"The Golden Age" of Japanese Cinema

  Cinema of Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897.

The 1950's is considered the"Golden Age" of Japanese Cinema..

Three great directors were the ground-breaking pioneers who filled the theaters during this time period. 

Akira Kurosawa  Born Mar 23, 1910 - Died September 6, 1998

Kurosawa directed 30 films and his career spanned 57 years.

 

Yasujiro Ozu   Born Dec. 12, 1903 - Died Dec 12, 1963

Kenj Mizoguchi  Born May 16, 1898 - Died Aug 24, 1956

 Three Japanese films from this decade of the 1950's made the "Sight and Sound" Critics and Directors poll  (2002) for the best films of all time. "Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Tokyo Story."        

                                  Photos from "Rashomon."

 

 

1952 . . . Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" won several awards including Best Foreign Film in 1952.  This film was at the beginning of the "Golden Age." Toshiro Mifune also got the world's attention in this film. Mifune is the subject of a recent documentary narrated by Keanu Reeves. I recommend this one!  It covers a lot of ground concerning the conditions these films were made under and how they were directed.  ("Mifune: The Last Samurai") is now streaming on Netflix.

 

  1954 . . . Two of Japan's most influential films were released. "The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa. Also in 1954 Kurosawa's "Ikiru" and Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story" were released.

 Photos of the "Seven Samurai"

 The American version of "The Seven Samurai" is "The Magnificent Seven" with Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen. 

 

1954. . . "Godzilla" was originally conceived by the Japanese as a comment on mankind and the products of their wars, a symbol of war. Godzilla is a creature created by radioactive fallout. It was also released in America as "Godzilla, King of the Monsters." Ishiro Honda directed this anti-nuclear drama. Godzilla became an international icon of Japan and inspired a whole subgenre of kaiju films.

 

 

 

1956. . . Kenji Mizoguchi died in 1956 and ended his career with a series of masterpieces including "The Life of Oharu" (1952), "Ugetsu"(1953), "Sansho the Bailiff" (1954).  

 "His films have an extraordinary force and purity. They shake and move the viewer by the power, refinement and compassion with which they confront human suffering." quote from Mark Le Fanu

 

  Yasujiro Ozu began directing color films beginning with "Equinox Flower" (1958), "Good Morning" (1959) and "Floating Weeds" (1958) which was adapted from his earlier silent film. He began his film career during the silent film era. He was a screenwriter and a director.

Ozu loved movies and would play hooky from school in order to go see the hollywood movies in the local theater. In 1923, he landed a job as an camera assistant in Tokyo at "Shochiku Studios" and three years later was made an assistant director and directed his first film the next year "Blade of Penitence."

 

 Be sure and watch some of these fascinating, timeless films. You can use the reference links below to search them out. Also you will find some of these streaming on Netflix and Hulu!

 

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Other articles you might like are:

"Japanese Anime"

"Surrealism in Film"

"Dark Comedy"

 

For more info here are some great links:

http://www.rogerebert.com        great film reviews

http://www.wickepedia.com 

http://www.criterion.com 

http://www.filmsite.org 

 

Japanese Anime

Definition. . . 
a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. 

A New Movement. . .
As the "Golden-Age" of Japanese Cinema (1950's thru 1960's)  came to a close, a new movement of Japanese film sprang forth. The (AH-nee-may) movement is sometimes referred to as the "Second Golden Age of Japanese Cinema." 

The talented directors of the "Golden Age" had golden budgets and would fill the theaters during their film era. Three of those were: 
 Kenji Mizoguchi (Born May 16, 1898 - Died Aug 24, 1956) 

Yasujiro Ozu (Born Dec 12, 1903- Died Dec. 12, 1963) 

Akira Kurosawa (Born March 23, 1910 - Died Sept 6, 1998.) 

After this "Golden Age" was gone, the theaters were not always filled; even though there were some talented directors during this time. 
A new era emerged. . . 

"Anime" arrives. . .

Japanese film has never been more popular than it is right now. In the United States, cities such as Seattle, WA have immense anime sections in book and video stores. For more than a decade,  fans have been exchanging anime over the internet and trading bootlegged movie files in an underground movement of crazed followers.

 Coming into the light, and catching on on all over the world, anime is on the rise from the sparse theater crowds after the "Golden Age" film era. Japan's film scene is full of anime features and films. An estimated 60 percent of Japanese film production is anime now.

In Japan, the box office gets a large percentage from anime features. In America, Disney movies get the most box office action; but that is changing as anime is catching on. Anime covers many subjects such as issues of growing up for teens, childhood stories, adult subjects and horror stories. 

Origin of Anime. . .
"Anime" could have derived from the Japanese "ukiyo" - the woodblock prints of the 19th century. Here, the artists conveyed movement with crude drawings. Sword fighting, dancing geishas, water movement were all in the form of line drawings.

