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Movie Info & Details
Release Year1941
Runtime0h 08m
LanguageJapanese
CertificationNR
Genres—
Votes1
DirectorKoichi Ota, Yasunosuke Gonda
WritersKoichi Ota, Yasunosuke Gonda
TypeFeature Film
Rating8.0 out of 10
Cast1 credited
Also Known AsHistory of Japanese Film
About History of Japanese Film
A 1941 visual anthology made as part of a project to celebrate the passing of the Japanese government's controversial Film Law in 1939. This anthology included early films that existed at the time but are now lost, and a series of famous examples of the benshi voiceover technique. It was supervised by Yasunosuke Gonda, the leading researcher of public entertainment at the time. Excerpts from: 1. Nio no ukisu (1900, photo.: Joji Tsuchiya) starring Ganjiro Nakamura I 2. Hototogisu (Production year unknown) 3. Aiaigasa (Production year unknown) 4. Shoes (1916, dir.: Lois Weber, benshi: Raiyu Ikoma) 5. Gen'ei no onna (1920, dir.: Norimasa Kaeriyama) 6. Gubijinso (1921, dir.: Henry Kotani) 7. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920, dir.: Robert Wiene, benshi: Musei Tokugawa) 8. Sendo kouta (1923, dir.: Yoshinobu Ikeda)
Directed by Koichi Ota, Yasunosuke Gonda, History of Japanese Film leans on a strong ensemble — Suisei Matsui — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1941.
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