Sunday, November 28, 2010

Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood - The Film




Haruki Murakami 

is 

one of my favorite authors. 




I've read 

and loved 

most of his works. 




And I enjoyed the film

Tony Takitani

which is based on 

one of his stories.




I was thrilled 

to see that 

Norwegian Wood 

has been made into a film. 




Here's how Publisher's Weekly describes the story:


In a complete stylistic departure from his mysterious and surreal novels (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; A Wild Sheep Chase) that show the influences of Salinger, Fitzgerald and Tom Robbins, Murakami tells a bittersweet coming-of-age story, reminiscent of J.R. Salamanca's classic 1964 novel, LilithAthe tale of a young man's involvement with a schizophrenic girl. A successful, 37-year-old businessman, Toru Watanabe, hears a version of the Beatles' Norwegian Wood, and the music transports him back 18 years to his college days. His best friend, Kizuki, inexplicably commits suicide, after which Toru becomes first enamored, then involved with Kizuki's girlfriend, Naoko. But Naoko is a very troubled young woman; her brilliant older sister has also committed suicide, and though sweet and desperate for happiness, she often becomes untethered. She eventually enters a convalescent home for disturbed people, and when Toru visits her, he meets her roommate, an older musician named Reiko, who's had a long history of mental instability. The three become fast friends. Toru makes a commitment to Naoko, but back at college he encounters Midori, a vibrant, outgoing young woman. As he falls in love with her, Toru realizes he cannot continue his relationship with Naoko, whose sanity is fast deteriorating. Though the solution to his problem comes too easily, Murakami tells a subtle, charming, profound and very sexy story of young love bound for tragedy. Published in Japan in 1987, this novel proved a wild success there, selling four million copies. 



I think 

you will love his books

and 

enjoy these movies.


4 comments:

  1. Hey David,
    I'm reading "A Wild Sheep Chase", only my second Murakami. I have to catch up!

    dewhy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Don,

    Definitely do catch up! All his books are wonderful. A couple months ago, on these very pages, I featured a scene from "Kafka on the Shore" that I thought was very special. Check it out if you haven't already.

    Best,

    David

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for posting this. He is one of two of my favorite authors. Today I start my forth readings of all of his books in order.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Over The River,

    Glad you enjoyed this posting. Murakami is really quite amazing. I've read most of his works. I'm waiting for a time to give IQ84 my undivided attention. And he just released a new work in Japan. Always a lot to read!

    Best,

    David

    ReplyDelete