Cinema year book of Japan (1937)

as of 1931, “Reimei” may be considered as merely an experimental piece of work. Few people at that time thought seriously of definite, practical schemes of the future with regard to the sound film of Japan. The birth of the real sound film was marked by the production of “Madam to Nyobo” (Neighbour’s Wife and My Wife) four years after the showing of “Reimei”. It took six years of time and effort following this event for the Japanese Cinema, through the medium of the sound film, to came of age; but during all this long while the Shingeki furnished no stimulus whatever to the Cinema, nor did the Cinema seek anything from the Shingeki. There were several reasons for this. In the first place the Shingeki taught the Cinema nothing as to what constitutes the new, close-to-life dramatic performance which expresses modern culture and refine' ment. If it had succeeded in presenting the life of present-day people with precision and vitality, the Cinema of Japan would certainly, of itself, have reflected upon its own situation and experienced an awakening. In the second place, those who financed the production of Japanese films were all men who were incapable of understanding such new artistic trends, who were wont to be swayed by immediate problems, and who were not given to shaping permanent plans in meeting the situation. Instead of deciding what they should do with regard to the inner mechanism of the “talkie”, they were engrossed in the problem as to how cheaply they could purchase its outward techniques. They were satisfied that the existing staffs of talents in the various branches of the film industry would be sufficient for their purpose. Though many of the directors were at their wits’ end over the poor elocution of the actors, it did not occur to them as to what they should do about it. In the third place, the patrons of the “movie” theatres wanted the former, the silent, actors to remain on the screen. Their attitude toward the “talkie” was first of all one of curiosity. They possessed no knowledge regarding skiff ull dramatic performances other than that with respect to the Kabuki or the Shimpa, and consequently had no means of making proper judgments. In addition to this, the film critics undertook to emphasize merely in a theoretical way the differences between the stage play and the screen play, pointing out only oc¬ casionally the actual defects of the latter, and making no attempts to suggest possible remedies. Even these critics themselves were hardly qualified to judge of the merits of a screen play, either with regard to acting or with dialogue. All these drawbacks served to complicate matters, so that the possibilities which should naturally have bridged the common interests of the Shingeki and the Cinema became lost in the confusion. This is a defect with which we are at a loss as to how it should be resolved. The present state of the culture of Japan is beset, for the most part, 43