*Amalfi: The Prize of the Goddess*

Year: 2009

Genre: Drama/Thriller/Mystery

Region: Japan

Production Company:

Language: Japanese/Italian

Release Date: 2009-07-18 (Saturday)

English Title: Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess

Director: Hiroyuki Nishizawa

Statistics: 266 subscribers

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1417032/ (6.7)

Synopsis:

Main Cast: Yujiro Ishida, Yuki Amami, Erika Toda, Koji Satoh, Nonomiya Otsuka, Junshi Ito, Akira Onodera, Manabu Satou, Masanobu Takashima, Hiroki Hasegawa, Sarah Brightman, Nico Toffoli

On the eve of Christmas in Rome, a man arrives on this land, he is Japanese diplomat Kozo Kodera (Yujiro Ishida). Due to receiving a terrorist threat letter, his superior Katagawa (Masanobu Takashima) sends Kodera to Italy to protect the safety of Japanese nationals there.

Kodera arrives at the Japanese embassy. Ambassador Kikuhara (Akira Onodera), Counselor Nishino (Masanobu Takashima), diplomat Hanaba (Nonomiya Otsuka) and Taniguchi (Junshi Ito) are busy preparing for Minister Kawagoe's (Manabu Satou) visit to Italy for the G8 summit. Meanwhile, an ordinary Japanese girl suddenly disappears in the dazzling city. Is it a simple kidnapping for ransom? Or the prelude to a terrorist event?

Kodera and intern Ando (Erika Toda), who has just started working at the embassy, act as interpreters for the victim. The kidnappers call the girl's mother Sachiko (Yuki Amami), and due to circumstances, Kodera is forced to pretend to be Sachiko's husband. In Italy, privately paying ransom to kidnappers is illegal. However, they don't care about that and rush to follow the kidnappers' instructions to conduct transactions at crowded places like the central train station, Castel Sant'Angelo, and Piazza di Spagna. However, due to the sudden intervention of the police, the transaction is terminated by the kidnappers.

Italy is full of memories of her deceased husband, and now her beloved daughter is kidnapped here, leaving Sachiko heartbroken. The Italian police prioritize arresting criminals over the safety of the girl. Kodera tries his best to communicate with them, but the exhausted Sachiko gradually loses trust in Kodera.藤井（佐藤浩市饰）得知后从伦敦赶来，在他的安慰下，纱江子终于冷静了下来。

Facing cunning criminals, the police are at a loss. Kodera decides to conduct his own investigation. With the help of his old friend freelance writer Sakurai (Hiroki Hasegawa), he uncovers some clues. However, since diplomats have no investigative authority, the Italian Ministry of Interior protests against this overreach. Kodera insists that protecting citizens is more important than following rules, and he becomes isolated in the embassy. Soon, the girl's kidnapping case escalates, involving the Italian President, leaders of the G8, and even Sarah Brightman, putting Italy at risk of a nationwide chain of large-scale terrorist attacks.

Armed with key clues, Kodera rushes to the beautiful seaside town of Amalfi in southern Italy. Can he uncover the truth and prevent a tragedy?

Behind the Scenes:

Fuji TV's 50th Anniversary - A Suspenseful Blockbuster Entirely Filmed in Italy

Fuji TV is undoubtedly one of the most prominent private television stations in Japan. Not only do its dramas often top the ratings, but it also holds significant influence in the film industry. Fuji TV's greatest achievement, "The Spy Who Loved Me 2: Sealing Rainbow Bridge," remains unmatched with its box office record of 17.35 billion yen, and achieving even half of that is considered top-notch. Additionally, popular films such as "Antarctic Story" from the '80s, "The Tale of the Little Cat," and recent hits like "Deep Blue Sea 2: Love Limit" and "Hero Lawyer" are all Fuji TV productions.

This year marks Fuji TV's 50th anniversary, and an unprecedented luxurious blockbuster - "Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess" - has been created as a special commemorative movie.

