles | Characters | Protect-Gear | Weapons | Vehicles |
