| by Ryuken Tokuda |
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Steve McQueen still reigns as a super charismatic figure in terms of fashion, lifestyle, etc.
that exce eds the boundaries of a simple movie star in Japan. But why？ A lot of American products and Americ an culture came over to Japan after World War II. Japanese people's diets changed from foods such as rice and fish to products such as meats and dairy products, and the Japanese people who watched Am erican TV dramas were attracted by the affluent lifestyles that Americans led with the spread of tele vision sets. The star that Japanese men grew to love and admire the most during this period of high economic growth in Japan was Steve McQueen. This is because he was about the same height as man y Japanese were and there were many who felt a sense of affinity with his monkey-like face. But the spirit of craftsmanship that the characters that he portrayed on screen being similar to the spirit of craftsmanship that Japanese people possess was at least as great a reason for his popularity. Japan, which had mostly no resources, made developments during times of postwar reconstruction by importing resources and manufactured goods from abroad, thoroughly researching them, making exce llent and affordable products, and exporting them all over the world. It is because the spiritual streng th and energy to never give up is necessary in making the best products such as cars and electrical appliances in the world, and because Japanese people were watching a Steve McQueen on screen who went on facing challenges even in failure. This was a quality that could not be seen at all in other sta rs including John Wayne. The cars, motorcycles, etc. that McQueen loved later became important ind ustries that sustained Japan. It can be said that he was a symbolic star that would be the source of J apan’s industrial vitality. McQueen, who was gaining attention due to the remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, also caught the eye of Akira Kurosawa when The Great Escape was being released. Kurosawa told his son that he wanted to make a movie where a blond-haired, blue-eyed Samurai made quite a name for himself during the Age of Civil Wars and wrote a script about it called “Ogre”. It wou ld have been a spectacular Samurai movie that went down in movie history had it been actually made. This was in complete contrast with Kurosawa's not liking Clint Eastwood for appearing in an unauthori zed remake of Yojimbo. Kurosawa fell into a slump from 1965 to 1980, when McQueen passed away, an d only made three movies during this time. Of these three. Kagemusha which was released in 1980 wa s the only Samurai movie. However McQueen made quite a name for himself from 1965, when there w ere no Kurosawa movies. Bullitt was a special movie for Japanese people. The spirit and the silent pa use that Bullitt presented when he killed the villans at the airport, and the way that he held his gun without a move were popular for their similarity with Japan's Bushido. His performance as he went to a motel in the suburbs with his girlfriend’s Porsche and stretched out his arms through the enclosu re of the counter at the front desk to show his police badge when he was getting the villain’s room number was also outstanding. He never fails to give a great performance, even at the front desk of a motel where there are no guests. Such use of minute gestures, use of props, etc. is professional and what attracts Japanese people. Bullitt is silent, fair, has a sense of justice, and even shows mercy to the evil. That is the same as with the “Bushido” that the Japanese and Kurosawa loved. The difference between Japanese and Americans lies in the question of who can understand Le Mans. Steve put his heart and soul into the movie, Le Mans. It was considered a bomb at the box offices in the United States but was a hit in Japan. Le Mans was called a boring movie with not enough lines and too many racing scenes in the United States. In Japan, there are sayings that go,“Silence is beauty”and“Action without words”,with a culture that sees those who act without words as honorable and wi se. Japanese married couples who truly love each other do not express their love by saying“I love yo u.”all of the time. They trust and understand each other through rhythmic breathing and see this as the ideal marriage. hat is why we Japanese are moved by the sense of reality and excitement that are portrayed in the Le Mans movie races and Michael Delaney’s sentiments that can be expressed with only a few lines. Steve's reactions and gestures are not things that can be learned at acting schools. They are born from real life experiences and a strong spirit like that of a Samurai. Steve's understand