Although the exact budget hasn't been disclosed, Fuji TV openly states that this is their largest investment ever. The film gathers top talents within the network, with producer Chikahiro Kameyama overseeing the project and veteran producer Ryōta Motohashi leading the planning. Motohashi didn't opt for the trendy approach of adapting popular novels or continuing hit TV series but instead crafted an original film, choosing a suspense story that easily captivates audiences. Renowned author Hirokazu Maho joined the team to specially conceive the plot for the new film. Maho excels in writing grand and suspenseful narratives; his novel "Snowbound Crisis" was successfully adapted into a film and became a famous Japanese blockbuster. The director of this film is also from Fuji TV's own ranks—Hiroyuki Nishizawa, who has directed famous TV series like "White Tower," "Saving Lives 24 Hours," and "Detective Galileo," and whose two films "County Hall Star" and "Suspect X's Devotion" both achieved great box office success.

The most extravagant aspect of "Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess" is its entirely Italian filming location. The exterior scenes span across Rome's historic center, Caserta Palace, and the Amalfi Coast, three UNESCO World Heritage sites, making these famous landmarks the stage for the protagonists' activities. Vatican City also appears multiple times as a backdrop. Even more astonishingly, the indoor scenes set up with sets were actually filmed in Italian studios. Fuji TV truly spared no expense. Full shooting in Italy isn't merely a golden label for promotion; the cast and crew endured three months of hard work abroad, bringing magnificent scenery and a unique atmosphere to the film.

From Qingdao to Kozo Kodera: Yujiro Ishida Takes on the Diplomat Role

When the plan for the new film was initially formed, Fuji TV decided that Yujiro Ishida would star in the film. As one of the main contributors to the legendary "Great Search Line," Ishida has always been a favored star actor by Fuji TV. Even after setbacks like the box office failure of "Tsubaki Sanjuro" and the poor ratings of "Classroom of the Sun and Sea," he remains a trusted ace of Fuji TV.

Interestingly, due to the production team's "Search Line sentiment," the name of the protagonist, diplomat Kozo Kodera, was derived from the main character of "Search Line," Junzo Aozora, showing a close relationship in the choice of characters. Unlike the cheerful Aozora, Kodera in this film is a serious individual, and unlike the young and passionate Aozora, Kodera lacks sharp edges. However, like Aozora, Kodera is a person with steadfast beliefs and is willing to be an outlier within an organization to uphold those beliefs.

To portray the character of Kodera, Ishida put in tremendous effort, carefully considering details such as expressions and small props. To master the lines, he practiced Italian diligently during every spare moment, transforming from someone who only knew "Pasta" into a fluent conversationalist in Italian. Occasionally, Director Nishizawa's sudden ideas caused Ishida some trouble. After arriving at the Spanish Steps, Nishizawa suddenly added a scene not in the script — having Kodera almost get run over by a car. Ishida thought a stunt double would be used, but unexpectedly, the director insisted on him doing it personally. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, the car stopped in time, and the shot was completed in one take.

The lineup led by Yujiro Ishida can certainly be called top-tier luxury. The female lead is played by Yuki Amami, whose popularity soared thanks to "Woman at Forty" and "BOSS." The addition of beauties Erika Toda and Nonomiya Otsuka also adds color to the film. Moreover, the film gathers a group of accomplished actors such as Koji Satoh, Junshi Ito, Masanobu Takashima, Akira Onodera, and features special roles by Hiroki Hasegawa and Masanobu Takashima. Notably, "Moonlight Goddess" Sarah Brightman also makes an appearance, performing the film's theme song "Time To Say Goodbye" at Caserta Palace.

Trivia:

- Koji Satoh revealed a "shocking insider information" at the film's preview screening, claiming that although the film claims to be entirely filmed in Italy, one scene was actually shot in Japan. Due to staff negligence, improper preservation of the film reel resulted in exposure damage, forcing Hiroyuki Nishizawa to recreate the same set at Toho Studios to reshoot the scene.

- The original title of the film was "Amalfi: 50 Seconds of the Goddess."

- When Yujiro Ishida arrived in Italy to shoot the film, it coincided with his birthday. The crew held a celebration for him, and the Italian producers gifted him a blue scarf as a birthday present. During costume trials in Tokyo, Ishida couldn't find a suitable scarf, but when Nishizawa saw the blue scarf, he immediately liked it. Thus, the newly received birthday gift became one of the important props.