The film "Silence"(2016) does not focus on Shusaku Endo's themes.

//Summary - Level-C2//

Martin Scorsese's 2016 adaptation of Shusaku Endo's "Silence" impressively recreates the novel but weakly conveys its core themes. The film remains faithful to the book yet fails to fully explore Endo's depiction of "God not being silent" amidst the Japanese spiritual climate. Consequently, viewers might misunderstand the nuanced message Endo intended.

1) "Silence" (2016) is an adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel "Silence" by the master Martin Scorsese.

It was a very well-made film. The realistic and deep images were impressive, as expected from Scorsese.

2) The film's story was also very faithful to the original "Silence". I felt that Scorsese was fond of the original or had read it thoroughly. Scorsese had a conversation with Shusaku Endo when he was alive, and he had talked extensively about adapting "Silence" into a film.

However, because it was so faithful to the original, I was concerned that the essential themes that Shusaku Endo depicted in Silence would not be portrayed. To be precise, they are portrayed, but how they are portrayed is weak.

3) I was afraid that this kind of presentation would lead to many viewers not understanding or misunderstanding the meaning of the work.

It would be fine if the film was based on an original work but borrowed only the setting and mostly reworked the rest. However, Scorsese's Silence is highly faithful to the original work, and therefore, the way it presents the theme is half-baked, which is why I had the above concerns.

4)
Table of Contents:
A) The meaning of the title "Silence
B) Christianity in Europe
C) Christianity for the Japanese
D) The Spiritual Climate of the Japanese
E) Shusaku Endo's response

A) The meaning of the title "Silence
The first point in understanding Silence is interpreting the word "silence" in the title.

5)
I looked at the reviews on Filmarks to see how people who had seen the film interpreted it.

As expected, many people interpret "silence" as "God's silence".

In both the original work and the film, this film does not depict "God's silence". It shows God "not being silent".

6)
If we get this wrong, it won't be easy to understand the meaning of this film and even the original novel.

The original title was not "Silence". But the editor suggested changing it to "Silence". Shusaku Endo was afraid that the meaning of "Silence" would be misunderstood but reluctantly agreed to the title change.

7)
"Silence" does not mean "God's silence", but "God is not silent" and "Christ is not silent either". This is Shusaku Endo's theme and message.

To understand what this means, we need to understand Christianity in Europe and the spiritual climate of Japan.

B)
8)
Christianity in Europe
The God of Christianity, or God, is the same Gs Yahweh in Judaism and Allah in Islam.

To this day, Judaism and Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and Christianity and Islam have been at war for a long time, but they are all religious brothers fighting each other.

9)
The reason why they fight like this is because the problem is with "God".

This God is very selfish. He is also a self-centred man.

The Old Testament is the holy book shared by all of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

10)
It is a book that records the covenant between God and man and is probably the biggest bestseller in the history of humanity.

In this covenant between God and man, the selfish God tells man to trust only him and to listen to what he says. The covenant also lists in detail the rules that man must follow.

11)
Then the Son of God, Christ, appeared and left looser rules than the Old Testament. These were written down in the New Testament, the holy book of Christianity.

Christianity has different denominations, such as Catholicism and Protestantism, but to be a Christian, you must be baptised, attend Church on Sundays, read the Bible, and believe in God. The rules are much more relaxed than in the Old Testament.

12)
As a result, it spread explosively throughout Europe.

About 600 years after Christ, the Prophet Muhammad appeared in the Middle East, received God's revelation and wrote down rules stricter than those in the Old Testament. This is the Koran, the holy book of Islam.

13)
The war between Judaism, Christianity and Islam originated from this difference in rules, which means that if you trace it back to its origin, the problem is a selfish God.

In any case, whether it is Judaism, Christianity or Islam, monotheistic religions that believe in God, these religions have the rules of a contract with God as their holy book.

America and Europe are said to be covenant societies because their spiritual climates are based on a covenant with God.

C) Christianity for the Japanese
14)
Christianity spread explosively with looser rules than those of the Old Testament. In the 17th century, missionaries were sent to Japan to increase the number of believers. This is the world portrayed in "Silence".

There is a scene in the film (and in the original novel) where a former priest, who has already renounced his faith, declares that Christianity will not take root in Japan.

15)
This is an essential point in understanding the work.

The audience feels that the reason Christianity has not taken root in Japan is because of the severe oppression of Christians. This is natural, as they had witnessed the severe and sometimes cruel oppression of the Nagasaki magistrate.

16)
But the former priest says:
"Japanese people cannot understand the concept of the Christian God".

This is a theme that Shusaku Endo has pursued throughout his life. What is God for the Japanese, and what is Christ to them?

17)
Shusaku Endo started to deal with this topic because he could not get used to being a Catholic, which his parents had given him. In Shusaku Endo's words, "How can we cut the loose Western clothes called Christianity into Japanese clothes?" This became the theme of Shusaku Endo's life.

D) The Spiritual Climate of the Japanese
18)
When thinking about Christianity for the Japanese, it is necessary to understand the spiritual climate of the Japanese.

