Japan2000: New page: '''Japanese movies''' have a long and decorated history, stretching back to before the 1930s when silent films were most common. Multiple genres have developed from the early film producti...

2008-06-22T00:13:43Z

New page: '''Japanese movies''' have a long and decorated history, stretching back to before the 1930s when silent films were most common. Multiple genres have developed from the early film producti...

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'''Japanese movies''' have a long and decorated history, stretching back to before the 1930s when silent films were most common. Multiple genres have developed from the early film productions in [[Japan]], which were largely based on traditional period and stage plays. The advent of [[anime]], horror, monster films, and [[jidaigeki]] period films have all made profound impacts of the cinema in both Japan and the western world.

==Early Japanese Film==
The earliest films produced in Japan were [[Bake Jizo]] and [[Shinin no sosei]], both produced and directed in 1898. The earliest films in Japan’s history were largely period pieces and film adaptations of [[kabuki]] theater, and as such kabuki actor, [[Matsunosuke Onoe]], became the first true movie star with more than 1,000 films to his credit between 1909 and 1926 during the silent era.

Female performers were not allowed in film until 1911 when [[Tokuko Nagai Takagi]] first appeared in a series of four short films. [[Kenji Mizoguchi]] started his career during this silent film era and later went on to become one of nation’s most prolific directors. Many of these early films have been lost however due to a combination of World War II, the 1923 [[Great Kanto Earthquake]], and the ravages of time on filmstock.

==Early Sound Films==
While silent films continued into the mid-1930s, the first talkies were produced in this period including Mizoguchi’s [[Sisters of the Gion]] in 1936, and [[The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums]] as well as Yamanaka’s [[Humanity and Paper Balloons]] in 1937. Also during this period however, censorship became a reality with multiple directors such as [[Daisuke Ito]] whose political leanings grew increasingly problematic in a nationalistic atmosphere.

The 1940s found Japan at the height of war and most of its films during the time period until 1945 reflected this. While many Jidaigeki, including [[Akira Kurosawa]]’s first film, [[Sugata Sanshiro]] in 1943, continued to be produced, modern topics were largely considered out of bounds and military productions were ramped up to reflect the national mood.

Following the end of World War II however, and with the Allied occupation, a number of films that had been released during the 1930s and 40s became available in Japan greatly influencing many of the nations directors and animators. Also during this time, another of the country’s early masters rose to prominence in [[Yasujiro Ozu]] whose [[Late Spring]] was a huge success in 1949.

==1950s Films==
During the 1950s, Japanese Cinema exploded with a new rush of emerging talent and films that are still today considered among the best in film history. To start the decade, Akira Kurosawa’s [[Rashomon] won over a number of critics and audiences and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. [[Toshiro Mifune]], one of Japan’s biggest film stars of all time was introduced in Kurosawa’s period piece and the two would work together many times in the future including on [[Seven Samurai]], another all time top film and one that introduced a whole host of new cinematic techniques to the field, including various shot lengths, and cutting techniques.

Yasujiro Ozu’s [[Tokyo Story]] was released in 1953 to grat acclaim and the first Japanese color film, [[Gate of Hell]] was released in the same year under the direction of [[Teinosuke Kinugasa]]. In the same year (1954) that Seven Samurai saw its initial release, [[Ishiro Honda]] released [[Gojira]] (Godzilla), a post-nuclear commentary that went over very well overseas. The film was highly edited though when it was released in America largely due to its thematic content, but still went on to become a major icon of Japan’s [[Kaiju]] film genre, spawning countless monster flicks to follow. Other major film releases of the 1950s included:

*[[Part I of the Samurai Trilogy]] – [[Hiroshi Inagaki]] (1955) – Won Best Foreign Film Oscar
*[[The Burmese Harp]] – [[Kon Ichikawa]] (1956)
*[[Fires on the Plain]] – Kon Ichikawa (1959)
*[[No Greater Love]] – [[Masaki Kobayashi]] (1958)
*[[The Life of Oharu]] – Kenji Mizoguchi (1952
*[[Ugetsu]] – Kenji Mizoguchi (1953) – Won Golden Bear at Venice Film Festival
*[[Sansha the Bailiff]] – Kenji Mizoguchi (1954)
*[[Repast]] – [[Mikio Naruse]] (1950)
*[[The Sound of the Mountain]] – Mikio Naruse (1954)
*[[Good Morning]] – Yasujiro Ozu (1959)
*[[Gloating Weeds]] – Yasujiro Ozu (1958)