Westerners struggle to create live-action cinema where the Japanese are more interested in evoking a particular mood through the careful use of color and expression. The  best way to appreciate anime might be a series of still drawings. Manga comic books (a large producer of comic books for adults and children in Japan) states that the Japanese public does not favor movement over composition as a principle of expression.

The following is a video trailer of "Princess Mononoke"

  

"Princess Mononoke" was the highest grossing film of any kind in Japanese history, in 1999. Directed by:  Hayao Miyazakki   "Titanic" finally topped it.

With the voices of:  Claire Danes, Billy Cruddup, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, Jada Pinkett Smith, John De Mita dubbed in English.

Hayao Miyazaki (referred to as "the Walt Disney of Japan" rolls up his sleeves and draws his films himself! Mr. Miyazaki sometimes animates his characters flat with only a suggestion of dimension by solid wash shading. 

 "Spirited Away" in 2002 outgrossed "Princess Mononoke" when it was released in July 2001. A few of his other films are "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989); "Castle in the Sky" (1986); "Warriors of the Wind" (1984) and "The Castle of Caglicatro" (1979)

Following is a video trailer for "Spirited Away"

 
These are more photos "Princess Mononoke"

                                                                                                                                      

"My Neighbor Totoro" is another movie drawn by Miyazaki

 

 




"Animation unleashes the mind. These movies are so alive, intelligent and inventive that adults may get more out of them than children." Roger Ebert









"Totoro" is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy. A film with no villains, no fight scenes, no evil adults, no kids fighting, no scary monsters. No darkness before the dawn. A world that is benign. A world where if you meet a strange towering creature in the forest, you curl up on its tummy and have a nap. It has been voted the best family film of all time, right behind "Toy Story" and ahead of "Shrek." 
quote by Rober Ebert    "It makes me smile and smile and smile."

Ebert also says, "Great animation can make the mind sing."
"Realistic films show the physical world: animation shows its
essence." 

You can find a good collection of anime streaming on Netflix and other streaming networks.



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For further animation study here are some great links:
http://www.rogerebert.com           for reviews by Robert Ebert

http://www.imdb.com                movie database

http://www.criterion.com 

http://www.filmsite.org               AMC film site 

http://www.otakuusamagazine.com      Oraku  (voted best anime magazine in the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com           #anime   "Top 20 Anime Every Fan needs to Watch"  

    You might also be interested in these blogs:
Martial Art Movies
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html
The Golden Age of Italian Cinema

http://the-golden-age-of-italian-cinema.html 


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Forensic Files

Forensic Files

What is our fascination with dead bodies? Have we turned into freaks who are calloused to dead horrifying corpses? Do we even notice them anymore? What do you think? In this brief blog, we will look at some of the most popular series and think about why we are hooked on them?

CSI MIAMI

Horacio Cane (David Caruso) leads a team of forensic investigators in Florida.  Follow them as they solve gory crimes with dazzling film style in the tropical setting of Florida. Cities, swamps, beaches and resorts all hold crime solving stories.

 

In 2006, BBC News published an article stating that "CSI Miami" was the world's most popular television series featured in more countries than any other series. 

It premiered on Sept 23, 2002 on CBS and ended April 8, 2012 after 10 seasons and 232 episodes. This show is now streaming on Netflix. 

Who was the first to apply this science to forensics?
James Marsh was the first to apply science to the art of forensics. He was called in a murder trial to give evidence as a chemist in 1832. The defendant, John Brodie, was accused of poisoning his grandfather with arsenic-laced coffee.  Marsh performed a test by mixing a sample with sulfide and acid. While he was able to detect arsenic as yellow arsenic trisulfide, when it was shown to the jury, it had deteriorated, allowing the suspect to be acquitted due to reasonable doubt. 

Bones  

Forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and cocky FBI agent Seeley Booth (above) build a team to investigate murders. 

I have viewed bizaar dead bodies on "Bones" such as a corpse melted on cardboard boxes, buried in concrete, wedged in a smashed car from the junkyard, and a body chopped up in the swirl of an air conditioner unit. Bones always insists that the objects be brought into the lab to analyze; this adds to the scenes, as the objects sometimes are almost impossible to transport!

 

 

 CSI Crime Investigation

An elite team of police forensic experts work their cases in Las Vegas. This was the first CSI. This series ran from (2000 - 2015) for a total of 335 episodes. Premiered Oct. 6, 2000 and ended Sept. 27, 2015. Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue (below) are part of this legendary cast.

  

CSI:New York 

This is the first direct "spin-off" of "CSI Miami" with Gary Sinis with Melina Kanakaredes (photo below) leading a group of police procedural forensic experts. (Sept. 22, 2004 to Feb. 22, 2013) for a total of 197 original episodes.