The distinctive spiritual climate of the Japanese is "air".

It is a matter of "being able to read the air" and "not being able to read the air".

19)
The Japanese have been, are, and probably will continue to be dominated by this mysterious "air".

When Japan was still an agricultural society, there were "rules" and "customs" in the villages, and if you broke them, you were ostracised. These rules were not written down like contracts or laws; in other words, "air.

20)
It can be said that the reason the Japanese people rushed into a war they had no chance of winning and launched kamikaze attacks during World War II was because of the "atmosphere" of the world.

Even today, bureaucrats and politicians make assumptions based on the "atmosphere". When the first state of emergency was declared because of the new coronavirus, everyone refrained from going out, even though there were no penalties, because of the "atmosphere" that said not to go out.

21)
The unwritten rules of the Japanese people, the "atmosphere". Japanese people have a unique ability to sense this ambiguous "atmosphere quickly" and are spiritually controlled by it. When considering Christianity among the Japanese, this "atmosphere" is essential.

I have written that Christianity in Europe is a contract between God and man, a covenant, a written rule.

22)
The missionary activities of Christianity were an attempt to replace the unwritten rules of the Japanese people, the "atmosphere", which had been spiritually controlled by them for many years, with the written rules of the Bible.

Especially in the rural areas of the 17th century, the Japanese people had to follow the village rules and customs, the "atmosphere." But the missionaries said, "We must follow the covenant with God."

23)
This is the "atmosphere" that still strongly spiritually controls the Japanese people today. Missionaries' words alone cannot easily replace it.

To take a modern example, you have been working for a company with tenure and seniority, but one day, a foreigner suddenly becomes your boss and declares "meritocracy".

Age and experience are irrelevant. You will get a pay cut or be fired if you do not produce results. Even if you are suddenly told to replace the seniority-based system you have known since joining the company with a merit-based system today, this cannot be done immediately.

24)
This is the essence of the former priest's words that the Japanese cannot understand God, as I wrote earlier.

The Bible could not replace the "atmosphere" that spiritually controls the Japanese people.

E) Shusaku Endo's reply
25)
What should Christianity be like for Japanese people who are so dominated by the "atmosphere"?

Shusaku Endo answered that Christ exists in the "atmosphere" of the Japanese people. This is the "companion Jesus" often mentioned in criticism of Shusaku Endo.

26)
It is not Christ as a contracted person. It is Christ who is always at your side. Like the "atmosphere".

If you believe in Christ, Christ will always be at your side. Neither God nor Christ is "silent". He will always hear your voice. And He will forgive you.

27)
So believe in Christ. Believe in God. That is what it comes down to.

It is almost impossible for Europeans to understand such an unspoken and ambiguous concept.

How will Scorsese present it?

28)
I watched it with expectation and apprehension, but even Scorsese could not correctly portray Christ as "atmosphere."

Scorsese's Christ is a kind Christ who forgives the weak who step on the picture and renounce their faith. This is a sensational aspect of "Silence."

For the Catholic Church, it is impossible to forgive a priest who renounces his faith. The Church does not forgive. But Christ forgives.

29)
But I felt this was the limit of what Scorsese could portray: the vague but intense "atmosphere" that Japanese people have. Christ exists in this "atmosphere." Even the master Scorsese found it challenging to portray these things.

The film "Silence"(2016) does not focus on Shusaku Endo's themes.

https://note.com/lawrence/n/ncb6f50234e93

Shusaku Endo's "Silence" and two films "Silence"

http://tatsuya1956.blog48.fc2.com/blog-entry-3088.html

Add info No1)

Film Silence (2016)

https://eiga.com/movie/85561/

Commentary:
A human drama adapted by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese from the novel Silence by Shusaku Endo. Through the eyes of a Portuguese missionary who came to Japan in the early Edo period, when Christianity was suppressed, the film shows what is essential to human beings and what is human weakness.

Rodrigo and Garupe, two young missionaries who went to Japan in the 17th century to discover the truth about their teacher, who was said to have fallen away in a country where Christianity was banned, finally arrived in Nagasaki. There, they face their own faith under severe repression, with a Japanese man called Kichijiro as their guide. The film is the story of two men confronting their religious beliefs under severe repression.

It has taken Scorsese 28 years since he read the original story in 1988 to bring it to the screen, a long-held dream project. The protagonist, Rodrigo, is played by Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man). Other co-stars include Liam Neeson (Schindler's List) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). The Japanese cast includes Yosuke Kubozuka as Kichijiro, Tadanobu Asano and Issei Ogata.

Add info No2)

Film Silence (1971)

https://eiga.com/movie/37866/

History:
In Japan, in the middle of the 17th century, the Kirishitans were severely repressed. The voices of the Kirishitan were heard everywhere; two Portuguese priests, Garupe and Rodrigo, secretly arrived in Hizen, Kyushu, in the dark of the night, guided by the Japanese Kichijiro, with the determination to be the last missionary milestone and at the same time with the desire to find out what had happened to their teacher Ferreira, who had arrived 20 years earlier and had been captured. They also wanted to know the whereabouts of their mentor, Ferreira, who had arrived in Portugal 20 years earlier and been captured.

