Japan's portrayal of the 'foreign'

[Jasper Sharp]

Here's a few titles for you:

Ai Ni Tsuite, Tokyo / About Love, Tokyo, 1992 : Mitsuo Yanagimachi's film got him into hot water at the 1992 Tokyo Film Festival regarding its portrayal of Chinese characters living in Japan, though it's quite a nice little film - if you can get to see it.

World Apartment Horror, 1991 : Akira director Katsuhiro Otomo's cartoonish horror focuses on the plight of an apartment load of immigrants menaced by local yakuza Hiroyuki Tanaka (now better known as the director, Sabu)

Chugoku no Tojin / Bird People of China, 1998 : Takashi Miike's eulogy to China.

Shiko Funjatta / Sumo Do, Sumo Don't , 1992 : This Sumo wrestling paradoy courtesy of Shall We Dance? director Masayuki Suo features an outrageous British stereotypes that would rival anything in Titanic or Independence Day.

Tsuki Wa Dotchi ni Deteiru / All Under the Moon, 1993 : A Korean cab-driving comedy from Yoichi Sai

Zegen, 1988 : There's some interesting European reactions to Japan's expansionism contained within this brothel eye view of the Japanese empire pre-Pacific War from Shohei Imamura.

Kuroi Yuki / Black Snow, 1965 : Now this is interesting - the rape of a Japanese girl by an American GI. I'm a little curious as to why Americans are frequently black in Japanese films of this time - Seijun Suzuki's Nikutai No Mon / Gates of Flesh, 1994 also features a black preacher, the only sympathetic character out of all the Americans. 

Takechi Tetsuji's much later Oiran (1982) also seems to have some subtext about the corrupting force of American imperialism, and the heroine's "abduction" to the US.

I'm sure there's plenty more, if you dig more deeply, though these are the ones that immediately spring to mind. There's also several films shot by Japanese directors in Europe using European casts, such as Ikeda's Dedicato Al Mare Egeo and Roma Dalla Finestra, from the mid/late 70s which are seldom mentioned in conversations about Japanese film. Anyone seen these would like to pass comment?

The trite 80s kids movie, Drifting Classroom is also quite fascinating in its portrayal of Japan cultural values vs American ones through the eyes of its adolescent characters.

One thing I've been quite amazed about recently is the lack of films that deal with inter-racial relationships in Japan. It's something you'd think that would be worthy of some mention given how predominant it is in the cinema of other countries, the prevalence of such scenarios and the latent tension that seems to exist between "foreingers" in Japan and some certain sectors of the Japanese population (ie. the ones that, should they see a gaijin walking along the street with a Japanese girl, start cursing quite loudly, or barge into the girl). Are there films out that their deal with this subject, or is this a film still waiting to be made?

Food for though, at least,

Jasper Sharp


Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
www.midnighteye.com



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: donna helliwell 
  To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu 
  Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2002 5:23 AM
  Subject: Japan's portrayal of the 'foreign'


  Dear all, 

  I'm currently researching for my dissertation on Japan's representation of the foreign as a reaffirmation of japanese cultural identity and homogeneity. Could anyone help me by naming films that show portrayals of foreigners or the 'foreign'? 

  With many thanks in advance,

  Donna Helliwell





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