Tale of Genji: A Thousand Year Enigma
2011・Japan・137 minutes
A blend of history and fantasy based on "The Tale of Genji" (Genji Monogatari), Japan's oldest work of romantic literature. Its story unfolds in two parallel realms: the world of the book, which enjoys international renown as a literary classic; and hidden episodes from the life of its mysterious author Lady Murasaki Shikibu. In the Heian period, the powerful Lord Fujiwara no Michinaga (Higashiyama Noriyuki) orders Lady Murasaki Shikibu (Nakatani Miki) to compose a story that will inflame the ardor of his daughter (Renbutsu Misako) for the Emperor. She writes a tale that revolves around the character of Prince Hikaru GENJI (Ikuta Toma), a young man of unsurpassed beauty.