Over the years, it seems that Ghost in The Shell: The Soul of the Machine was not remembered as the great success that was expected, but rather because of a great controversy that existed at the time. for having chosen an American instead of an Asian to take the role of the protagonist. A position that is not shared by the original director, who considered that Scarlett Johansson was ‘the best possible option’.
Ghost in the Shell from 1995, is an indisputable classic of anime and science fiction. It was the first of many adaptations that Masamune Shirow’s manga would receive thereafter, and one of them was expected to make it to Hollywood sooner or later.
Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) accepted the challenge and his version in live-action was released in 2017. The movie grossed about $169 million worldwide, a figure that barely exceeded its budget and closed the doors to any possibility of turning it into a franchise.
The debate over the racial issue has no foundation, defended the director of the 1995 animated film
At the time, there was an important debate: the choice of Scarlett Johansson for the lead role would represent an ethnic imposition on the original character. However, Mamoru Oshii, director of the 1995 film, said in an interview that he saw no problem in casting a non-Asian actress. Let’s remember his words:
“What problem should there be in choosing her? She is a cyborg and her physical form is completely fictional. Motoko Kusanagi’s name and her current body are neither her real name nor her real body, so to say that an Asian actress should play her has no basis. (…) In the cinema, John Wayne can play Genghis Khan, Omar Sharif, an Arab, can play Doctor Zhivago, a Slav. It’s all a movie convention,” he said.
Furthermore, the filmmaker compared the choice to the classic villain of Star Wars.
“If that’s not allowed, then Darth Vader shouldn’t speak English either. I think Scarlett was the best possible choice to play Motoko. I can only think of a political motivation to oppose this and I think artistic expression should be free of policy.”
Even before watching the movie, Oshii also defended Sanders’ creative freedom in the face of this adaptation.instead of worrying about being as faithful to the anime as possible: “The director must have total freedom in directing. If not, there would be no point in doing the remake.”, commented.
2023-08-07 01:01:03
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