DOCUMENTARY FILMS / JAPANESE FILMS

The Exhausted Soldier

Propaganda films are, in principle, very clear about what message it should convey. One of the most notable example, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL is very efficient in transmitting its message. Images are designed to portray Nazi regime to be the liberator of German race, the symbol of national rebirth. Absurd, sure, but in 1934 Germany, an average citizen never knew the horrors to come. TRIUMPH is a very unique material. It is a rather dull document of the Nazi party political rally, propaganda to every frame. In Japan during WWII, any media, newspaper, literature, art, theater, film was heavily censored …

 
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Run, Yasubei, Run

Here is another Masahiro Makino film clip. The clip is the last climax of CHIKEMURI TAKADANOBABA (1937). This was one of the two blockbusters of 1937 New Year Season, and amazingly, both of them were directed by Makino. The story is about Yasubei (Tsumasaburo Bando) and his uncle Kayano. Yasubei is a Samurai but a very lazy drunkard. He always tries to avoid his uncle, Kayano, who wants Yasube to go straight.  However, one day, Kayano had a feud with one of other Samurais, and was forced to have a duel. But it turned out to be 2 to 20 …

 
JAPANESE FILMS

Incomplete Mediocrity

The year was 1938. For film lovers, it is the year of BRINGING UP BABY, ALEXANDER NEVSKY and THE LADY VANISHES. At the same time, it was anticipating the great year of 1939. In Japan, however, it was the year with few notable works. Sadao Yamanaka was drafted to military the previous year and died in China in September of 1938. Yasujiro Ozu was also drafted. Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi were struggling with minor works. But Japanese movie-going public at the time saw the most phenomenal film of the prewar era this year. In terms of popularity, no prewar …