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Post World War 2 Japanese Genre Films
- 2. Introduction The Manchurian Incident Japan as a modernized, militarized nation WW2 Pacific Theatre Losing Kamikaze Atomic bomb Post-war genre films represent a uniquely Japanese perspective on the war
- 3. Japanese Film Genre Terms Kabuki Traditional Japanese plays Drama, dance, costume design Jidaigeki Films set during feudal era Chambara = sword fighting / samurai Gendaigeki Films set in contemporary
- 4. Perhaps these films aren’t really a unique Japanese perspective First Japanese films were just kabuki reenactments Heavy western influence George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen German expressionism, Soviet montage Concession
- 5. Development of Shomingeki Censorship by American occupation No nationalism, militarism, anti-democratic ideas, jidaigeki films (popular before and after the war) Filmmakers unhappy with making cheap propaganda / copying American films Examples No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), dir. Akira Kurosawa “It was necessary to respect the ‘self’ for Japan to be reborn. I still believe it. I depicted a woman who maintained such a sense of self. Those who criticized would have approved if the protagonist of the film had been a man” Ball at the Anjo House (1947)
- 6. Shomingeki Films Characteristics Accepted defeat in WW2 but optimistic (bittersweet endings) realism Inspirational & reflective Analogous to The Grapes of Wrath Attracted people to industry
- 7. Jidaigeki: Seven Samurai (1954) Action, history, & drama Samura: revered and respected Elaborate, stylized, violent fight scenes Historical accuracy (class conflict / feudal system) Plot Village of peasant farmers convince seven ronin to protect them from thieves Class conflict Farmers can only pay with rice; many samurai feel protecting farmers is beneath them
- 8. Jidaigeki Influence: Western Films The Magnificent Seven (1960, 2016) Chambara films ↔ Western films Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) Kill Bill (2003, 2004)
- 9. Akira Kurosawa Arguably the most important Japanese film director Made Shomingeki and jidaigeki films Selections from filmography No Regrets for Our Youth (1946) Rashomon (1950) Seven Samurai (1954) The Hidden Fortress (1958) Yojimbo (1961)
- 10. Kaiju Films Godzilla (1954) The Lucky Dragon No. 5 Incident The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) King Kong (1933) Director Ishiro Honda “I wanted to make radiation visible” Footsoldier who witnessed raids on Japanese cities Godzilla as metaphor for atomic bomb
- 11. Godzilla Franchise Longest running movie franchise (25+ films) King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) Son of Godzilla (1967) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) Original movie lost its relevance American Release SALT Ridiculous sequels
- 12. Trivia Time! One of the following is false, which one is it? George Lucas derived the term Jedi from the word jidaigeki Godzilla was a prototype to animatronics (think dinosaurs in Jurassic Park) Kurosawa directed, edited, and wrote Seven Samurai Two prehistoric fossils have been named after Godzilla
- 13. Activity: Homages and Inspirations Let’s see if you were paying attention! Each picture is a still from a movie that was named in this presentation Put the pictures into groups based on visual similarity Identify/guess which movie each picture belongs to
- 14. Conclusion A Golden Age of Japanese Cinema Technical filmmaking Artistic merit Social commentary These films were very impactful at the time of their release Films give us an less view on the actual perspectives of people during the time Shomingeki: realistic reflection of life, but hopeful Jidaigeki: reminders of former glory, but critical of attitudes
Editor's Notes
- So let’s step back to Japan before WW2. If you remember, the Meiji government in Japan wanted to industrialize quickly to keep up with the West. We also looked at The Manchurian Incident (Sep. 1931) in which Japanese soldiers blew up part of a railroad, framing the Manchurians in order to start a war which they won pretty quickly. Japan’s feeling good about their status as a modernized nation, so they team up with Germany and Italy against the Soviets in the Comintern Pact, and then shortly after, WW2 starts. In the beginning, Japan is doing pretty well in the Pacific Theatre, but after Pearl Harbor, America decides to get involved and Douglas MacArthur, a U.S. General, starts island hopping, then the Japanese have to resort to Kamikaze (Divine Wind) attacks where they would send pilots straight into Allied aircraft carriers. And then Truman authorizes atomic bombs (Little Boy and Fat Man: 20K people died instantly, radiation exposure killed more people afterwards). So you can see that Japan’s loss was pretty disastrous, and the Japanese people weren’t feeling that great. One of the most impactful and important responses to this post-war tragedy, I think, was film. So I’m going to argue that three genres of film that developed after the war provide a unique viewpoint on the war from the Japanese perspective.
- So first I’ll elaborate on some of the genre terms because I found quite a few of them and it’s helpful for orienting yourself in such a diverse world of theatre and film. Keiko eiga: interestingly enough, there was a bit of an underground communist/socialist film movement in Japan before the war
- So just to give you an idea about what these films were like, I’ll explain two films that I came across. Remember that WW2 ended in September 1945, so these movies were made just a couple years after. No Regrets for Our Youth: There’s a professor who’s protesting the Manchurian invasion because he doesn’t like fascism. He’s fired and his daughter marries one of his students who is arrested and killed shortly after. Then the daughter decides to live with her parent-in-laws, they think she is mocking them for their son’s death, so she decides to work in the rice fields with them to prove that she isn’t. Ball at the Anjo House: A noble and wealthy family loses their status after the war, and they’re forced to give up their mansion. The father of the family nearly kills himself during their last party in the house, but the daughter convinces him that they will find a way to survive. So one of the main characteristics of shomingeki films is that they accepted the fact that Japan lost in WW2. Bittersweet So one way to think about shomingeki films is something comparable to The Grapes of Wrath. In both, people are struggling to survive and they were released/published during times where the audience was also in the same predicament. films that experimented with all kinds of comedy as well. The main point of these films was to give people some hope and help them reflect on the events of the war.
- So because Japan was feeling pretty nationalistic before the war, Jidaigeki was a pretty popular genre of film. Due to the censorship of the American occupation, jidaigeki films couldn’t be made during that time, but once the censorship was uplifted it became a prominent genre. One of the main subgenres is chambara which focused on samurai.
- Star wars: samurai metaphor Explain kill bill
- Explain hidden fortress, and yojimbo
- Head was designed to evoke the image of a mushroom cloud? Sound FX: play the roars! Scientist would rather kill himself Jabs at American people (american release: 8 min of footage) Victimization