In my research on 1930s cinema, I came across an essay by a filmmaker
who traveled to the countryside outside Tokyo and was hounded with
complaints from the villagers. "We've heard all about these films, we
want to see them but
can't"; "News radio and shibai just dont cut it". He reports being in
tears after listening to their pitiable state and witnessing their
burning desire to watch movies
(specifically in this case, to watch war propaganda films). <br>
"Think about it, in Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaragi,
Tochigi, these tiny villages far from the cities which contribute the
most troops yet receive the least benefits." (Nihon Eiga quote,
sometime in 1938 I think)<br>
<br>
Nothing really changes, huh?<br>
<br>
WT<br>
<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 1/25/06, <b class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:drainer@mpinet.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">drainer@mpinet.net</a></b> <<a href="mailto:drainer@mpinet.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
drainer@mpinet.net</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I don't know the figures, but I am sure they count many tiny little theaters<br>in Tokyo as multiplexes...
<br>Not quite sure how many there are in Chiba; but it would be safe to say that<br>there aren't more than 5-10 outside of Ichikawa/Funabashi/Makuhari..<br><br>-d<br><br><br>----- Original Message -----<br>From: "Aaron Gerow" <
<a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a>><br>To: "KineJapan" <<a href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state..edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a>><br>Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 8:26 AM
<br>Subject: Nowhere to see a movie!<br><br><br>> An article that just hit the wires confirms that not everything is rosy<br>> when it comes to seeing movies in Japan. Those who live in Tokyo or Kansai<br>> enjoy a large variety of movies, but when you move out of those areas,
<br>> sometimes it takes hours just to get to the closest theater.<br>><br>> The article said the last movie theater in Maebashi City in Gunma<br>> Prefecture will close on the 29th, making Maebashi the first prefectural
<br>> capital without a movie theater. Luckily, a multiplex is scheduled to open<br>> in April, but until then this city of over 300,000 people will not have<br>> one single movie screen. Currently, there are four other cities in Japan
<br>> with populations over 300,000 that have no theaters.<br>><br>> The number of screens in Japan hit a low of 1743 in 1993 (after a peak of<br>> 7457 in 1960), but has risen to 2926 at the end of 2005 with the spread of
<br>> multiplexes. I would suspect, however, that the number of actual theaters<br>> is now actually lower than 1743 (anyone with figures on that?).<br>><br>> Aaron Gerow<br>> KineJapan owner<br>><br>> Assistant Professor
<br>> Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures<br>> Yale University<br>><br>> For list commands, send "information kinejapan" to<br>> <a href="mailto:listserver@lists.acs.ohio-state..edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
listserver@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a><br>> Kinema Club: <a href="http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html
</a><br>><br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all">
<br>-- <br>"The
other ambassadors warn me of famines, extortions, conspiracies, or else
they inform me of newly discovered turquoise mines, advantageous prices
in marten furs, suggestions for supplying damascened blades. And you?"
the Great Khan asked Polo, "you return from lands equally distant and
you can tell me only the thoughts that come to a man who sits on his
doorstep at evening to enjoy the cool air. What is the use, then, of
all your traveling?"<br>-- Italo Calvino, "Invisible Cities"