Japanese Movies and Cinema

Japan has its own distinct identity in the entertainment industry. The movies and cinemas of Japan have enriched and mesmerized the international audience with quality and uniqueness. Asiarooms.com gives you an insight to the Japan cinemas and movies that has caught the fascination of film viewers around the world. Read on to know more about Japanese movies and cinemas.

Brief History

The history of Japanese films dates back to the silent era. In June 1899, the first film ever to be produced in Japan was Geisha no teodori. It was a short length documentary. Those days, the theatres of Japan used to employ the Benshis, who were trusted with the responsibility of uttering the dramatic narrations and supporting the musical scores during a live performance.

The first ever performer to make an appearance in a film as a profession was Tokuko Nagai Takagi. She appeared between 1911 and 1914 for the US-based Thanhouser Company.

The films by Kenji Mizoguchi during the silent era are regarded as some of the most talked about works in Japan's film history. One such movie, The Life of Oharu, still earns praises from the film critics. In the 1930s, Japan continued to produce silent films. Some of them are Sisters of the Gion by Mizoguchi, Osaka Elegy, and The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums by Zangiku Monogatari, Humanity by Sadao Yamanaka and Paper Balloons by Ninjo Kamifusen, 1937) and Wife, Be Like A Rose by Naruse. But owing to the earthquake in 1923, the World War 2 bombings and the humid Japan weather, it was almost impossible for the fragile films to survive.

The 1940s saw the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa make his debut with the film, Sugata Sanshiro. Japan received international recognition when Kurosawa won the Academy Award 1950 in the Best Foreign Language Film category for his film Rashomon. In 1952, Kurosawa made Ikiru and followed it up with the epic Seven Samurai in 1954.

In the same year, Ishiro Honda's Gojira was released. The western edition, translated as Godzilla, became a worldwide hit and emerged as the icon of Japan's film industry.

It was again Japan at the Oscars in 1955, as Hiroshi Inagaki won the Academy Award for his Samurai Trilogy in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Thus, Japanese movies have made their presence felt at the international arena in a strong way.

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