LET'S NOT FORGET "SHERLOCK"

 

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman 

"wow" us in this British rendition of "Sherlock". I can never get tired of watching it. This "labor of love" updates the writing of Arthur  Conan Doyle bringing it up to modern times using the original stories. Doyle writes of Sherlock using tools of forensic science long before they were used in our real world of crime solving. Now streaming on NetFlix. There are three new episodes! 

 

 Arthur Conan Doyle was a physician, writer and producer. Sherlock Holmes and his crime fiction, are considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Back to my original thought.. .

   why are we so captivated by forensic files?

Could it be these type stories challenge us analytically as we go on an adventure with the team viewing the evidence and putting the pieces together to solve the case? We get to be "Sherlock" for an hour or so and tie the evidence together as he does to take a hunch at who the killer is.

  

The viewers journey is unique with each different case; as you watch shows such as "Bones" and experience the cast of specialists "draw you in" with their "witty banter" while you are viewing bones, bugs, dirt and other forensic evidence. These clever specialists are dedicated to their work and their relationships with each other become an important part of the episodes. Dialogue flows smoothly in "Bones" and the writing is seamless as we watch episode after episode still wanting more!  

T

The Flash. . . . .

(2014) starring Grant Gustin is about a forensic expert who wakes up from a coma with amazing new powers and squares off against forces theatening the city. 

This is a part of DC comics and received 5 stars and is now streaming on Netflix.

To me, this is the American version of "Sherlock" only adding super hero powers. Fresh new energies with the Grant Gustin and Candice Patton and the supporting cast. I give it a thumbs up!

 

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P.S.S. Here are some more blog titles you might like...just put title in search at bottom of blog.

                        "Dark Comedy" "Science Fiction" "Spaghetti Westerns" 

For further studies here are some great sites!

  AMC                     HTTP://WWW.FILMSITE.ORG

   Roger Ebert          HTTP://WWW.ROGEREBERT.COM

   You Tube              HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM

   CRITERION           HTTP://WWW.CRITERION.COM   
   IMDB                   HTTP;//WWW.IMDB.COM

 

  

    

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Bold Film Divas of 1930's and 1940's

Bold Divas of 1930's and 1940's

The ultimate outspoken women who took advantage of a time in film when there was freedom, , ,

The 30's and 40's was a significant time period for women.  They were realizing that they could have a career as well as a family.  They could hold a position in a man's world and have a voice.

Film did not have as many restrictions at this time from rating codes and rules. The directors and actors had freedom to express their creativity and art without limiting boundaries. This later changed in the 1950's when women were expected to be housewives as the "Ozzie and Harriet" role models.

I will feature some of these female pioneers. . .

Ida was born in London. She was an actress, director and writer. She was born to a show business family. In 1933, her mother brought Ida with her to an audition and Ida got the part her mother wanted. "Her First Affair" (1932) was the beginning of her film career.

Ida, a bleached blond, came to Hollywood in 1934 and played small, insignificant parts before moving on to become one of the first recognized female directors in Hollywood. All of her films were cutting edge and dealt with women's issues. The most famous and controversial being "Outrage", a film that dealt with the subject of rape.

She was an actress in the following films: "Mr Adams and Eve" (1957-58)    "High Sierra" (1941)   "On Dangerous Ground " (1951) and "The Bigamist" (1953)

Vivien Leigh was a British stage and film actress. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her performances as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" and Blanche DuBois in the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Rita Hayworth started her career  when she did splendid dancing with Fred Astaire in the film "You'll Never Get Rich" (1942) She had a 60-film career!  look up her biography its very interesting!

Known for "Gilda" (1946-47),  "Lady From Shanghai" (1947), "Cover Girl" (1944), "Pal Joey"(1957) 

Katherine Hepburn is the most "outspoken" woman I have ever watched on film. She dressed with high style and carried herself that way too. She was known for her spirited personality.

In the more recent film "The Aviator" by Martin Scorsese, Cate Blanchett portrays a shocking resemblance to Hepburn following through with acting to match!

For 26 years she partnered with Spencer Tracy in films and then had another acting era where she played a middle aged star in several famous films. She was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years!

Known for:   "The African Queen" (1951), "On the Golden Pond" (1981), "Philadelphia Story" (1940) "Bringing Up Baby" (1938), "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)

 I first watched Lauren Bacall in the movies she made with Humphrey Bogart. What an interesting couple.  There was true romance between them. Bogart left his wife and married her even though he was quite a bit older than her. The marriage lasted  from 1945 until his death in 1957.

Films they did together:  "To Have and Have Not" (1944), "The Big Sleep" (1946), "The Dark Passage" (1987), Key Largo" (1948) 

 

  

 Joan Crawford and Bette Davis

These two are known as the greatest dueling women in Hollywood history.