==1960s Films==
During the 1960s, Akira Kurosawa once again started the decade with an iconic, influential film in [[Yojimbo]], released in 1961. The film, hailed as the precursor to the Spaghetti Western was a major success both in Japan and abroad. Other major films released early include Ozu’s final film, [[An Autumn Afternoon]], released in 1962 and Naruse’s [[When a Woman Ascends the Stairs]] in 1960.

The first Technicolor films in Japan were released in the 1960s as well with [[Kon Ichikawa]]’s [[Tokyo Olympiad]], a celebrated documentary of the 1964 Olympics. Another prominent name arose in this period with [[Seijun Suzuku]], who was actually fired from his post with [[Nikkatsu]] for making [[Branded to Kill]] in 1967. Japanese films continued to gain international attention as well with films like [[Woman in the Dunes]] winning the Special Jury Prize in Cannes in 1964 and [[Kwaidan]] following in the next year with the same honor.

==1970s Films==
During the 1970s, new genres and styles of Japanese film were developed along with a number of collaborative projects with other directors from abroad. The rise of the Pink film industry also marked the 1970s with [[Nagisa Oshima]]’s [[In the Realm of the Senses]] released in 1976. The film contained a number of pornographic scenes and was never shown in Japan in its uncut form.

Other directors such as [[Yoji Yamada]] rose to prominence with his [[Tora-San]] series, while [[Kinji Fukasaku]] created and completed his [[Battles Without Honor]] and [[Humanity]] series. [[Shohei Imamura]] returned to feature films in 1979 with [[Vengeance is Mine]] and Akira Kurosawa took dramatic shifts in his work with films like [[Dursu Uzala]] – a Russian/Japanese collaboration.

==The 1980s==
While anime had been building in popularity and films were released in the 1950s and 1960s, the breakthrough of films such as [[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind]] from [[Hayao Miyazaki]] made headways for major productions and big budgets in Japanese animation during the 1980s.
Other well known feature directors returned to form in the decade, with Shohei Imamura making [[The Ballad of Narayama]] and winning the Golden Palm at Cannes in 1983. Akira Kurosawa made his first color films in the 1980s with [[Kagemusha]] and [[Ran]], both with the backing and support of American producers and fellow directors who had long since cited him as a major source of inspiration in their works.

==The 1990s==
During the 1990s, a wide array of new directors and genres found their way into the Japanese mainstream. Directors such as [[Takeshi Kitano]] appeared and made films such as [[Sonatine]] in 1993 and Hana-bi in 1997 which won the Golden Lion in Venice. [[Takashi Miike]] began his career in the 1990s as well with the first in his [[Dead or Alive]] series in 1999 and [[Audition]] in late 1998. His career has been incredibly prolific since, making more than 50 films in the 11 years since he first debuted.

Hayao Miyazaki continued his string of successes in the 1990s with films like [[Porco Rosso]] and [[Princess Mononoke]] and many other animated feature directors became successful including the likes of [[Mamoru Oshii]] with [[Ghost in the Shell]], [[Satoshi Kon]] with [[Perfect Blue]] and the film adaptations of [[Hideaki Anno]]’s [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] series.

==Recent Films==
In recent years, Japanese film has continued its trend towards a mixture of classic jidaigeki, genre bending conceptual films, art-house dramas, and big budget animation. Notable films in the 2000s thus far include:

*[[Battle Royale]]
*[[Spirited Away]]
*[[Zatoichi]]
*[[Ringu]]
*[[Distance]]
*[[Ghost in the Shell 2]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/ Japanese Movie Database] (Japanese)
*[http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/eac/japan/RefSourceJpnCinema.htm Japanese Cinema at the University of Iowa]

[[Category:Japanese Movies|Japanese Movies]]

Japanese Movies - Revision history

Japan2000: New page: '''Japanese movies''' have a long and decorated history, stretching back to before the 1930s when silent films were most common. Multiple genres have developed from the early film producti...