Noburo Ofuji at Cannes 1953 / Venice 1956

[Jasper Sharp]

Hi Cathy,
I have to confess that I to some extent have spread this misinformation, if it is indeed that, through my writings on early animation from Japan - namely the Pioneers of Anime article I wrote for Midnight Eye back in 2003/4. This information would have originally have come from the NFC publications to accompany their seasons, and similarly the PiFAN film festival catalogue, as they did an early anime retro  the same year, I believe it was 2004 - trying to hunt down the catalogue but its hidden somewhere in a big inaccessible pile. Anyway, I simply replicated this info in the want of any other writing about anime of this period at the time, but did not cross-check with French records.I think the best person to consult on this would be Jonathan Clements, co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia (with Helen McCarthy) - he's been researching this period in some detail recently, although he's not on the Kinejapan list, I believe (though easy enough to track down on Facebook).As soon a!
 s I can access this particular bookshelf, which is currently hidden behind a pile of boxes, I'll look for what I have that was published in this period.Either way, I've never seen either of the films, but would love to.cheers,
Jasper


My new book, The Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema, is out now from Scarecrow Press.
Jasper Sharp: Writer & Film Curator Homepage
http://jaspersharp.com/

Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
http://www.midnighteye.com

Zipangu Fest: Japanarchy in the UK
http://zipangufest.com/


Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 11:15:58 +0200
From: nishikataeiga at gmail.com
To: kinejapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: 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
$B%^%s%m!<%[!<%F%9!&%-%c%5%j%s(BPhD in Film and Visual Culture
---------------------------------------------
Nishikata Film Review
http://nishikataeiga.blogspot.com/

----------------------------------------------
Rosenstrasse 13
D-35452 Heuchelheim (Kinzenbach)
Germany ($B%I%$%D(B)
----------------------------------------------
Tel +49 (0) 641-960-8614

 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/kinejapan/attachments/20120404/1bab21c8/attachment.html