このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
映画をめぐる文化の話
筆者は大の映画ファンで、日本映画と母国イギリスの映画をこよなく愛する。
しかし日本の映画は、言葉の壁に阻まれて、その隆盛期にあっても欧米では一部の専門家の興味の対象でしかなかった。
そうした評価に変化が起きたのは、日本のアニメが脚光を浴びたり、タランティーノ監督が影響を受けた日本映画を紹介し始めてからのことだ。
A unique film culture
I am a big fan of films, both old and new, particularly those of Japan and my country, England. I first became interested in Japan by watching remarkable films from over half a century ago such as "Tokyo Story" (1953) by Yasujiro Ozu and "Throne of Blood" (1957) by Akira Kurosawa. However, Japanese cinema abroad has long been considered a specialist interest of serious film-lovers only and it is not widely known.
The situation didn't help much when Japanese films, aside from those by a few key directors, seemed to go into decline in the 1960s and '70s. In fact, a very similar thing happened in England during the same era — studios closed down, and those that remained changed to making low-budget horror and erotic movies. It took a long time for the British film industry to dig itself out of that hole, it seems to have taken Japan even longer.
One of the biggest hurdles Japanese films face abroad is, of course, language. So it makes sense that the kind of Japanese films gaining most popularity abroad are animation films — not only for their stories and their technique but also, on a practical level, because the voices can be easily dubbed into different languages. Titles such as "Spirited Away" are particularly popular in Europe, where there is a sizeable community of manga and animation fans.
Director Quentin Tarentino introduced the West to the kind of Japanese films he was influenced by — mainly violent gangster films — and this has opened up people's eyes a little. In recent years, America has started looking to the creative ideas and stories of Japanese films and remaking them in English. Following the success of the U.S. version of "The Ring," there has been a spate of U.S. remakes of Japanese horror films. It's too early to say whether this is just a passing fad or if American companies will keep coming to Japan for inspiration. If they do, despite the language barrier, Japanese cinema's sheer inventiveness in storylines and ideas may allow Japanese creators a bigger platform in the film world.
But more than horror films though, I have enjoyed a number of fairly recent Japanese movies such as Shinji Aoyama's "Eureka" (2000), which looks deeply into problems facing contemporary Japanese society. This film has been lauded abroad as not only the director's best work, but a significant example of Japanese cinema. I find it gratifying to see that in such a profit-driven industry as the film business today, it is possible for a three-and-a-half-hour-long, slow-moving film such as "Eureka" to be made.
Considering the economics of the business, I can't think of many countries in the world where this could happen.
- films
- 映画
- big fan of 〜
- 〜の大ファン
- remarkable
- 注目に値する
- "Tokyo Story"
- 『東京物語』
- Yasujiro Ozu
- 小津安二郎(1903-63)
- "Throne of Blood"
- 『蜘蛛巣城』
- Akira Kurosawa
- 黒澤明(1910-1996)
- situation didn't help much
- 状況はあまり芳しくなかった
- aside from 〜
- 〜は別として
- key directors
- 主だった監督たち
- go into decline
- 衰退する
- era
- 時代
- studios
- 映画の撮影所
- those that remained
- 生き残ったところ(撮影所)
- dig itself out of that hole
- 苦境から脱する
- it makes sense that 〜
- 〜は理にかなっている
- on a practical level
- 実際的なレベルで
- be easily dubbed
- 簡単に吹き替えられる
- Titles
- 作品
- "Spirited Away"
- 『千と千尋の神隠し』
- sizeable
- 相当な大きさの
- Quentin Tarentino
- 米映画監督クエンティン・タランティーノ
- the West
- 欧米諸国
- gangster films
- やくざ映画
- "The Ring"
- 日本の映画『リング』(1998)のリメーク版
- spate of 〜
- 多くの〜
- It's too early to say whether 〜
- 〜かどうかいうのは早急だ
- passing fad
- 一時的なブーム
- for inspiration
- ヒントを得るために
- despite 〜
- 〜があっても
- sheer inventiveness
- 創作力そのもの
- storylines
- ストーリーの展開
- platform
- 活躍の場
- fairly
- かなり
- "Eureka"
- 青山真治監督作品
- has been lauded
- 称賛された
- gratifying
- 満足のいく
- profit-driven
- 利益第一の
- slow-moving
- 話の筋がゆっくり展開する