In Commemoration of the Release of "The Spy's Wife ," Ryosuke Nagaoka, Keiichi Sogabe, and I Want to Think About Movies and Music. | feature

Commemorating the release of "The Spy's Wife the Movie
Film and music to consider with Ryosuke Nagaoka and Keiichi Sogabe.

Music is one of the most important and indispensable elements of a film, as it expresses the emotions of the characters and enlivens the situation of a scene. It is no exaggeration to say that film music, which stirs the emotions of the audience and draws them into the world of the film, is different from the music they usually listen to. Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film, "The Spy's Wife, the Movie," won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. That one film, which received worldwide acclaim, features music by Ryosuke Nagaoka of the Petrols. In addition to Mr. Nagaoka, who worked on the film for the first time, we invited Keiichi Sogabe, who has composed music for many films, including the recent film "Gekijo" (directed by Isao Yukisada), to talk about films and music.

Photo_Takuya Nagamine

Text_Shogo Komatsu

Edit_Yuri Sudo

The role of giving reality to the period and world of the work.

Nagaoka:I am recognized as a guitarist, and I wondered if I was chosen to make music with the guitar.　I thought so, but that was not the case. When I talked to the director, he told me that the music of the 1940s, which is the setting background of "The Spy's Wife," has almost no use for electric guitars, and that's why he went in the direction of not using guitars.

Sogabe:I see. So the instruments were also adapted to the times.

Nagaoka:The director's image of sound was the standard image for film music, using strings and wind instruments, so I decided to try that kind of composition. I had no experience.

Sogabe:I was surprised that you didn't use a guitar. I thought it would be more of an abstract guitar sound, but you used piano and strings, and it was very well-crafted.

The film "Theatre," which you worked on, was mainly acoustic guitar, wasn't it?

Sogabe:From the beginning, an acoustic guitar was specified. The story is about a poor couple living in a four-and-a-half-mat room a long time ago, so they probably only have an acoustic guitar. They didn't want the music to be gorgeous, or even high quality, but they wanted it to be in the style of a couple lying down in their room and playing acoustic guitars in a simple manner.

Nagaoka:I see that "Gekijo" also reflects the worldview of the work in its music.

Sogabe:When I tried to make cool music, it was NG because it was too cool. They were still in the growth stage, so it was better to be immature.

So you painted the feelings of the characters.

Sogabe:On the other hand, there is a scene where a cool theater company appears, like a rival of the main character, and I made good music for it.

Nagaoka:Contrast.

Sogabe:Yes, yes. The music is the image that the main character is longing for. It's not so much to enhance the story as to color the protagonist's state of mind.

Did you put more emphasis on the music in "The Spy's Wife" as well, to make the music more in tune with the character's feelings?

Nagaoka:This work has the unsettling atmosphere of wartime and the fear of the unknown. I wanted to depict that atmosphere and the mind of the main character living in such an environment.

Sogabe:I liked the tension. I said "disturbing," but there was a creepy feeling all the way through. I couldn't take my eyes off what was going to happen.

Nagaoka:Thank you very much. I tried to create an authentic feel to the ear, but at the same time to be impressive. I tried to create a sense of tension by minimizing the instrumentation in the recording and emphasizing the rawness of the instrumental tones.

Sogabe:That's good because it's not an exaggeration.

Nagaoka:That was my impression when I first met the director. I took the liberty of saying so, but I got the impression that he didn't want anything superfluous. Also, I chose an image with a slightly snooty sound. It is not like a piece of music, but rather the sound of the atmosphere of the scene.

Sogabe:With this story, I think it would fit with a crazy gorgeous orchestra. But it's the music that doesn't, and I think that's why it has stayed with me.

As for the historical background, music from films such as "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind," for example, would also fit. But in "The Spy's Wife," the minimalist, melody-less, rustic music is as dark as I wanted it to be. The final scene has the air of a war movie, with both a bad ending and a happy ending.

Nagaoka:It was a great balance.

Sogabe:Yes. I'm really glad that the music there fit in well.

Nagaoka:That's too much praise (laughs).

The Spy's Wife the Movie

Release date: October 16 (Fri.), 2010 (National Roadshow)
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Screenplay: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Tadashi Nohara, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Music: Ryosuke Nagaoka
Cast: Yu Aoi, Issei Takahashi, Masahiro Higashide, Ryuta Bando, Yuri Tsunematsu, Takashi Sasano
Distributor: Bitters End
Distribution cooperation: "The Spy's Wife" Promotional Partners
©2020 NHK, NEP, Incline, C&I

Theater" film

Based on the book "Gekijo" by Naoki Matayoshi, published by Shinchosha
Director: Isao Yukisada
Screenplay: Horai Ryuta
Music: Keiichi Sogabe
Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Maayu Matsuoka, Kanichiro, Sari Ito
Distributor: Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.
©2020 "Theatre" Production Committee
Now in theaters nationwide including Eurospace, Tokyo, and available worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.