labor union struggles

[Alex Zahlten]

Hello all,

I'd like to pick up on Aaron's remarks on the internal struggle involving
the labor union at TOEI (in regard to HOLS, PRINCE OF THE SUN)- up until the
early 70's it seems there were some prominent struggles involving the unions,
and NIKKATSU, I believe, basically recieved it's new corporate identity of
Roman Porno-studio under labor union influence.... but looking at the film
industry today, it seems that there isn't any kind of union influence left, and
regarding the state of the industry, there probably wouldn't be a lot of room
to manouver anyway. But is that (the demise of the studio system going hand in
hand with the demise of union influence) a narrative that is valid? were the
unions actually a studio phenomenon?
Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks in advance,

Alex Zahlten


> 
> > i was wondering if anybody on the list has some comments on takahatas 
> 
> > first movie:
> > THE ADVENTURES OF HOLS, PRINCE OF THE SUN?? ... to share?
> 
> This is a film I love a lot and use in class when I can. It is not only 
> 
> a very good film, but historically quite significant. And, as I've 
> argued before, there's a lot of story elements in this film that you 
> later see in Mononoke hime.
> 
> The film is kind of legendary because it was practically a product of 
> the labor union at Toei, fighting not only against Toei labor policies, 
> 
> but also against the extreme limited animation taking hold of the 
> industry at the time. Watanabe and Yamaguchi have a long section about 
> 
> the struggles in _Nihon animeshon eigashi_. It's not hard to read in 
> the tale of a village banding together against an evil power a parable 
> 
> of the labor struggle itself. It's also famous because Miyazaki had a 
> considerable role in creating the film, although his main credit is 
> just for art design. Some people have tried to relate Miyazaki to a 
> concept called the "animeic" (a concept I have problems with), but 
> given this concerted fight against limited animation, I find it hard to 
> 
> argue historically for such a relation.
> 
> While the film is widely considered a masterpiece, it was one of Toei's 
> 
> worst films at the box office, and that did lead to some of those 
> involved in the film being demoted or asked to leave. I think Takahata 
> 
> was demoted at that time, but do remember he and Miyazaki left Toei in 
> 
> 1971, 3 years after the film was released. Also remember that Toei was 
> 
> continually having labor problems, ones often tied to the issue of 
> fighting limited animation, and in 1972, engaged in a major 
> restructuring that purged many employees. Miyazaki and Takahata 
> probably left in part because they saw this coming.
> 
> Aaron Gerow
> Film Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures
> Yale University
> 

-- 
alex at nipponconnection.de

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