[KineJapan] Plagiarism in Death By Hanging

[Aaron Gerow]

In an online piece for Shueisha Shinsho, filmmaker Yang Yonghi analyzes the charges of plagiarism in Oshima Nagisa's Death by Hanging. As covered in the film Yomogaeru Koe, a documentary about Park Soo-nam which is still showing in theaters, Oshima used numerous sections of Park’s book of correspondences with Ri Chin-u, the real person on which the film's character R is based, but without crediting her or the book in the film. The significance of the book—and the fact that Koyama Akiko’s character is partially based on Park—is not new to me, since English language scholarship on the film notes that. Yang-san’s contribution has been to closely compare the book and film scenario to list up instances of problematic similarities, with a number of cases where whole sentences and statements are lifted word for word. She interviews Park Soo-nam about her reaction (which is mostly dismissive—to her, Oshima was the kind of man to do something like that), notes sections in the ATG pamphlet and a later book by Oshima admitting to his use of the book, and talks to Oshima's son Arata about the case. 

https://shinsho-plus.shueisha.co.jp/news/31810


Aaron Gerow
Alfred W. Griswold Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and Film and Media Studies
Yale University
On leave AY 2025-2026
320 York Street, Room 108
PO Box 208201
New Haven, CT 06520-8201
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6729
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu
website: www.aarongerow.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/kinejapan/attachments/20250905/43e838c9/attachment.html>