Influence of Japanese War-era films on Malayan Post-war Cinema

[naguib_razak]

Yes Michael,

You've nailed it on the spot -- P Ramlee, the well-celebrated and 
much-revered Malaysian film actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, 
and producer, together with a bunch of his peers in Malaya, were very much 
inspired by some of the war-time experiences they had during the Japanese 
Occupation, and especially with the Japanese war-era films that they could watch 
for the first time due to the occupation. 

Whilst not wanting to negate the negative experiences other segments of society 
in Malaya or the rest of Southeast Asia experienced, for him and many of his ilk 
both in Malaya and Indonesia, it was a liberating experience and brought with it 
a total paradigm shift in thinking and ideas. They probably knew they were 
watching Japanese propaganda, but it was still fascinating and eye-opening to 
them.

And he and his group was never tainted as 'enemy collaborators', for the enemy 
was never so black and white in those days.

This is the theme my colleague would like to revisit.

I am surprised that you knew so much about P Ramlee!

Any further tips or advice from others would be most welcomed.

 Naguib Razak





________________________________
From: "mjraine at uchicago.edu" <mjraine at uchicago.edu>
To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Sent: Mon, 24 January, 2011 13:59:47
Subject: Influence of Japanese War-era films on Malayan Post-war Cinema

I have a long-standing interest in Japanese wartime cinema and have asked on 
several occasions for permission to show Toho films from the period in the USA. 
But I always get turned down! When I even got turned down for a public screening 
of an unsubtitled DVD I decided that the problem was nothing to do with the 
availability of prints... So I wouldn't be so hopeful about getting Toho, at 
least, to grant permission. Maybe now that Criterion has released the wartime 
Kurosawa at last...

I think the films themselves, and the image culture of which they were a part, 
are of extraordinary interest. I understand the sensitivity of the films but I'm 
certain audiences outside Japan would be able to respond to the films without 
simply taking them as an excuse to rehearse already-existing arguments about 
Japan's war responsibility in general. Perhaps Aaron can suggest some way of 
freeing up the films? Subtitles aren't a problem! 


To get back on topic ... there's an amazing P. Ramlee comedy about three 
bachelors who fly on a magic carpet (I can't remember why any more...) singing 
the wartime anthem Aikoku koshinkyoku! The song features in an interesting way 
in Hanako-san (and other films, I think). Apparently Ramlee went to a Japanese 
Navy sponsored school and was taught all the songs... and they must have been 
widely known even 25 years later.

Michael


>Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:17:04 -0800 (PST)
>From: naguib_razak <naguib_razak at yahoo.com>  
>Subject: Influence of Japanese War-era films on Malayan Post-war Cinema  
>To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>
>   Dear KineJapaners,
>   A Malaysian friend of mine is interested in making a
>   documentary on the influence of Japanese War-era
>   films on Malayan Cinema in the post-war years,
>   including those by Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa. 
>   I thought I'd ask amongst those of you here if you
>   have had any experience or know of other people who
>   may have attempted securing permission to either
>   still or moving images from these war-era films.
>   Would the fact that these films would be more than
>   65 years old by now, make it easier and perhaps less
>   costly to negotiate permission for use in a
>   documentary as well as accessing the footage in some
>   transferable form? 
>   Would they largely be under the care of Kawakita
>   Memorial Film Institute or the National Film Center,
>   permissions-wise? Or still with the respective
>   commercial rights-holders?
>   Any advice or suggestion would be welcome.
>   Warmest regards,
>    
>   Naguib Razak
>   Managing Director, Producer/Director
>   Blue In Green Productions 



      
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