PROJECTS BOOKS BIOGRAPHY NEWS CONTACT		Eastern, 2010, DV-PAL, 08.41 mins. / view film notes (pdf)		Eastern (2010) is a re-enactment, by locals who live near Zempukuji Park in the suburbs of Tokyo, of the final scene in Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’. Thirty non-professional actors and actresses were involved half playing the role of Charles Bronson, the others Henry Fonda. Each time an edit occurs a new face is seen. There is little continuity, but shot for shot there is a close imitation of Leone’s original dual between a man wronged and his oppressor . Sergio Leone and Japanese director Akira Kurosawa were locked in a legal battle over the copyright of the origination of what came first the Samurai movie or the Western (Kurosawa won). The cultural translations, interpretations and mis-interpretations at work in ‘Eastern’ look again at this debate of how East meets West and how we view each others’ cultures. With no budget for this project what was immediately available was used as props and wardrobe, even the dolly (an essential part of Leone’s approach to filming) is made from rollerskates and plumbing tubes. With passersby walking in and out of shot, the film an intended homespun feel. The music was made by two local musicians improvising having heard Morricone’s score.