self introduction, etc.

[Michael Fitzhenry]

Hi, to answer briefly:
>I have done some work on "new sensationalist" (xin ganjue pai) writers, 
a
>"modernist" (even "avant-garde"?) group of Shanghai writers of whom
>several also wrote film criticism and produced films in the 1930s.
>Supposedly, they were influenced by the short-lived Japanese group of 
the
>same kanji--Shin kankaku-ha.  Yet despite this influence, obviously, I
>think their writings have differing styles and implications (what else
>would you expect of different cultural contexts?).  I would like to 
find
>out more on the Shin kankaku-ha's critical writings on film, but have 
had
>a difficult time locating reference materials, only finding brief and
>general references to this (e.g. their issue on film in _Bungei jidai_,
>their general collaboration with Kinugasa Teinosuke, and (only) the
>existence of a Shinkankaku-ha film "league").  Would anyone know of any
>articles/studies on this topic?

I`m sure Aaron Gerow will speak for himself, but he has done some work 
on Kinugasa Teinosuke`s Kurutta Ippeiji (A Page Of Madness), which was 
the first (and only?) film made by the Shin Kankaku-ha, and has a short 
book coming out on that this year?  I was fortunate enough to attend a 
public talk he gave at the Kawasaki Shimin Museum earlier this year 
where he spoke about that film and problematics of early independent 
productions.  In fact Makino Mamoru, of whom you would have read quite a 
bit recently from this list, has also done considerable research in 
collaboration with the curator of a Kyoto Film Archive into independent 
productions.  Considering that the "avant-garde" film was fostered in 
this environment, and that Kyoto formed the center of Japanese film 
production after the Kanto Earthquake I guess that is a good place to 
look.  Also of course Kinugasa himself wrote an autobiography (Waga 
Seishin to Eiga) in which he talks extensively about the formation and 
depth of the Shin Kankaku-ha, the formation of his independent company 
etc etc.


 Or could anyone point me in the right
>direction toward primary materials on the Shinkankaku-ha and their
>involvement with film (and in particular Yokomitsu Riichi or 
Kawabata?).

Again, Yokomitsu Riichi features heavily in Kinugasa`s autobiography 
because of his involvement with Kurutta Ippeiji.  Of course the film is 
not attributed to Yokomitsu but to Tanizaki, and the scenario is to be 
found in Tanizaki`s  Zen-Shu.

One more source you could try, but it is not primary, is Sato Tadao, who 
has written on Japanese/Chinese productions, citing various exchanges.  
I`m not sure at what point Sato begins his discussion - my own interest 
in those kind of exchanges begins a little later than yours (?).

There has been quite a large amount of research done, in Japanese, in 
the area of Film and Modernism, including the role of the avant-garde.  
In fact there seem to be a good number of "foreign" (ie non-Japanese) 
researchers working in related areas, including myself.  From the 
Japanese side though is the book edited by the Waseda University 
professor Iwamoto Kenji "Nihon Eiga to Modanizumu ...," which notes many 
primary sources in various areas. 

Anyway, please keep us posted on how your research unfolds, good luck!  
By the way, I have a friend at your University - Paul Manfredi who is 
also a Chinese/Japanese specialist. If you know him please say hello.  
michael fitzhenry.








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