On another level, the audience experiences a similar sensation when one is completely immersed into the fantasy presented on the screen. Apart from the overall color scheme and themes, the character of Chiyoko shares quite a few similarities with Mima Kirigoe from “Perfect Blue” as both women’s status as stars make them seamlessly “cross over” to various layers of time and place, and even take other people with them as we can see with Genya and Koyji becoming part of Chiyoko’s account of her life, her various roles and stories. Both stories deal with the star-phenomenon, albeit from contrasting angles, and while “Perfect Blue” emphasizes notions of obsession, depression and schizophrenia which can be traced back to the concept, “Millennium Actress” regards the star as some kind of accumulation of dreams, hopes and longings, in many ways an idealized version of a person’s or even a nation’s history which only the mind of a filmmaker can come up with. In many ways, “Millennium Actress” can be considered a companion piece to Kon’s 1997 feature “Perfect Blue”. Although her search proves unsuccessful, Chiyoko’s dream of becoming an actress comes true, and she believes that with her rise to fame the man she once saved might one day see her on the big screen and come to her once more. As borders between reality and fiction begin to blur, with Tachibana and Ida accompanying Fujiwara on her quest to Manchuria, where she hopes to find the strange man and an answer to the importance of the key, she also finds her way into acting as her first project gives her the chance of starring in a feature set in Manchuria.
Eventually, the authorities catch wind of the possible location of the dissident, but the man escapes yet again, leaving behind his key as the only memory Chiyoko has of him. The item and the memory it triggers lays the foundation for Chiyoko to begin her story, which begins during her childhood in the Sino-Japanese War, when she helped a dissident trying to escape the police.ĭays go by and finally the political activist is ready to leave, but not without saying goodbye to his savior, telling her about the significance of the key he carries with him, which will open “the most important thing”. As he and his colleague are welcomed by Fujiwara and her maid into their home, the reporter opens the interview by giving her a key he believed she had once lost during the shooting of a movie. Even though she has starred in a plethora of famous features and played a major role in manifesting the reputation of Ginei Studios, who has recently gone bankrupt, she has retired 30 years prior and lived a reclusive life, rejecting new roles and scripts as well as other offers from journalists, stressing the extraordinary opportunity Tachibana now has.
MILLENNIUM ACTRESS TV
Buy This TitleĪfter many attempts to schedule an interview with renowned actress Chiyoko Fujiwara about her work and legacy, TV reporter Genya Tachibana and cameraman Kyoji Ida finally manage to be invited to her home. This so-called “star-phenomenon” is the foundation of acclaimed director Satoshi Kon’s 2001 feature “ Millennium Actress”, which tells the story of a Japanese actress whose quest to search for her lost love, has influenced her status among pop culture, making her a star whose significance withstands criteria like time and place. Given the status of the cinema screen or the stage of a concert being slightly above the crowd seems to confirm the concept of a group of individuals whose performances, creations and overall persona gives them god-like qualities, a form of being untouched by time or culture, which is more than obvious given the worldwide admiration for people like Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley.
There is an interesting parallel between the worshiping of stars, musicians, actors or artists, and the status of gods or icons in ancient myths and world religion. “A star is born” is one of those common phrases we often use or read confirming the status of certain individuals considered to be beyond our reach.