PRODUCTION NOTES by TSURISAKI
KIYOTAKA
It was in September in 1995 when I met Froilan Orozco
for the first time. I was introduced to Orozco by Colombian photographer
specialized in the dead Alvaro Fernandez Bonilla as he recommended me
take photos of embalming. First I recieved intense impression on Orozco's
smoldery features rather than embalming, and also I got attracted to
his nihilistic darkness, speech and behavior that was short and to the
point with confidence in himself. If it is the corpse as it stays still,
I would take still photos.
I thought Orozco was worth being filmed and I also
wanted to make a film focused on him. In 1996 'V&R PLANNING' the
AV manufacturer ever released 'junk' and 'death file' offered me to make
some photoshooting for the new 'death file'. And the first thing I did
was to take photos of Orozco and paid him five hundred dollars for that
photoshoot. At that point both Orozco and I thought would work together
for only once.
Eventually the new 'death file' did not happen. The
purge of cruel expression in Japan was progressing steadily. I never
expected to see such an end of the century. However, I kept the coverage
on Orozco without thinking of that situation I mentioned above. And every
time I met him, unconsciously I was taking a video of him.
Orozco did not claimed any additional fee against me.
He was brusque and stoic like a martyr. What on earth was he thinking
of me that came all the way from Japan just to film corpses? Because
we didn't have much conversation and for Orozco he might think that I
was not disturbing him, I was left alone. I also liked the situation
with comfortable distance. The relationship between us was some what
strange.
Sometimes I wondered for how long our relationship
would last, but I never expected it would end suddenly until the death
of Orozco himself in February in 1998. The existence of him had such
unparalleled influence in me. He died of hernia. That means the weight
of 50 thousand bodies he embalmed crushed on him. It was the vocational
disease. Though it might sound cruel, it was the death in harness with
honor.
Since the coverage was unconscious and sensuous one,
when I think back of it now I have many regrets. Was the coverage like
putting him into a corner might necessary? I was just there for him and
I thought it might be important.
Once I asked him such a thing,
"For example, is it
possible to take a video of necrophilia?",
"1,500,000 pesos(1,500 dollars)
including guarantee for the actor."
That was way actual figure.
"Just
for reference, how about the snuff film?"
Orozco put a grin and said, "huh,
you got money? It costs a lot."
Was he teasing me? The story that
Orozco once had smuggled cocaine stuffed inside a corpse into America
got reality and sounded true to me. Actually during the heyday of drug
war, the incidents where cocaine was found in the corpse occurred frequently.
The method of Stuffing cocaine into the corpse of a baby and a woman
acting like mother carried it out was popular in smuggling.
Orozco also confessed such story when the camera was
not running. Whether he might be a inhabitant in the urban legend or
not, I don't have much interest in the truth of things. What I aim for
is not a rough documentary, but a beautiful epic. Anyhow I brought up
all numerous video footage into one to comeplete 'OROZCO EL EMBALSAMADOR'
in 1999 and released it in theaters in summer of 2000.
(Tsurisaki Kiyotaka)
