Francois Girard, the Canadian filmmaker who brought to the screen such quirky masterpieces as "Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" and "The Red Violin," changes his style and goes all out in the grandiose "Silk." His first feature project in 10 years, "Silk" is based on an Italian novel that explores the theme of the "Other" — here, pre-Meiji Era Japan as represented by a silent concubine.
"Silk" was the closing film at the Tokyo International Film Festival late last year and boasts an impressive cast, plus a score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Though Girard admits there were things that he "could have done differently," this was a project that called for scale rather than depth.
"Because the story called for a portrayal of long distances and many different locales, it was necessary to sacrifice some points," he says. "But overall, I'm satisfied."