AUCKLAND A movie recounting the story of Japanese Christians martyred in the 17th century is set to be filmed in New Zealand, according to various reports. The Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported last month that Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese will film the movie in New Zealand and release it in 2010. Among Scorseses list of directing accomplishments is the controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ.
Actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael García Bernal and Benicio Del Toro have been linked to the Japanese martyrs project.
The film is based on the book Chinmoku (Silence), by Japanese Catholic author Shusaku Endo. The novel tells the story of a Portuguese missionary in Japan at the beginning of the 17th century.
Silence refers to the silence of God before the cross of Christ, in telling of the missionarys forced apostasy in the midst of horrendous torture, Zenit said.
Endo, who died in 1997, was baptised at age 12. His novels reflect his effort to show Christianity reconciled with Oriental culture, as well as his vision of human weakness, sin and grace.
Among his other writings are A Life of Jesus and Deep River, in which he tries to present Christianity to the Asian ways of thinking.
Last November, 188 Japanese martyrs from the same era as the plot of Silence were beatified.