ing and learning of the mentality of martial arts from Bruce Lee is probably because of this quality of his. Steve, who was born on March 24th,1930,is a first-period Aires according to Western astrology, but according to Eastern astrology, he was born under a star that lives in the world of the soul. He is a hard-headed idealist with a strong sense of justice, has many likes and dislikes, and says whatever is on his mind. He was under a star that makes him display originality that can’t be imitated by others in a world of creativeness and is an isolated person who looks at the world from above. This strength of his is fully maximized in the world of movies. The characters that he portrayed displayed the aesth etics of the ultimate men. But Life for Japanese people then became affuent and beautiful spirit that the Japanese people once possessed stared to fade away as eating habits, lifestyles, etc, became wes ternized. Steve was an American actor with the Bushido spirit in a time where there were no Samurai films by Kurosawa, as well as a missionary who portrayed American culture as cool as it could be. He fulfilled both these needs that the Japanese people have in an actor. Le Mans was a great hit in J apan and Andy Williams sang the theme song of Papillion in Japanese and released a record. The Towe ring Inferno was a long-running hit for at least a year and then An Enemy of the People was released in 1983. Steve McQueen has never failed in Japan. Mr.Akio Miyabe's having done a voice-over for Ste ve in the television version of Wanted Dead or Alive is also one reason why McQueen is so popular in Japan. His voice was so cool that it even filled Steve with envy. Mr.Miyabe, who was born in the same year as Steve in 1930, also did McQueen's voice for fifty years until he passed away in 2006. Several favorable conditions are different in Japan in this way. So Steve McQueen was definitely the star that was adored the most by the Japanese people in the twentieth century. We Japanese fans ho pe that there will be a museum dedicated to Steve McQueen some day. |
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第二次世界大戦後の日本に波のように大量にアメリカ製品 アメリカ文化が日本にやってきた。
日本人の食生活はそれまでの米や魚から肉や乳製品が増え、テレビの普及と共にアメリカのホーム・ドラマを観る日本人は豊かなアメリカ人の暮らしに憧れた。
その高度経済成長期の日本で、日本人男性が1番愛し憧れのスターになったのがSteve Mcqueenであった。
それは彼の身長が日本人と同じくらいでサルに似ている顔が日本人に親近感を持たれた事も原因であるが、それ以上に彼がスクリーンで演じたキャラクターと日本人が持つ職人気質とが似ていた事が1番の理由であった。
戦後の復興の時代で資源を持たない日本は、海外から資源と製品を輸入し徹底的に研究し安くそして優れた製品を作り出し、世界に輸出し発展してきたのだ。
車や電化製品で世界一の物を作り出すには絶対に諦めない精神力とエネルギーが必要で、失敗してもチャレンジし続ける人間をスクリーンの上でのSteve Mcqueenに見ていたからである。
それは John Wayneをはじめ他のスターたちには全くないものであった。
Mcqueenが愛した車やバイクは、その後そのまま日本を支える大切な産業になった。
言ってみれば、日本の産業界への活力となる象徴的なスターであったのだ。
黒澤明のSeven Samuraiのリメイクで注目されたMcqueenはThe Great Escapeが公開された頃にはその黒澤明もSteveの事を気に入ってしまった。 黒澤は金髪で青い目をしたサムライが戦国時代に大活躍する映画をSteve Mc queenでやりたいと、息子に構想を話し鬼（Ogre）という脚本を書いた。 実現していれば映画史に残る素晴らしいサムライ映画が出来ていた事だろう。 黒澤のYojimboを勝手にリメイクした映画に出たClint Eastwood を好まなかったのとは対照的である。 65年からMcqueen が亡くなる80年までの黒澤はスランプとなり3本の映画しか製作していない。 うちサムライ映画は80年のKagemushaだけである。 しかし黒澤の映画がなかった65年からのMcqueenは大活躍だった。 なかでもBullittは日本人には特別の映画だ。 Bullittが犯人を空港で撃ち殺す時の気合と間 じっと動かずに拳銃を構えた姿は日本の武道と同じだととても評判になった。 また恋人のポルシェに乗り 郊外のモーテルへ行き フロントで犯人の部屋番号を聞きだす時、さっとカウンターの囲いの裏まで手を伸ばし警察のバッジを見せる演技は絶品である。 Steveは客のいないモーテルのフロントでも決して手を抜いた演技をしない。 そういった小さな仕草や小道具の使い方がプロフェッショナルであり日本人を魅了させるのである。 寡黙でフェアー、正義感があり悪にも情けをかけるBullitt それは日本人そして黒澤が愛した「武士道」と同じである。 日本人とアメリカ人の違いはLe Mansを理解出来るか出来ないかの違いである。 Steveが心血を注いだ映画Le M ans。興行的にはアメリカでは失敗作だと言われているが日本ではヒット作である。 アメリカでLe Mansはセリフが少なすぎレースシーンばかりの退屈な映画だと言われました。 日本には「沈黙は美なり」と「不言実行」ということわざがあり、言葉にせず行動で示す者を立派で賢いとする文化がある。 日本人の本当に愛し合っている夫婦はいちいち言葉で愛しているよとも言わず、あうんの呼吸で分かりあえ信頼しあっていける、そしてそれを夫婦の理想とする。 だから私達日本人はLe Mansの映画で見せるレースの迫力とリアリティー感、そしてセリフが少なくても伝わるMic hael Delaneyの心情に感動するのである。 Steveのリアクション 仕草は決して演劇学校で身に付くものではなく、彼の人生経験と武士のような高い精神性から出来たものである。 SteveがBruce Leeのマーチャル・アーツの精神を理解し生徒だったのはそれが働いたからであろう。 1930年3月24日生まれのSteveは西洋占星術では牡羊座第1期であるが、東洋の占いでは彼は心の世界に住む星の生まれである。 理想主義者で正義感の強い頑固者であり 好き嫌いが激しく 思った事は何でも口に出してしまう。 創造的な世界では他を追随させない独創性を発揮する星の生まれで、空から地上を見下ろして生きる孤高の人である。 映画の世界ではこの長所が最大限に活かされたのです。 彼が演じたキャラクターのほとんどは究極の男性の美学であった。 そして日本人の生活が豊かになり食生活やライフ・スタイルが欧米式になるにつれ、日本人が持っていた美しい精神性は徐々に失われていった。 Steveは黒澤のサムライ映画のない時代に武士道の精神を持ったアメリカン・アクターであり、かつアメリカ文化をもっともかっこよく見せてくれた伝道師であった。 その両方の日本人の欲求を満たしてくれたのだ。 日本ではLe Mansは大ヒットでAndy Williamsは日本語でPapillonのテーマを歌い レコードを出し、The Towering Infernoは一年以上のロングラン・ヒットになり、An Enemy of the Peopleは83年に劇場公開された。 Steve Mcqueenは日本では負けた事がないのである。 またWanted Dead or AliveからテレビでのSteveを声の吹替えをした宮部昭夫氏も日本でのMcqueen人気の理由の一つである。 彼の声はSteveも嫉妬するほどのクールな声であり、またSteveと同じ30年生まれの彼は2006年に亡くなるまで約50年間も声でMcquee nを演じてくれた。 このように日本ではいくつもの好条件が重なり、今もSteve Mcqueenが映画スターの枠を越えたファッションやライフ・スタイルのスーパーカリスマとして君臨している。 そう、Steve Mcqueenは日本人が20世紀もっとも愛したスターである。 私達日本人ファンはいつの日にかSteve Mcqueen博物館が出来る事を願っています。 |
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