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Essay

A unique film culture

By Hal Richard

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 erastudios 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.


Shukan ST: Aug. 15, 2008

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