Price (including tax):
¥1,890 (domestic)
B6 size, 194 pages
ISBN 4-900849-62-6
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Once lost classics of Japanese silent
film are now being brought back to life
From
the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period, film
in Japan flowered as a source of entertainment for the
masses. During that period, world acclaimed directors such as Kenji
Mizokuchi and Yasujiro Ozu created many masterpieces of Japanese silent
cinema. Unfortunately most of the films of the Japanese silent era have
been lost, either due to the Great Kanto earthquake of
1923, the
Second World War, or because of a historical lack of knowledge
concerning film preservation. Almost all of the old classics can now no
longer be viewed.
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Recalling the Treasures of Japanese Cinema
explores 50 of these long-lost works - and one that was recently found
again. It is the result of five decades of painstaking research and
documentary reconstruction by the Friends of Silent Film
Association.
Each section of the book introduces a
different work and includes information such as the year of
production, the
production company, staff, actors, and other basic data, in addition
to commentary about the film, and still
frames of film scenes. Information is
provided about any existing archives (preservation of
surviving film
segments, scenarios, etc.), making this a book
that will be indispensable to scholars of film history and film lovers
alike. The book includes a list of the top ten films
as published
by Kinema Junpo from 1926-1935, an invaluable resource for research
purposes.
Titles include:
- Kyoya Erimise
(1921, Director: Eizo Tanaka)
- Chuji Tabi Nikki (1927,
Director: Daisuke Ito)
- Bangaku no Issho (1933, Director:
Sadao Yamanaka)
- Nihonbashi
(1929, Director: Kenji Mizoguchi)
- Zange no Yaiba (1927,
Director: Yasujiro Ozu)
as well as 46 other titles, including basic data,
commentaries and stills.
Film Bibliography
Book Review
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