Noburo Ofuji at Cannes 1953 / Venice 1956

Thu Apr 5 09:50:51 EDT 2012

Roland's reference to the 1957 film yearbook is interesting as it conflicts somewhat with the report of  Joseph F. Beattie, U.S. govt. delegate to the 1956 Venice festival.  The report (< http://lccn.loc.gov/sv89071289 >) indicates that THE PHANTOM SHIP was indeed screened as part of the VII International Exhibition of Documentary and Short-Subject Films (VII Mostra Internazionale del Film Documentario e del Cortometraggio), one of the two events preceding the feature film competition (the other one being the VIII Festival of Films for Children - VIII Mostra Internazionale del Film per Ragazzi ).  According to the report, Ofuji Noburo's film  was awarded a "Mention" in the category of experimental and avant-garde films.  The exact wording on p. 24 of the report is:

"Experimental and Avant Guarde [sic] Films.  Prize to the film A Short Vision, directed by Peter Foldes (Great Britain).  Mention to Phantom Ship, directed by Noburo Ofuji (Japan)."

Basically, "mention" could be referred to as the second prize (the Yearbook obviously labels it "Special award") in any given category (there were ten categories in the 1956 doc and shorts program).  Interestingly, the report also states that in the category Short Films for Television, "[…] the Jury has awarded neither the prize nor the mention" (p. 24).  As to Mr. Beattie's comment on THE PHANTOM SHIP, "Very good." (p. 7)

Zoran Sinobad
Reference Specialist
Moving Image Section
Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division
Library of Congress
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Washington, DC 20540
tel: 202-707-5603
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e-mail: zsin at loc.gov<mailto:zsin at loc.gov>

From: owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu [mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of Roland Domenig
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 6:59 AM
To: 'KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu'
Subject: AW: Noburo Ofuji at Cannes 1953 / Venice 1956

Hi Cathy,

a good start for finding an answer to a question like that is a look into the film yearbooks.

According to the Eiga Nenkan 1957 Yûreisen was awarded a “Special Award for a short film for TV-use” (Terebiyô tanpeneiga tokubetsushô) at the International Exhibition of Film for Children and of Documentary and Short Film (kiroku jidô eigasai) which was held in Venice in advance of the Venice International Film Festival. At the same festival Hani Susumu’s E o kaku kodomotachi (Children Who Draw) was awarded the Education Award (kyôikushô) and Wakasugi Mitsuo’s Chiisana tantei-tachi (The Boy  Detectives), a Japanese adaptation of Erich Kästner’s Emil und die Detektive, a Special Award in the section of films for 13-16 year old children. (p. 151)

The Eiga Nenkan 1954 does not mention Kujira with regard to the 1953 Cannes Film Festival, but it lists only the winning films. The catalogue Japanese Films 1959 issued by UniJapan lists Kujira among  the films screened in Cannes in 1953, but also does not mention any  award. FC 46, the National Filmcenter’s catalogue about Nihon no animêshon eiga 1924-1958  states that Kujira was runner-up (dainii) at the Cannes Festival in 1958 (obviously confusing 1953 with 1958)  (p.27). An identical statement (including the mix-up of the years) can be found in Yamaguchi and Watanabe’s Nihon animêshon eiga-shi  (p.243) which was published a year before the FC issue (which probably drew on the book).

Happy Easter!

Roland

Von: owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu<mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu> [mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]<mailto:[mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]> Im Auftrag von Cathy
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 4. April 2012 11:16
An: kinejapan
Betreff: Noburo Ofuji at Cannes 1953 / Venice 1956

Hello Kinejappaners!

It is widely reported that Noburo Ofuji won awards when his film Kujira (The Whale) played at Cannes in 1953 (often incorrectly cited as 1952) and when Yuureisen (The Phantom Ship) played at Venice in 1956 (often incorrectly cited as 1957).  It has also been reported that Jean Cocteau (jury president at Cannes in 1953) and Pablo Picasso praised Kujira - but I don't know if this was only reported by word of mouth (did Ofuji himself attend the festivals?), or if it appeared in print.

Because of the inconsistencies in the way in which this has been reported, I have been trying to find primary sources to confirm that these films won prizes at these two prestigious festivals.  The official websites for Cannes and the Biennale list Ofuji's films as having been shown at the festivals, but do not mention any prizes being awarded to Ofuji.  I have been going through 1950s periodicals in English and French and have so far only found one mention of Kujira being at Cannes as part of an animation programme but it 1) does not mention it as having won an award and 2) only gives the film a lukewarm critique. (Andre Martin in Cahiers du Cinema in July 1953).

Do any Kinejapanners know of what evidence exists of Ofuji having won an award at either event?  I know there was an exhibition at the NFC a couple of years ago where such evidence might have been on display?  It was certainly prestigious enough for Noburo Ofuji's films to even show at these festivals in the 1950s, as it was the first time that animation from Japan had been seen in Europe.  This is mentioned by Andre Martin in Cahiers du Cinema and also in an article by Bernard Orna in Films and Filming in April 1957 when The Phantom Ship played at the first international animation festival London, who felt that while Ofuji's cutouts did not have "the same subtlety as Lotte Reiniger's" he felt that Ofuji's use of colour was superior.

If anyone knows where I can find evidence of the veracity of claims that Ofuji won prize at Cannes and Venice, I would be most grateful.

Warm Regards, Cathy

--
Catherine Munroe Hotes
マンローホーテス・キャサリン
PhD in Film and Visual Culture
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