Japanclips

The machine is introduced into the thousand-year-old garden, as a feudal Japan is modernized. American-Japanese relations are traced in 19th-century prints and 20th-century newsreels, which are scrolled, magnified, and submitted to electronic effects. The emperor is shown visiting an iron foundry in much the same way that he visits a grove in cherry blossom time. Lighting technology changes from candles to gas to electronics — now the empress can visit the rice fields under waves of computer graphics. Newsreels make much of the emperor's signature on articles of surrender at the end of World War II and of MacArthur's triumphant return to the United States. It is with utmost irony that we hear the emperor's admonishment to the coal industry (via an American newsreel voice collaged into this program for West German television): "So it is my hope, you will make your very best efforts..." The screen abruptly cuts to black. The series ends.

Directed by Alexander Kluge, Japanclips leans on a strong ensemble — Sabina Trooger — 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 1988.