Genji monogatari – Sennnen no Nazo (Tale of Genji – the Millennial Enigma)


2011


director: Yasuo Tsuruhashi


            This film was made to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the completion of the
classical piece of Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji (Genji monotagari). It is the world´s
first psychological novel written in around 1005-1010 by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu. The novel
(= Czech román, ne “novela”!) is regarded as the Japanese magnum opus (the great piece of
literature, veledílo). It depicts the life on the imperial court in Heiankyō (today´s Kyōto),
especially the love life of a prince royal nicknamed Genji. The period of the story is the Heian
period (794-1185) which represents the classical period of Japanese antiquity.

            The concrete plot of the film is based on a modern novel inspired by The Tale of Genji.