Telephilia vs. Cinephilia = Beat Takeshi vs. Takeshi Kitano?
2004; Wayne State University Press; Volume: 45; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1559-7989
Autores Tópico(s)Japanese History and Culture
ResumoThe period stretching from the late 1990s to the early 2000s witnessed the continuing success of films in international film festivals and international art film theaters. In 1995, Hirokazu Koreeda's Maboroshi no hikari/Maboroshi (Japan, 1994) was praised as than Antonioni at the Venice International Film Festival, and also became successful in international art houses. In 1996, Masayuki Suo's romantic comedy Shall WeDance? (Japan, 1995) became one of the most successful foreign language films in the United States. Takeshi Kitano's Hana-bi/Firewarks (Japan, 2000) received the grand prize at Venice in 2000. In 2003, Hideo Nakata's mega-hit horror film Ringu (Japan, 1998) was remade in Hollywood. And more recently, the works of other directors who can be categorized in a relatively new generation of filmmakers, such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, have been introduced in art house retrospectives. It is noteworthy that the so-called Japanese New New Wave or Renaissance of Visual Culture has become possible as the result of incessant conflicts between the film and television industries. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the film industry declined rapidly. At its peak in 1958, right after the Golden Age of cinema in the 1950s, audience size reached 1,127,452,000. By 1963 audience numbers fell by almost 50% (511,121,000).By 1970 theyfell by 25%more (254,799,000). The year 1996 recorded the smallest audience numbers ever, 119,580,000. The number of films produced for theatrical release in Japan was 547 in 1960. The number of films did not drop as quickly as audience size and theater numbers. In 1971, 367 films were still produced for theatrical release, even though the numbers of audiences and theaters were at less than half of their peaks. Yet, the number of films produced at major studios (Toho, Shochiku, Toei, Daiei, Nikkatsu) shrunk from 545 in 1960 to 160 in 1971. In 1986 major studios (Toho, Shochiku, Toei) were able to produce only 24 films. One of the largest reasons for the sudden fall in production was the swift spread of TV. In fact, by the end of the 80s the studio system was gone. Most of the films today are independent films. Those who want to make a film have to find everything, from finance to technicians, by themselves. One of a few methods for independent producers to find recognition and build the reputations of their films has been success at international film festivals. Here, we can point out a potential problem regarding the success of cinema in the late 90s. Such films as Koreeda's Maboroshi and his second feature Wandafuru Raifu/After Life (Japan, 1999), which depicted the lives after death of ordinary people, seemed to be appreciated internationally because of their exotic way of approaching landscape and Zen-type worldview to a certain degree. Kitano's Fireworks also emphasizes the image of exotic Japan by telling a romantic story of double-suicide under cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji. But while films for a foreign audience tend to be absorbed in aestheticism or exoticism, the most popular films in Japan have been by-products of popular TV series. There is a certain gap between films that are admired overseas and those appreciated at home. Two of the most successful films in recent years in Japan have been Katsuyuki Motohiro's detective action/comedy Odoru daisosa sen/DandngDragnet (Japan, 1999) and its sequel, which achieved phenomenal success when it was released in 2003. These films are based on a popular TV series. Moreover, the popularity of J-Horror, a recently vital horror genre in Japan in diverse multi-media connections, could not be realized without the initiative of the TV companies that have serialized many tides, including Ringu and its sequels. Thus, in recent Japan telephilia seems to precede movie-going activities, especially in the case of Japanese-made films. …
Referência(s)