Silence (2016 film)
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| Silence (2016 film) | |
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| Name | Silence |
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Producer | Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks, Emma Tillinger Koskoff |
| Writer | Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks |
| Based on | Silence by Shūsaku Endō |
| Starring | Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson |
| Music | Ryuichi Sakamoto, Philip Glass |
| Cinematography | Rodrigo Prieto |
| Editing | Thelma Schoonmaker |
| Studio | Sikelia Productions, GK Films |
| Distributor | Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox |
| Released | 2016 |
| Runtime | 161 minutes |
| Country | United States, Taiwan, Japan |
| Language | English, Portuguese, Japanese |
Silence (2016 film) is a historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese adapted from the 1966 novel by Shūsaku Endō. The film follows two Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Japan in the 17th century to locate their missing mentor and to maintain the clandestine Roman Catholic Church mission amidst persecution. Silence explores themes of faith, apostasy, suffering, and intercultural encounter through encounters with Tokugawa Ieyasu-era authorities and Japanese converts.
Plot
Two Portuguese Jesuit priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garrpe, depart from Macau to search for their mentor, Father Cristóvão Ferreira, amid reports of persecution of Kirishitan communities in Japan. They encounter a Japanese interpreter, Kichijiro, and travel to rural villages where secret Kirishitan rites persist under threat from Tokugawa shogunate officials and local magistrates. Rodrigues witnesses brutal public executions, including fumi-e trials ordered by magistrates under the influence of Matsudaira-era policies and Confucian-influenced samurai overseers. As authorities apply torture and forced renunciations, the priests confront doctrinal crises through dialogues resembling those of Blaise Pascal, Blaise de Vigenère-style paradoxes, and silent suffering evoked by the absence of divine intervention. Rodrigues faces imprisonment and intense moral dilemma when presented with the option of apostasy to save others, culminating in a anguished decision that reverberates with echoes of St. Ignatius of Loyola's missionary legacy and the broader history of Christian missions in Asia.
Cast
The film stars Andrew Garfield as Sebastião Rodrigues, Adam Driver as Francisco Garrpe, and Liam Neeson as Cristóvão Ferreira. Supporting performances include Tadanobu Asano, Issei Ogata, and Ciarán Hinds in roles portraying interpreters, samurai, and clerical figures. The ensemble features Japanese actors such as Yôsuke Kubozuka and Ryo Kase, and international actors associated with prior collaborations involving Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, and Rodrigo Prieto.
Production
Scorsese began developing the project after his interest in Endō's novel, collaborating with screenwriter Jay Cocks and producers including Emma Tillinger Koskoff and GK Films's Graham King. Principal photography took place with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and editor Thelma Schoonmaker, with location shooting in Taiwan and Japan to recreate 17th-century landscapes. Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, alongside contributions reminiscent of Philip Glass's minimalist idiom, provided the score. The production navigated historical research drawing on scholarship about Kirishitan, translations of Endō's work, and materials related to Jesuit China missions and the Nanban trade period.
Historical and thematic background
The film is rooted in the history of Jesuit missions, the suppression of Christianity under the Tokugawa shogunate, and the martyrdom of converts during anti-Christian purges following the Shimabara Rebellion era tensions. Endō's novel, influenced by his Catholic upbringing in Japan and interactions with Western theology, engages themes resonant with writers such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and theologians like Reinhold Niebuhr. Theologically, the narrative dialogues recall debates involving figures such as Thomas Aquinas and the pastoral strategies of Saint Francis Xavier, juxtaposed with Japanese cultural frameworks shaped by Zen Buddhism and Confucianism. The film interrogates the ethics of apostasy, theodicy, and intercultural evangelism within a period marked by isolationist sakoku policies and global Catholic expansion.
Release and box office
After screenings at festivals and special presentations, the film was released by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox in 2016. Its theatrical run spanned markets including the United States, Japan, and European territories. The film's box office performance reflected a modest commercial return compared with mainstream studio blockbusters, with revenue and distribution shaped by arthouse positioning and critical platforms such as the Telluride Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
Critical reception
Critics praised Scorsese's direction, Prieto's cinematography, and Schoonmaker's editing, noting the film's austere pacing and moral seriousness in reviews appearing alongside discussions of Scorsese's oeuvre, including comparisons to Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ. Responses highlighted performances by Garfield and Driver and the film's fidelity to Endō's meditative novel, while some commentators debated its length and interpretive choices in portraying religious doubt, invoking parallels to cinematic explorations by directors like Akira Kurosawa and theological films referencing Pier Paolo Pasolini.
Accolades
The film received nominations and awards across festivals and critic circles, recognizing achievements in direction, cinematography, and acting. Honours included mentions from film societies and awards bodies that frequently acknowledge arthouse cinema, following precedents set by Scorsese's prior nominations from institutions such as the Academy Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the British Academy Film Awards.
Category:Films directed by Martin Scorsese Category:Films based on novels