<html>
<head>
<style><!--
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Tahoma
}
--></style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<div>Dear Roger</div><div><br></div>One more film by Imamura: Fukushu suru wa ware ni ari.<div><br><div><br></div><div>Best wishes</div><div>Yuna<br><br>> Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 12:59:30 -0500<br>> From: desser@illinois.edu<br>> To: KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu<br>> Subject: Re: Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made afterwards<br>> <br>> Gate of Flesh (1964) by Suzuki Seijun makes the Occupation central to its story and soldiers are visualized.<br>> <br>> David Desser<br>> <br>> ---- Original message ----<br>> >Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 18:22:16 +0100<br>> >From: "Roger Macy" <macyroger@yahoo.co.uk> <br>> >Subject: Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made afterwards <br>> >To: "KineJapan" <KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu><br>> ><br>> > Dear Kinejapaners,<br>> ><br>> > I'm afraid I've got a new bone to pick.<br>> ><br>> > I caught 'Stray Dog' last night at the NFT, having<br>> > missed it during the recent Kurosawa<br>> > retrospective. The film was introduced by Mamoun<br>> > Hassan, who made several interesting points, most of<br>> > which I agree with. He asked rhetorically if anyone<br>> > had ever seen Allied soldiers in Japanese<br>> > occupation-era films and, of course, no one had -<br>> > fair point. But he then went onto claim that films<br>> > about the occupation were also absent from post-1952<br>> > Japanese cinema since the Japanese didn't want to be<br>> > reminded of this era.<br>> ><br>> > This did surprise me as I've banging on for years on<br>> > to anyone that might listen that someone should do a<br>> > season of cross-national films around occupation. <br>> > No Japanese ones? That started me on a list of<br>> > films made after the occupation that depicted the<br>> > era and situation..<br>> ><br>> > Leaving aside films mainly on re-patriation, or the<br>> > hibakusha, themes to themselves; leaving aside<br>> > Oshima, who rarely set a scene in the occupation<br>> > period, but for whom in most of his career the<br>> > American occupation had not really ended; and<br>> > leaving aside films like Ozu's Early Spring, where<br>> > the prior death of the child, seemingly in the<br>> > occupation period, weighs so heavily; I can still<br>> > think of more than enough for a Japanese share in a<br>> > season (below). And my list is culled just from<br>> > those few films shown in the west. I seem to recall<br>> > mention of many more that I haven't seen, and that's<br>> > where I'd appreciate some help. I'd be surprised if<br>> > directors like Imai, Kamei or Ieki didn't do<br>> > retrospective films on the occupation, but they<br>> > haven't been shown here.<br>> ><br>> > Now, few of these films have companies of American,<br>> > or other Allied soldiers marching past outside the<br>> > window. Actors convincing as westerners were<br>> > unaffordable to Japanese studios in the 50s and 60s<br>> > at least. But films about life in an occupied<br>> > country don't need sharply drawn occupiers. And<br>> > isn't this the point - almost the opposite of Mamoun<br>> > Hassan's thesis - that there are films about the<br>> > occupation; but that 'we' don't want to see them, or<br>> > at least that they are not much shown at the BFI,<br>> > because they sideline westerners as unimportant or<br>> > faceless characters, and/or they are politically<br>> > uncomfortable for us ?<br>> ><br>> > Anyway, here's my initial list, if anyone could add<br>> > to it, or dispute it, please :-<br>> ><br>> > Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made<br>> > afterwards.<br>> ><br>> > +--------------------------------------------------+<br>> > |Floating Clouds |Ukigumo |NARUSE Mikio|1955 |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Madadayo |Madadayo |KUROSAWA |1993 |<br>> > | | |Akira | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Many of the |Jingi naka |FUKASAKU |1973-|<br>> > |'Battles without |takakai etc. |Kinji | |<br>> > |Humanity' series | | | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Conflagration |Enjo |ICHIKAWA Kon|1958 |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Pigs and |Buta to |IMAMURA |1961 |<br>> > |Battleships |gunkan |Shohei | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |History of |Nippon sengo |IMAMURA |1970 |<br>> > |Postwar Japan as |shi Madamu |Shohei | |<br>> > |Told By a Bar |onboro no | | |<br>> > |Hostess |seikatsu | | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Grave of the |Hotaru no |TAKAHATA |1988 |<br>> > |Fireflies |haka |Isao | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Zero Focus |Zero no |NOMURA |1961 |<br>> > | |shoten |Yoshitaro | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Zero Focus |Zero no |INUDO Ishin |2010 |<br>> > | |shoten | | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Yokohama Mary |Yokohama Mary|NAKAMURA |2006 |<br>> > | | |Takayuki | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |Many of the |Showa |SAEKI |1965-|<br>> > |'Brutal Tales of |Zankyoden, |Kiyoshi | |<br>> > |Chivalry' series |etc. | | |<br>> > |-----------------+-------------+------------+-----|<br>> > |A Hole of My Own |Jibun no ana |UCHIDA Tomu |1955 |<br>> > |Making |no naka de | | |<br>> > +--------------------------------------------------+<br>> ><br>> > <br>> ><br>> > Roger<br></div></div> </body>
</html>