Customer Reviews

Okuribito (Departures)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Last month I had the pleasure of catching the Oscar winning film OKURIBITO (aka DEPARTURES) at my local Landmark theater). I completely fell in love with the film about a man who finds a new calling in the field of Nokanshi (or encoffineer) after his orchestra is dismissed due to poor finances. What really made this film so endearing to me is the gorgeous classical film score by Joe Hisaishi, the same composer who has worked on numerous Hiyao Miyazaki films. I was particularly moved by his song "Memory". The haunting melodies of the song had brought tears to my ears through out the film. It is rare that a film score could do that to me but Joe's beautiful composition did. The soundtrack is about 44 minutes long. I had to scour the internet to find a copy of the soundtrack at a decent price. I was fortunate that I did and I was not disappointed by what I heard. This soundtrack is definitely worth owning if you loved the movie as much as I do.

Sometimes, while watching a movie, there is a perfect union of story, ambiance, and emotion. Not ordinary emotion, rather an emotion so strong that it causes an incredible riot in the heart and feelings come to the surface that the person never dreamed were there. Often it is the musical score that joins the storyline with the acting that makes this happen. In Departures, this is exactly the case. At times wistful and sad this music captures you when you least expect it. The grand orchestral tracks are the most powerful in their beauty and depth and overwhelm you. You know immediately every emotion Mr. Hisaishi felt while composing this score.
Joe Hisaishi has proven that he is the master of passion in music.

Score for Departures - Japanese movie.
As the movie proceeds on a very gingerly pace so does the score. Mainly piano and cello. The piano describes the contents of the story whereas the cello follows the
young man. The piano theme is like a slow rendition of "Blue Moon" but one doesnot
realize this because of the chord progressions which take the melody beyond the melodic line. It's only at the end that the two (piano and cello) merge. That's when the two motives: the growth of the young man in his profession and the personal conflicts unite to a conclusion.

BEAUTIFUL music. The CD came to me in excellent conditions in a timely manner. There was not a single problem with the vendor. Great soundtrack to keep and listen over and over again.

I purchased this soundtrack because I loved the main theme from the movie, a haunting cello piece. As with most soundtracks, some of the music included were minor pieces or not really heard in the movie. However, the several pieces with the main theme featuring the cello more than make up for the lesser songs.

I was also pleased with the quick delivery of this item which was shipped from South Korea, it came a few weeks earlier than estimated. Right on Amazon.com.

The film in which this music served as score, surprised me in many ways and it certainly deserved the best foreign film award. However, what really helped impress me about this moving story was the music. I cannot say that it was memorable right from the beginning, but by the end, it's impact was apparent when it brought some well-deserved tears to my eyes. Upon hearing it on the soundtrack, I can vividly remember all the same emotion that I had the first time. Each track is carefully mastered and the result is a just a sublime listening experience. I have a hungh that even if for those unfamiliar with the movie, the music can stand on it's own terms.

I accidentally came across this movie and fell in love with both the film and the soundtrack. Impossible to get it on iTunes, but was able to find it on Amazon. It shipped from Korea, so it was projected to take two weeks. However, it was less than that! Also, the sellers were in contact and sent me 3 e-mails to confirm its status without me having to initiate anything. Very pleased and it is a beautiful soundtrack to study to.

Rarely is a soundtrack so stunning. If you haven't seen the movie, run and see it. The soundtrack exponentially enhanced the movie experience!

OKURIBITO is definitely one of the best films of the year. Besides, Hisaishi's score remains the former works' power. But if you compare it with the score from his past soundtrack as HANA-BI and KIKUJIRO, you'll find this album can't directly send a track to be remembered at once. It delivered a feeling from the whole chapters, with both warmth and bittersweetness. Not fully recommended to OSCAR-winning score lovers, but to audiences who love MORRICONE or DESPLAT.