"Soul" as metaphor for colonized Korea

[Mark Schilling]

From: Mark Schilling <schill at gol.com>
> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> Subject: Blacks in Japanese films
> Date: Sunday, November 15, 1998 

Another addendum to the thread on blacks in Japanese films. Check out Saito
Mitsumasa's "Checkers/Song for USA," a 1986 idol movie about the adventures
of the pop group Checkers. Seeking to inject soul into their J pop
melodies, band members befriend an expat black jazz musician and his young
daughter in Tokyo. When the musician dies, the Checkers decide to attend
his funeral in Harlem. Bizarre funeral scene includes funky gospel number
from choir, Aretha-like soul ballad by the widow and the band's rendition
of the title tune while standing solemnly
in the pews. A must see!

Mark Schilling


> 
> 

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> From: moshi moshi <crsg at alcor.concordia.ca>
> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> Subject: Re: "Soul" as metaphor for colonized Korea
> Date: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 5:57 AM
> 
> 
> 
> > for jazz, dangerous sexuality, or Japanese victimization."  Michael
made me
> > think about the use of "black" music in Japnese film, which deserves
> > critical attention--or at least commentary.  I remember the repetitive
and
> > striking use of what I believe to be a black spiritual, namely
"Motherless
> > Child", in Oshima's documentary on Korea/ the structure of Japanese
> > colonialism in Korea,  "Yunbogi-nikki" (Yunbogi-Boy).  It seems here
that
> > blacks/black music is associated with victimization, though importanlty
the
> > oppressed figure is that of Korea in the face of Japanese and US
> > militarism.
> 
> I gave a thought to this and if I remember well, a lot of Japanese movies
> from the '60s use jazz (and some early funk), whatever the context might
> be. I don't think it was globally associated with victimization but maybe
> simply as a trend of the times.
> 
> On the other hand, I can't seem to recall any use of hiphop or reggae in
> any recent films... There might have been a bit of triphop in 'Tokyo
Eyes'
> (Limousin) but except for that, the Massive Attack piece in Wong's
'Fallen
> Angels' seem to be the closest to black music i've heard in an asian
> movie. Slightly off topic but does anyone know if hiphop is more socially
> charged in Japan than jazz, soul or r&b might have been?
> 
> olivier
> 
> PS: Interesting stat: the listenership of hiphop/r&b is 75% white or so.
> Life in the ghetto indeed.