A new Fox TV Series called "Feud: Bette and Joan" was released March, 2017. This TV series is still in season 1. Susan Sarandon plays Bette Davis and Jessica Lang plays Joan Crawford. Other stars are Kathy Bates, Stanley Tucci, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Be sure and take time to watch these great actresses portray Bette and Joan!

These two actresses were both born under the sign of "Aries"; Bette Davis was born April 5 and Joan Crawford born March 23. From San Antonio, Texas, Joan Crawford started out as a dancer and spent two years on the East Coast as a dancer. Joan Crawford made over 83 films.

Bette Davis was also interested in dancing and danced until she discovered stage and gave up dancing early in her career. Davis was born in Massachusetts.

Some of her best known films are:

"All About Eve" (1950), "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" (1962), "Now Voyager" (1942), "Jezebel" (1938)

Joan Crawford is known for these films:   "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "The Woman" (1939), "Possessed" (1947), "Sudden Fear" (1952),  "Above Suspicion", "Flamingo Road" (1949), "Grand Hotel" (1932), "The Women" (1939), "Female on the Beach" (1955)

AFTER THIS TIME PERIOD OF FREEDOM AND BOLDNESS IN THE MOVIES, the 1950's brought quite the opposite for women. The 1950's was a time of "Ozzie and Harriet" role models. Women were expected to be housewives. Women were now type-cast in home-maker roles. Film was starting to be regulated and rated causing the movie makers to not be as free with their expression.

Thank you for letting me share with you. I apologize if I left out your favorite diva from this time period. There were several more really big stars that I did not have time to cover. Nelda

 

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Here are a few very good sites to research:

AMC          http://www.filmsite.org
   
IMDB          http://imdb.com
 
YouTube     http://www.youtube.com

Also Roger Ebert, for individual film reviews.
Roger Ebert       http://www.rogerebert.com

Japenese Poetry

Japanese Poetry

My love of poetry has inspired me to introduce you to a beautiful form of poetry. I will give you a few simple rules so you can write poems in this Japanese style.  

There are many types of Japanese poetry, however, I will introduce you to only two so you can try them.

1. What is a haiku?

A haiku is a Japanese poem consisting of three lines and 17 syllables.  Each line must contain a specific number of syllables.  The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and the third line has five syllables. The haiku is one of the most beautiful of poetic forms.

Here is an example of a poem written in "haiku" form

(5 syllables)  proud, free butterfly:
(7 syllables)  I wanted to fondle you;
(5 syllables)  bright wings ripped.
       (2)  you died.

(5) soft? skin does not age
(7) only the image darkens,
(5) bodies remember. . .

(5) body and body. . .
(7) same as always, nothing more. . .
(5) a slight pause in time. . .

(5) at dawn I picked two 
(7) flowers: at noon
             I sold one
(5) to fill my stomach. . .

What are the rules for making a haiku?

As mentioned, the haiku contains three lines. With syllables alternating 5, 7 and then 5.  Rhyming is not necessary.  Rules regarding word repetition, punctuation and capitalization are left to the writer's discretion.

Go ahead an try composing a "haiku." There many subjects to choose from:  War, Nature, Love, Politics, Music, Art, Global Warning, Relationships, whatever you are inspired by!

Thousands of haiku are composed every year, and for the most part, represent Japanese subjects such as landscapes, seasons, birds, insects, flowers, phases of the moon and other natural phenomena. Haiku offers a writer the chance to suggest a scene, a landscape or a mood that is open to interpretation. It is left to the reader to fill in the details of the painting suggested by the writer or Haiku Master.  

History of the Haiku. . .

Haiku was officially born in Japan at the beginning of the Tokugawa shogurrate (1603-1770). The haiku style grew out of the popular pastime known as Renga, in which one or more poets supplied alernating sections to short, five-lined verse known as tanka verse. The seventeenth century poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-94) elevated this form into a high literary form. Today haiku remains the most popular form of literary expression in Japan and its popularity in the West continues to grow.

II. What is Naga-uta?

 Japanese poetry form of 5, 7, 5 syllables is called a "haiku."  The form 7,7 is called a "renga" and when a "haiku"and renga are linked, the resulting form is called a "tanka." A series of "tankas" is called a "naga-uta."

Example of a "naga-uta" form poem

(5) In my former life:

(7) I blind beggar of fourteen,

(5) one day touched your life. . .

(7) You, wilier street-urchin,

(7) were fifteen, having wise eyes.

by:  Aaron Brown

I hope you have the chance to try writing in this style. It is magical!

  

  










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Related blogs you might be interested in:

Cinema of Hong Kong
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/06/cinema-of-hong-kong.html 

 Martial Art Movies
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html

The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.cp,2107/06/the-golden-age-of-japanese-cinema.html 

Japanese Anime
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/05/japanese-anime.html

 

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