Cinema Year Book of Japan 1938 (1938)

The Japanese Cinema in 19.17 Akira Iwasaki I. INTRODUCTION In the cinema world of Japan, 1937 is significant for two developments of vital importance. One is the tendency, continued from the previous year but more marked in 1937, towards the alignment into trust groups of the motion -picture industry, motivated by the keen competition of Shochiku and Toho. The other is the effect of war-time conditions on the screen since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese conflict in August. Practically all individual events in cinema circles may be attributed more or less to these two developments. [I. TUP: BIRTH OF TWO POWERFUL TRUSTS As has already been stated in “An Outline History of the Japanese Cinema” (cf. Cinema Year Book of Japan, 1936 — 1937), by the end of 1936 the motion-picture industry of Japan grew into a competition ground for the two trusts of Shochiku and Toho. The competition grew keener and more serious with the new year, and since April, J937, their relations have been almost those of a declared war, each doing its utmost to expand its influence at the expense of its competitor. P'inally they both employed a most unreasonable and unfair means of robbing each other of their stars, which, resulting in a few public scandals, disgusted all thinking people. The rivalry of these two powerful groups, each seeking monopoly and domination of the cinema industry, naturally obliterates neutral minor forces that exist between the two influences. The smaller companies and productions that had kept their none too substantial independence by joining forces with one and sometime^ the other of the two captains, were thus left with the alternatives cither of disbanding their organization or submerging themselves into one or the other trust in order to maintain their existence even at the cost of their identities. To be more specific, the Nikkatsu was, as far as its capital was concerned, placed unmistakably under the control of the Shochiku ; a number of small, second-rate productions such as the Daito Eiga (Daito Motion Picture Co., Ltd.), Kyokuto Eiga (Kyokuto Motion Picture Co., Ltd.) and Zensho Eiga (Zensho Motion Picture Co., Ltd.) joined the group of satellites in the sphere of Shochiku influence. Furthermore, the Shochiku concern itself was reorganized : the Shochiku Kinema Kabushiki Kaisha (Shochiku Kinema Co., Ltd.), concerned with the production of films, and the Shochiku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Shochiku Kogyo Co., Ltd.}, interested in theatrical enterprises, were combined into a new Shochiku Kabushiki Kaisha (Shochiku Co., Ltd.}. In this way, the huge structure of the Shochiku trust was accomplished during the past one year. It is known as “ Six Company Combine”, being an amalgamation of the five companies already mentioned and the Shinko Kinema which had been under Shochiku protectorate for some time. The Toho, on the other hand, has not been less busy in fortifying its strength. In the spring of 1937 it succeeded in annexing to its system a few smaller productions, taking over their entire management, such as the Tokyo Ilassei (Tokyo Sound Production), Imai Eiga (Imai Motion Picture Production), etc. Later in October, it effected the complete disorganization of the P.C.L. and J.O. Studio, two producing companies which had been component, but independent, units in the Toho trust. By incorporating these, a great system was successfully achieved : the new Toho Buga Kabushiki Kaisha (Toho P'ilm Co., Ltd.) was born, a thoroughgoing trust in reality as well as in name. As a natural consequence of this trend towards trust-formation, small independent productions which had thrived on the popularity of their representative actors and actresses were completely wiped out. The Irie Production, Takata Production, Utaemon Production, Chiyezo Production, etc., were absorbed by the two gigantic organizations. 14