<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:'bookman old style', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div></div><div>Yes Michael,</div><div><br></div><div>You've nailed it on the spot -- P Ramlee, the well-celebrated and much-revered <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia" title="Malaysia" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Malaysian</font></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> film </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor" title="Actor" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial;
background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">actor</font></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_(film)" title="Director (film)" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">director</font></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, singer, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter" title="Songwriter" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip:
initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">songwriter</font></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer" title="Composer" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">composer</font></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Producer_(film)" title="Producer (film)" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial;
background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">producer</font></a>, t<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">ogether with a bunch of his peers in Malaya, were</font></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> very much inspired by some of the war-time experiences they had during the Japanese Occupation, and especially with the Japanese war-era films that they could watch for the first time due to the occupation. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whilst not wanting to negate the negative experiences other segments of society in Malaya or the rest of Southeast Asia experienced, for him and many of his ilk both in Malaya and Indonesia, it was a liberating experience and brought with it a total paradigm shift in thinking and
ideas. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">They probably knew they were watching Japanese propaganda, but it was still fascinating and eye-opening to them.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">And he and his group was never tainted as 'enemy collaborators', for the enemy was never so black and white in those days.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">This is the theme my colleague would like to revisit.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; ">I am surprised that you knew so much about P
Ramlee!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Any further tips or advice from others would be most welcomed.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br></span> </div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;color:rgb(0, 0, 127);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:16px;"><font size="2"><font size="3" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 127);"><span style="font-family:garamond,;">Naguib Razak</span></font><br style="font-family:garamond,;color:rgb(0, 0, 127);"></font></span></span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00007F"><br></font></div><div style="font-family:bookman old style, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><br><div style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr
size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> "mjraine@uchicago.edu" <mjraine@uchicago.edu><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Mon, 24 January, 2011 13:59:47<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Influence of Japanese War-era films on Malayan Post-war Cinema<br></font><br>I have a long-standing interest in Japanese wartime cinema and have asked on several occasions for permission to show Toho films from the period in the USA. But I always get turned down! When I even got turned down for a public screening of an unsubtitled DVD I decided that the problem was nothing to do with the availability of prints... So I wouldn't be so hopeful about getting Toho, at least, to grant permission. Maybe now that Criterion has released the wartime Kurosawa at last...<br><br>I think the films themselves, and the image
culture of which they were a part, are of extraordinary interest. I understand the sensitivity of the films but I'm certain audiences outside Japan would be able to respond to the films without simply taking them as an excuse to rehearse already-existing arguments about Japan's war responsibility in general. Perhaps Aaron can suggest some way of freeing up the films? Subtitles aren't a problem! <br><br>To get back on topic ... there's an amazing P. Ramlee comedy about three bachelors who fly on a magic carpet (I can't remember why any more...) singing the wartime anthem Aikoku koshinkyoku! The song features in an interesting way in Hanako-san (and other films, I think). Apparently Ramlee went to a Japanese Navy sponsored school and was taught all the songs... and they must have been widely known even 25 years later.<br><br>Michael<br><br><br>>Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:17:04 -0800 (PST)<br>>From: naguib_razak <<a
ymailto="mailto:naguib_razak@yahoo.com" href="mailto:naguib_razak@yahoo.com">naguib_razak@yahoo.com</a>> <br>>Subject: Influence of Japanese War-era films on Malayan Post-war Cinema <br>>To: <a ymailto="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu" href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a><br>><br>> Dear KineJapaners,<br>> A Malaysian friend of mine is interested in making a<br>> documentary on the influence of Japanese War-era<br>> films on Malayan Cinema in the post-war years,<br>> including those by Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa. <br>> I thought I'd ask amongst those of you here if you<br>> have had any experience or know of other people who<br>> may have attempted securing permission to either<br>> still or moving images from these war-era films.<br>> Would the fact that these films
would be more than<br>> 65 years old by now, make it easier and perhaps less<br>> costly to negotiate permission for use in a<br>> documentary as well as accessing the footage in some<br>> transferable form? <br>> Would they largely be under the care of Kawakita<br>> Memorial Film Institute or the National Film Center,<br>> permissions-wise? Or still with the respective<br>> commercial rights-holders?<br>> Any advice or suggestion would be welcome.<br>> Warmest regards,<br>> <br>> Naguib Razak<br>> Managing Director, Producer/Director<br>> Blue In Green Productions <br></div></div><div style="position:fixed"></div>
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