The Generous Range of Variety and Richness in Contemporary Japanese Films

COVER STORY • 2 The Generous Range of Variety and Richness in Contemporary Japanese Films

By Shinada Yukichi

N 2003, a host of events were held at length, and I explained the distin- billion in 1958. Following that year, the Iaround the world to commemorate guishing characteristics of Kitano’s number of moviegoers began to decline the centenary of the birth of the film movies.) gradually, and in 1993, the figure had director Ozu Yasujiro, whose popularity The problem for Kitano, who had dropped to one-tenth of its peak level. and esteemed reputation overseas rival directed 10 works prior to Zatoichi, was The most significant reason for this phe- those of Kurosawa Akira. The screening that although his movies were critically nomenon is said to be the diversification of Ozu works and a symposium hosted acclaimed, they were not commercially of amusement activities. Though by the New York Japan Society were successful. Zatoichi, however, would movies had once been the public’s sole said to be quite a success. In Japan as become Kitano’s first box office hit. It is form of leisure, amusement options well, symposiums were held on the sub- said that investors’ confidence in Kitano began to take various shapes as Japan ject of Ozu’s work, and the 30-some will rise substantially from now on. Last experienced overall economic growth. films still extant were shown at screen- year, in the Nikkan Sports Movie Award Leisure revenue, which had been stream- ings and aired on television. film competition sponsored by the ing primarily toward movies, began to Japanese directors including Japanese sports daily, Nikkan Sports, diverge into a range of areas, and movies Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi Kenji and Kitano was awarded the grand prize in no longer held a firm grip. Naruse Mikio have been critically the director’s category. He said at the From the perspective of quality, direc- acclaimed internationally. They have all award ceremony, “Because this movie tor Imamura Shohei, a two-time winner passed on, but when calling to mind was a hit, I think it will be easier for me of the Palme d’Or at the Festival film directors that are professionally to make movies in the future.” Interational Due Film De Cannes for active today, one cannot fail to mention Japanese movies have maintained an Narayama Bushiko (Ballad of Narayama) Kitano Takeshi. upward trend in the past decade. Ten and Unagi (The Eel), had been a prime Kitano directed and starred in years ago, the number of moviegoers was figure in Japanese film since the death of Zatoichi, a samurai film about a blind about 130 million annually, but in Kurosawa, the international virtuoso, warrior, and took the Special Director’s 2003, that figure rose to around 160 who reigned supreme in Japan’s movie Award at La Beinnale di Venezia in million. industry. Commercially, the movie 2003. Under the stage name, “Beat The largest annual movie theater audi- industry continued to flag, but the lega- Takeshi,” he is among the celebrity elite ence ever recorded in Japan was 1.23 cy of Japanese movies as a form of cul- in Japan as both a stand-up comedian and TV personality. In 1988, he made Photo: © KUROSAWA Production Inc. his directorial debut with Sono Otoko Kyobo ni Tsuki (Violent Cop) and creat- ed a stir with his depictions of ruthless violence. Over the past 15 years, he has directed 11 films, including his most recent work Zatoichi. He was awarded the Golden Lion at La Biennale de Venezia in 1998 for HANA-BI. In 2001, he directed BROTHER, a collabo- rative work by Japanese and British production companies, filmed on location on the West Coast of the United States. As one can easily guess from his record of commendations, Kitano is a renowned Japanese director in Europe. Whatever the reason, be it the success of Zatoichi at Venice or the film’s popularity in Japan, an article on Kitano appeared in the Asian edition of Time magazine. (A Time magazine writer came from Hong Kong to interview me Kurosawa Akira has been critically acclaimed internationally

JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • March / April 2004 11 COVER STORY • 2

countries such as France and district in downtown Tokyo. He then Germany, Japanese movies are branched out into manzai, a unique effectively resisting the market form of Japanese stand-up comedy per- dominance of foreign movies, formed by a pair, appearing on TV and especially those from America. becoming a popular figure across the It is said that in Europe and country. Later, his manzai partnership the United States, American was dissolved, and he began making solo movies have seized over 70% appearances on TV programs such as of the market. variety shows. He is now one of the Today in Japan, large com- busiest sought-after talents in Japan. He panies that had annually pro- had acted in movies in the past (his most duced over 50 films are dra- famous films include Oshima Nagisa’s matically scaling back their Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence), but he production, while smaller has no movie staff experience. In fact, filmmakers are producing a he is entirely self-taught. number of movies on modest It is a widely known fact in Japanese budgets. Such is the phenom- movie circles that Kurosawa recognized enal change that is taking place Kitano’s aptitude as a director early on. in the fundamental structure Needless to say, Kitano also held of movie production. Kurosawa’s talent in high regard. Kitano Takeshi’s “Zatoichi” was his first box office hit Large companies once kept In 2003, veteran director Onchi their own studios and theaters Hideo, who trained at the Toho movie ture was passed down from Kurosawa to and maintained exclusive contracts with studio, demonstrated his superior stag- Imamura, and in turn, from Imamura to actors and actresses, and retained techni- ing skills in Warabinoko (To the Kitano. They defended the traditions of cal staff as permanent employees. But Bracken Fields), based on the folk story Japan’s golden era of movies, born of with the disappearance of these schemes, of Ubasuteyama (about a poor village in such masterminds as Kurosawa, studios brought an end to the regular which old people were customarily Mizoguchi, Ozu and Naruse. hiring and training of new personnel as abandoned in the mountains). Kuroki As for the state of the Japanese movie skilled professionals. Instead, new Kazuo, also a veteran director with a industry, the decrease in movie audi- movie-creating talent is being cultivated long career, who made the transition ences exhausted the larger film compa- from among the young people working from documentary movies to dramas, is nies. At the beginning of the 1970s, at smaller movie productions and those credited for his outstanding work, they faced a major predicament with the subcontracted by television programs. Utsukushii Natsu Kirishima (A Beautiful bankruptcy of the Japanese film giants Tasogare Seibei (Twilight Samurai), Summer in Kirishima), which depicts Daiei Pictures and Nikkatsu Corp. the samurai movie that dominated the life in the Japanese countryside in the Theaters continued to dwindle from the 2002 Japanese movie awards, was the waning days of World War II. Both are peak of 4,000 reached in the industry’s work of a veteran director, Yamada Yoji, old hands, well versed in the aesthetic heyday. who had risen through the ranks from qualities of traditional Japanese movies One could say that the theaters finally assistant director to director at and are of a generation that is presenting spotted a glimmer of hope when Japan’s Shochiku, a film company steeped in outstanding works to the world. And first cinema complex was built in Ebina, tradition. However, Yukisada Isao, on the other hand, young up-and-com- Kanagawa Prefecture in 1993. director of GO, which collected the ing directors are producing unique pro- Since then, cinema complexes have most awards in 2001, was the young tal- jects in large numbers. been springing up here and there and, as ent of a new generation who had no past I think it is fair to say that the if stirred by them, moviegoers have been studio affiliations or studio work experi- Japanese movies of our time offer a gen- flocking to cinemas in increasingly larger ence. erous range of variety and richness. numbers. Over 50% of the movies Of course Kitano has never worked as shown in multiplexes are of foreign ori- a staff member at any movie studio. He gin and that ratio is growing. Even so, it started off gaining experience as a stage Shinada Yukichi is a film critic and a is fair to say that, compared to European entertainer in Asakusa, the amusement professor emeritus of Tama Art University.

12 JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • March / April 2004