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<p class="ydp4a52b6fdMsoNormal">In London, I
have heard <span>Tomoko KOMURA<span> </span>interpret several Japanese films. Her english
is far better and more easily understood than that in the NHK film.<span> </span>I don’t think I have ever interviewed or
spoken with her, but my impression is that she follows Japanese practice with
rather less of the subjective judgements that seem to have part of the historic
practice and which I, for one, still find intrusive despite their performance
authenticity.<span> </span>She adapts to the musical
accompaniment, happy to let the musicians do some of the sound effects but
willing to give those that are required but in a less extrovert manner than in
the NHK clips.</span></p>
<p class="ydp4a52b6fdMsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;layout-grid-mode:char;mso-layout-grid-align:none">I am still a supporter of having narrations delivered in the audience
language to aid understanding and obviate an unnecessary addition of exoticism.
We also need to note that such language may not be english. And, naturally, it
gets more complicated at an international festival in a place where the local
language is not english.</p>
<p class="ydp4a52b6fdMsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;layout-grid-mode:char;mso-layout-grid-align:none">I’d also like to put in a plug for screenings of <i>Katsuben</i> (<i>Talking
the Pictures</i>, 2019, SUO Masayuki). It’s an engaging comedy that accurately hits
many aspects of early Japanese film exhibition. I recall Aaron had a good word
for it. Then Covid happened and seems to have lost any international
distribution, saving Nippon Connection in ’22.</p>
<p class="ydp4a52b6fdMsoNormal" style="margin-top:6.0pt;layout-grid-mode:char;mso-layout-grid-align:none">Roger</p>
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On Wednesday, 22 November 2023 at 02:40:16 GMT, Markus Nornes via KineJapan <kinejapan@mailman.yale.edu> wrote:
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<div><div id="ydp25fb0af6yiv1266306063"><div><div dir="ltr">I was so busy after taping that I never watched it and had no idea they added a Koyata benshi sequence! Her English is better than the other benshi, but her generally overt style is not my favorite. One of the specific intentions of bringing Kataoka to Ann Arbor for a year was so he could work on his English and by extension English setsumei. It didn't go far. <div><br clear="none"></div><div>I have done a number of gigs with Ichiro where I do a little English <i>setsumei</i> to give audiences a flavor of the performance in their native language. And I always do different kinds of benshi <i>setsumei</i> for my students (I know Aaron does it, and I'm curious if others do as well). Students love it. But I am always struck by how awkward it is. One palpably senses how the silent film narration of benshi cleaves closely to the cadences, grammatical structures, and exclamative styles of Japanese language and specifically the approach to performance from popular storytelling/<i>wagei.</i> English will never cut it, don't you think?</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Markus</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><div>----- Forwarded message -----</div>
<div><b>From:</b> quentin turnour via KineJapan <kinejapan@mailman.yale.edu></div><div><b>To:</b> Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum <kinejapan@mailman.yale.edu></div><div><b>Cc:</b> quentin turnour <unkleque@yahoo.com.au></div><div><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, 19 November 2023 at 23:51:57 GMT</div><div><b>Subject:</b> [KineJapan] English-language benshi?</div><div><br></div>
<div dir="ltr"><div class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal">I'm a bit slow, so have only just
stumbled across NHK World's 2021, 2-part How to Watch Ozu
program, part of their J-Flicks magazine series on Japanese cinema. It's still on their on demand site at
<a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2036067/" class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159enhancr_card_0704917016" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Watch Ozu - J-FLICKS | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand</a>.
Great to see
Marcus introducing Ozu's visual style to English speaking
audiences. But I was also very curious to see benshi Koyata Aso
performing in English to short sections of two of Ozu's 1933 features,
<span lang="EN-US">非常線の女</span> / DRAGNET GIRL and
<span lang="EN-US">出来ごころ</span> / PASSING FANCY.
</div><div><br></div>I’m unfamiliar with Ms. Koyata, and
(although it’s no doubt been done) it’s the first time I've seen or
heard a Japanese professional benshi giving a reasonably 'traditional'
performance in English.
<div class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal"> <br></div><div class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal">There’s always ex-Japan forays into
English-language benshi performances; Joseph L. Anderson’s are
best-known, and it happens in the 'neo-benshi' experimental
theatre margins. But I'm also aware of well-trod arguments that as a
vernacular performance art these can never be
'authentic', and that a <span>" traditional'
performance in English</span><span>" is a sort of contradiction in terms.</span><br></div><div class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal"><br></div><div class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal">Anyone
on the list familiar with
Ms. Koyata's live performances in Japanese - or at greater length in
English, if she has done this in Japan outside of the NHK World staging?
She's got an extensive Japanese and English on-line presence, and a
website <a href="http://katsuben.com/" class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159enhancr_card_1167485215" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">「麻生やた★子やた本舗」 – 活弁士 麻生八咫・麻生子八咫の公式サイト</a> whose name indicates the preference she makes clear in the NHK program: for term
<span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:rgb(32, 33, 34);background-color:white;background-repeat:repeat;background-attachment:scroll;background-image:none;background-size:auto;" lang="EN-US">
活弁 </span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:rgb(32, 33, 34);background-color:white;background-repeat:repeat;background-attachment:scroll;background-image:none;background-size:auto;">/
</span>katsuben rather than <span style="font-size:9.5pt;color:rgb(32, 33, 34);background-color:rgb(234, 243, 255);background-repeat:repeat;background-attachment:scroll;background-image:none;background-size:auto;" lang="EN-US">
弁士 </span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;color:rgb(32, 33, 34);background-color:rgb(234, 243, 255);background-repeat:repeat;background-attachment:scroll;background-image:none;background-size:auto;">/
</span>benshi ( Joseph Anderson's preference also).
</div><div><br></div><div>I'm putting this out with a little
hesitation, aware I may be inviting inappropriate comment on the tight world of the
Japanese professional benshi biz. So thoughts off list as well as on appreciated.</div></div><div>
<p class="ydp423a8ee2yiv9126773159ydpfcd777f5yiv3794919022MsoNormal">Quentin Turnour, National Archives of Australia / Cinema Reborn Film Festival</p></div></div><div><br></div></div><div id="ydp25fb0af6yiv1266306063yqtfd47235" class="ydp25fb0af6yiv1266306063yqt3431923844"><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div></div></div><div id="ydp25fb0af6yiv1266306063yqtfd06177" class="ydp25fb0af6yiv1266306063yqt3431923844">
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