Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made afterwards

[Sybil Thornton]

Kiku to Osamu?
 
SA Thornton
ASU

--- On Tue, 9/7/10, Roger Macy <macyroger at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:


From: Roger Macy <macyroger at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made afterwards
To: "KineJapan" <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 10:22 AM






Dear Kinejapaners,
I'm afraid I've got a new bone to pick.
I caught 'Stray Dog' last night at the NFT, having missed it during the recent Kurosawa retrospective.   The film was introduced by Mamoun Hassan, who made several interesting points, most of which I agree with.  He asked rhetorically if anyone had ever seen Allied soldiers in Japanese occupation-era films and, of course, no one had - fair point.  But he then went onto claim that films about the occupation were also absent from post-1952 Japanese cinema since the Japanese didn't want to be reminded of this era.
This did surprise me as I've banging on for years on to anyone that might listen that someone should do a season of cross-national films around occupation.  No Japanese ones?  That started me on a list of films made after the occupation that depicted the era and situation..
Leaving aside films  mainly on re-patriation, or the hibakusha, themes to themselves; leaving aside Ōshima, who rarely set a scene in the occupation period, but for whom in most of his career the American occupation had not really ended; and leaving aside films like Ozu's Early Spring, where the prior death of the child, seemingly in the occupation period, weighs so heavily; I can still think of more than enough for a Japanese share in a season (below).  And my list is culled just from those few films shown in the west.  I seem to recall mention of many more that I haven't seen, and that's where I'd appreciate some help.  I'd be surprised if directors like Imai, Kamei or Ieki didn't do retrospective films on the occupation, but they haven't been shown here.
Now, few of these films have companies of American, or other Allied soldiers marching past outside the window.  Actors convincing as westerners were unaffordable to Japanese studios in the 50s and 60s at least.  But films about life in an occupied country don't need sharply drawn occupiers.  And isn't this the point - almost the opposite of Mamoun Hassan's thesis - that there are films about the occupation; but that 'we' don't want to see them, or at least that they are not much shown at the BFI, because they sideline westerners as unimportant or faceless characters, and/or they are politically uncomfortable for us ?
Anyway, here's my initial list, if anyone could add to it, or dispute it, please :-
Films that depict the occupation of Japan, made afterwards.




Floating Clouds

Ukigumo

NARUSE Mikio

1955


Madadayo

Madadayo

KUROSAWA Akira

1993


Many of the 'Battles without Humanity' series

Jingi naka takakai etc.

FUKASAKU Kinji

1973-


Conflagration

Enjō

ICHIKAWA Kon

1958


Pigs and Battleships

Buta to gunkan

IMAMURA Shōhei

1961


History of Postwar Japan as Told By a Bar Hostess

Nippon sengo shi Madamu onboro no seikatsu

IMAMURA Shōhei

1970


Grave of the Fireflies

Hotaru no haka

TAKAHATA Isao

1988


Zero Focus

Zero no shōten

NOMURA Yoshitarō

1961


Zero Focus

Zero no shōten

INUDO Ishin

2010


Yokohama Mary

Yokohama Mary

NAKAMURA Takayuki

2006


Many of the 'Brutal Tales of Chivalry' series

Shōwa Zankyōden, etc.

SAEKI Kiyoshi

1965-


A Hole of My Own Making

Jibun no ana no naka de

UCHIDA Tomu

1955
 
Roger


      
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