Japan and Cult

[Nathen Clerici]

Hello Jim,

I agree, deciding 'cultness' is a tricky business.  You wrote that :

> A lot of Japanese films certainly qualify as 'cult' items, but by no means all.


I'm curious what other Japanese films you would say are NOT cult outside Japan.  I think your example of Shall We Dance? is a good example, and in a separate reply, I mentioned Miyazaki's films, but what else would you add to this list?  I talked to one person who thought that films by Kurosawa (Akira),  Ozu, Oshima and the like are "art," and should not be seen as cult film.  Again, this probably just comes down to how one defines cult, but for scholars of Japanese film, I would think that topic would come up from time to time.

Nathen

  

On 2010-02-15, at 2:13 PM, Jim Harper wrote:

> I think the question of what is 'cult' is generally informed by genre and audience factors within its country of origin. Sion Sono's Exte is essentially a cult film for both non-Japanese and domestic audiences, but I think there are few non-Japanese film fans who would consider Shall We Dance? a cult film. It might only reach a small non-Japanese audience, but it certainly has the potential to find mainstream success (as it did). A lot of Japanese films certainly qualify as 'cult' items, but by no means all.
>  
> Jim.
> 
> --- On Mon, 15/2/10, Nathen Clerici <nclerici at interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> My name is Nathen Clerici, and this is my first post.  I am really enjoying all the threads on this list.  
> 
> I am starting a research project that will examine how Japanese film travels and the channels by which it comes to be seen outside Japan.  I want to frame the problem by looking at how different forms of distribution and exhibition (e.g. art house cinema, university courses, Internet fan sites, etc.) affect how a particular movie is received.  Within this framework, I am interested in the idea of cult.  It seems that Japanese cinema is often classified as cult cinema, but I am not sure that it could be received any other way.  Even if we consider a particular Japanese film to be highbrow art, it is most likely still confined to a small-but-adoring audience of cinephiles-- or Japanophiles.  Perhaps J-Horror is an exception?
> 
> I am curious, KineJapaners, do you think Japanese films seen outside Japan are cult cinema?  
> 
> I realize the cultural context changes, but I also think that the modes of viewing (e.g. web-based, fan subs, art house) exert a strong influence.  In addition, this is most likely not a question just for Japanese film, but for all film that crosses national/linguistic borders.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Nathen Clerici
> University of British Columbia
> PhD Program
> Asian Studies
>