The villagers of the Hidden Kirishitan were moved to sobs upon their arrival, and they hid them, but they remained silent and refused to talk about FERREIRA. The hands of the officials reached out to the two, who were busy proselytising, and the community suffered a loss of life. Under the increasing scrutiny of the officials, Rodrigo is sold by Kichijiro to the officials for a few grains of silver. Kichijiro, who had repeatedly apostatised and gone to confession, cries out: I am weak, forgive me!

Rodrigo was arrested, and the Nagasaki magistrate Inoue Chikugomori, feared by the Kirishitan, appeared before him and accused the missionaries of having shed the blood of innocent peasants. A tense debate ensues between Chikugo and Rodrigo, who have a history as believers, on the pros and cons of Christian missionary work in Japan.

Chikugo Mamoru, whose mild-mannered appearance does not suit him, is cruel in questioning the congregation and the priest. He believes that the conversion of the priests is the fundamental measure to eradicate the Kirishitan. Rodrigo witnessed the torture of a young couple in prison. The samurai's wife, Kiku, who goes by Okada San'emon, unintentionally intervenes to save her husband's life. Kiku's true feelings and her abandonment of him shock Rodrigo.

Meanwhile, Garupe, who had refused to take a vow of conversion, followed the believers to their execution by water and took his own life. A few days later, Rodrigo, exhausted after witnessing the execution of the believers, is unexpectedly visited by Ferreira, dressed as a samurai.

FERREIRA urges Rodrigo to change his religion, telling him that Christianity will not grow in Japan and that no matter how he prays, the Viceroy will not appear or say anything to him, with a bitter expression on his face. The groans of the upside-down congregation and Ferreira's voice, "If you turn, they will be saved," echo through the prison, and Rodrigo is forced to choose between martyrdom and apostasy: to remain faithful to his faith or to apostatise and save the Japanese congregation.

In the faint light of dawn, Rodrigo stepped on the image of the vicar and began a long period of imprisonment. One day, a woman was thrown into his room. It was Kiku, a woman who had joined the sect to save her husband's life.

Silence (1971) Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbCzPdp81fY

Film Silence (1971) IMDb - 7.2/10

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067755/

Silence (Shusaku Endo) - Wikipedia

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%88%E9%BB%99_(%E9%81%A0%E8%97%A4%E5%91%A8%E4%BD%9C)

Add info No3)

There are several differences between Shusaku Endo's original work, Silence, and the two films based on it (the 1971 and 2016 versions). Each film differs from the original due to its interpretation and style of expression.

Original work 'Silence'

Author: Shusaku Endo
Year of publication: 1966
Story: Set in 17th-century Japan, the story centres on Rodrigo, a Portuguese priest who faces a test of faith during Christian oppression. Rodrigo goes to Japan to confirm Father FERREIRA's apostasy, and the film shows how he suffers God's Silence in Silence of harsh conditions.
Themes: tests of faith, God's silence, religious and cultural conflicts, inner conflict

1971 version of the film "Silence"

Director: Masahiro Shinoda
Differences from the original:
Visual presentation: The visual presentation emphasises a poetic and static approach. The film reflects a Japanese sensibility with a detailed aesthetic.
Characterisation: Some characters and events are interpreted differently from the original. Particular focus is placed on Japanese culture and customs.
Emphasis on themes: the original's themes are maintained, but the film's interpretation and the director's point of view add to the film's overall feel.

2016 version of the film "Silence."

Director: Scorsese
Differences from the original:
Story changes: the storyline is mainly faithful to the original, but some episodes and characterisations have been changed. The film strongly reflects Scorsese's interpretation from his point of view.

Visual presentation: Scorsese's films are beautiful and have many dramatic scenes. The evolution of visual technology has made depicting nature and people more realistic and robust.

Internal characterisation: Father Rodrigo's and the other main characters' internal conflicts are explored more deeply. Rodrigo's spiritual anguish is particularly emphasised.
Treatment of religious themes: Scorsese's religious explorations are strongly reflected in his films, with questions about the meaning of faith and the existence of God being explored in depth.

Commonalities:
All films maintain the main plotlines of the original works. The story of Father Rodrigo confronts God's Silence through the throSilencerial of faith in Japan.
The themes of trials of faith and God's Silence are Silenceently portrayed.

Differences:
Approach and style: the 1971 version takes a more poetic and static Japanese approach, while the 2016 version takes a more visual and dramatic Hollywood approach.
Characterisation: the films differ in their portrayal and interpretation of the characters, particularly in their portrayal of Father Rodrigo's inner life.
Cultural context: the 1971 version is presented from a domestic Japanese perspective, whereas the 2016 version is presented from an international perspective.

These differences allow viewers to enjoy the original story and the film's unique charm and perspective. If you read the original and then watch the film, you will gain a deeper understanding of the different interpretations of each film.