Recommended by Takarin and Akihisa Yamaguchi. A video work with wonderful music.
An acoustic duo from Kyoto,TakasuzuAkihisa Yamaguchi, who is active as a guitarist.
When you produce music yourself, you reportedly watch films and other visual works with music as part of building your creative image.
We were introduced to several video works with especially recommended music among them.
Recommended by Takarin and Akihisa Yamaguchi. A video work with wonderful music.
「Pascal Pinon/Orenge」
This is a music video I often watched when composing.
It’s an MV by the Icelandic sister duo Pascal Pinon that feels like a scene from a film.
The atmosphere of Iceland comes through beautifully in both the music and the visuals, and just watching it stirs all five senses.
“The Straight Story” released in 2000
A road movie by director David Lynch based on a true story.
The plot is remarkably straightforward—a man sets out alone on a lawnmower to visit his ailing brother—but the orchestration beautifully captures the shifting emotions in the encounters along the way, making for a deeply moving film.
“Pina / Pina Bausch: The Life of Dancing” released in 2011
A dance film about the German choreographer Pina Bausch, in which director Wim Wenders ventures into 3D imagery for the first time.
The music is by Jun Miyake, who relocated to Paris.
I personally never miss his concerts when he comes to Japan—he’s one of my favorite musicians—but to find the visuals and music so perfectly aligned made for an incredibly blissful time.
“Paris, Texas” released in 1984
With Wim Wenders involved, this film is simply unmissable.
When you think of road movies, this is the one.
Apparently, this was the first time he teamed up with musician Ry Cooder, and ever since then it feels only natural that Cooder would contribute to Wenders’ soundtracks—this one is divine.
The slide guitar fits the dry, barren visuals perfectly.
“Sami Blood” (released in 2016)
A visual portrayal of discrimination against the indigenous Sami people of Nordic Lapland.
The leading sisters actually live in Lapland herding reindeer, and this film is their debut.
The director is also a woman of Sami descent.
The stunning Nordic nature and music pierce straight to the heart.
The message that all Sami people are proud of their Sami heritage is deeply moving.
“My Swing,” released in 2003
Released in 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of Django Reinhardt’s death, this tribute film delivers an incredible sense of live performance—so much so that it could practically be called a concert film for Tchavolo Schmitt.
“A Clockwork Orange” released in 1972
Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The lasting impression of this famous film is the classical music that plays throughout.
It might have been the first time I consciously listened to classical music.
I genuinely thought classical was psychedelic.
Isn’t it fair to say that this is a work where the freedom of both the visual world and the music overflows?