Silk (2007 film)
| Silk | |
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A French poster for the film
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| Directed by | Francois Girard |
| Written by |
François Girard Michael Golding |
| Starring |
Michael Pitt Keira Knightley Alfred Molina Miki Nakatani Koji Yakusho Callum Keith Rennie |
| Music by | Ryûichi Sakamoto |
| Cinematography | Alain Dostie |
| Edited by | Pia Di Ciaula |
| Distributed by | US: Picturehouse JP: Asmik Ace |
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Release date
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Running time
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107 minutes |
| Country | Canada United Kingdom Japan |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $7,965,682 |
Silk is the film adaptation of Italian author Alessandro Baricco's novel of the same name. It was released in September 2007 through New Line Cinema and directed by The Red Violin director, François Girard.
American actor Michael Pitt stars in the lead role of the French silkworm smuggler Hervé Joncour, with British actress Keira Knightley as his wife, Hélène, a teacher and keen gardener. Japanese actors Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho are also featured. Exterior Japanese scenes were filmed in the city of Sakata. Knightley's scenes were filmed in Sermoneta, Italy, a small medieval village near Latina.
Hervé (Michael Pitt), in 19th century France, is a military officer, because that is what his father wants. He is happy when he gets the opportunity to change his profession to that of trader of silkworm eggs. Because in Europe silkworms are affected by a disease (pébrine), he is sent to Africa to get healthy eggs. (The film shows only a brief desert scene.)
Since the African silkworms are affected too, he is sent to Japan, even though at that time (the Bakumatsu period) almost all of Japan was off-limits to foreigners. The journey is by carriage and train, a caravan of horses through Asia, the boat trip from the Asian continent to Japan, and guided, blindfolded, on horseback to the Japanese village where he can buy the eggs from a local baron, Hara Jubei (Kōji Yakusho).
During his stay in the village he becomes obsessed with Jubei's unnamed concubine (Sei Ashina). On his second journey there, she gives him a note in Japanese, and he has sex with another girl handed to him by her. Having traded more eggs than on his first trip, Hervé delays his departure by two days in the hope of seeing the girl again. At home Hervé's love remains secret, and though he seems happy with his wife, Hélène, they remain childless. Hervé seeks out a French-Japanese brothel owner in Lyon, Madame Blanche (Miki Nakatani), known for giving the small blue flowers that she wears to her clients, who translates the note for him as: 'Come back or I shall die'. Madame Blanche advises Hervé to 'forget about her, she won't die'.
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