genre question

[Jonathan M. Hall]

Hi Anne

As I am sure you know, fuuzoku is a term often used to refer to the 'moral'
as in moral code, moral police, and im/moral films--though unlike moral in
the first two examples, fuuzoku represents the object of those morals that
is to be harnessed and subordinated rather than the righteous subject of
the English.  The fuzoku here is that of fuuzoku eigyo, the term my work
permit uses to forbid me to work in the sex entertainment industry. While
the term in Meiji is more frequently used to described customs and
mores--but then again often in the sense of the domestic, familial, and
unglorious--, its postwar usage functions, I believe, as a signifier for
the underside or illicit (and often) sexual--and not then as a term for
ethics, but for the seamy side of life.  I may be mistaken, but I think of
fuuzoku eiga as films which take up such topics, while tsuuzoku (with
perhaps a different, more pejorative sense) would refer to run-of-the-mill,
standard productions--which may merge into the "to-the-moment"-ness you
mention.

Finally, I don't think of either of them as a genre in the cinematic sense
of the word, though the fuuzoku has that potential usage far more than
tsuuzoku.

I'd love to hear other interpretations here--as I am speculating here, much
more than clarifying.

Jonathan 




At 12:45 30-8-0 -0700, Anne McKnight wrote:
>I'm baffled by the distinction between "tsuuzoku" films and "fuuzoku"
>films--and wonder if anyone has an idea of what distinguishes them.
>Both, from what I've picked up, imply popular studio films, narrative,
>which are very "to-the-moment" in terms of relating a sensibility,
>street life, or material culture.
>
>Does tsuuzoku refer to the audience (popular) whereas fuuzoku refers to
>the stuff in the world of the film (whatever elements of period realism
>would be present, like costumes, dialogue, plot, etc.)?  Is there a
>periodic specificity to the distinction between the terms?
>
>Thanks for any clarification/speculation.
>
>Anne