Page 142 - Nightmare Japan Contemporary Japanese Horror Cinema

A Murder of Doves 129

Image 13: Kakihara’s stare (© Tokyo Shock)

Cuttings, Slicings, Irresponsible Excisions and the Politics of Excess

At the time of this writing, Miike Takashi remains one of the most
prolific filmmakers in the history of cinema, an art form that spans only
slightly more than a century. From his earliest straight to video works,
released in 1991, to his most recent horror films like Gozu (Gokudô kyôfu
dai-gekijô: Gozu, 2003), One Missed Call (Chakushin ari, 2003), and Izo
(2004), Miike has directed sixty-five films. His productivity over the last
fifteen years far exceeds the output of most filmmakers, including such
notably prolific directors as Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Jean-Luc
Godard, with whom he shares a passion for creating works that are not
only insightful, but that seem intended to incite spectators. Given many of
his works’ controversial content, it should come as no surprise that
several of his more violent creations, including Ichi the Killer, have been
released in variously edited versions. For example, some DVD editions of
Ichi the Killer, including its Hong Kong release and a significantly
truncated version available at countless US video and DVD rental stores,
remove violent sequences that censors felt were too extreme or unsettling
for general consumption. Decisions of this nature constitute an assault to