blacks in Japanese films

[Michael Raine]

I'm interested in the film you mention, since I'm interested in Ishihara
Yujiro. Please let us know more details if you have any. As for Japanese
films with black characters, Yujiro's remake of Casablanca, Yogiri yo konya
mo arigato, features a black character -- but I seem to remember he's
played in blackface by a Japanese actor...

Plenty of Nikkatsu action films and others set around US bases in Japan
feature black performers, though very few take the reference seriously.
Yoshida Yoshishige' Nihon (Nippon?) dasshutsu (1964) features a black
performer in a slightly more prominent role. Then there are independent
films such as Oshima's Shiiku ... 

You could always look at Bwana Toshi, I suppose. Or that Kurama Tengu
episode; Kurama Tengu Yokohama ni arawasu or something. In this war
propaganda film, the evil jewish anti-patriot is assisted by a multiracial
group that I suppose are meant to represent the British Empire... 

I'd be interested to know if there are any films from that period that
don't use black performers as a shorthand for jazz, dangerous sexuality, or
Japanese victimization though. 

Michael

At 08:41 PM 10/30/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>From hobbs.35 at osu.edu Fri Oct 30 20:12:30 1998
>Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 11:54:36 -0500
>From: Ayanna Hobbs <hobbs.35 at osu.edu>
>To: NIHONGO at UTKVM1.UTK.EDU
>Subject: Re: blacks in Japanese films
>
>
>Does anyone know of any films where blacks (African-Americans) appear in
>Japanese films or in Japanese literature between 1930's - 1970's?   I think
>there is a Japanese film called, "Who's the guy who sang 'Akai Hankachi'?"
>
>
>
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