Benshi

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Benshi (弁士 in Japanese), or Katsudō-Benshi (活動弁士) were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films (not only Japanese films, but also Western films).

Contents 1 Role of the Benshi 2 Influence of Benshi on Film Aesthetic 3 Influence of Benshi on Film Industry 4 Benshi in Other Cultures 5 Modern Benshi 6 External links 7 References

[edit] Role of the Benshi

During silent films, the benshi stood to the side of the movie screen and introduced and related the story to the audience. In theatrical style, benshi often spoke for the characters onscreen and played multiple roles. Stemming from the traditions of kabuki and Noh theaters, the benshi's narration and general commentary were an important part of the Japanese silent film experience.

Much like in the West, Japanese silent films were often accompanied by live music (in addition to the benshi)-- however, unlike Western films, which tended to have a theatre organ as accompanyment, Japanese films had a score which supported the traditional Japanese instruments one would find in a kabuki play.

[edit] Influence of Benshi on Film Aesthetic

As the film industry and art form developed in Japan, the presence of a benshi came to be part of the film. Benshi not only read the interstitials on silent films, and voiced all on-screen characters-- perhaps most significantly for filmmakers, benshi would also add their own commentary, explaining what was happening in a shot or describing what had happened in confusing edits or sudden transitions. Some benshi were known to interpret and add to a script, for example reciting poetry to accompany a moving visual.

In addition, it was traditional for the benshi to introduce the film beforehand, even giving a brief lecture about the history of the setting. This meant that filmmakers could assume that a live narrator, accustomed to improvisation, would be present at the time of the showing to explain scenes, or even explain missing scenes or unfilmed action.

Perhaps because most early Japanese films were simply kabuki plays adapted to film, the characterization style benshi used to perform various roles was strongly influenced by the narrators in kabuki or a noh chorus-- a grave and dramatic, exaggerated style. Also due to the influence of kabuki, audiences were not distracted by a single benshi voicing both male and female roles, regardless of the gender of the benshi.

[edit] Influence of Benshi on Film Industry

In 1927, there were 6,818 benshi, including 180 women.^[1] Many benshi were quite famous in their own right, and garnered great acclaim. The presence of a benshi was the aspect of the film presentation that drew in the audience, moreso than the actors appearing in the film, and promotional posters would frequently include a photo of the benshi announcing the movie.

The silent film era lasted until the mid-1930s in Japan in part due to benshi, despite the introduction of sound in full-length films in the late 1920s. The adoption of this new technology was slowed by the popularity and influence of the benshi. Though the tradition has mostly faded, there are still a few remaining active benshi in Japan (e.g., Midori Sawato).

[edit] Benshi in Other Cultures

• The benshi tradition was adopted in Taiwan under the name benzi
• benshi were also present in Korea from the first decade of the twentieth century where they were called byeonsa (변사) [1]
• In the USSR, during the early years of the Brezhnev era, availability of foreign films in the USSR was severely restricted. The USSR State Committee for Cinematography held closed-door screenings of many Western films, open mainly to workers in the film industry, politicians, and other members of the elite. Those screenings were interpreted simultaneously by interpreters who specialized in films, where an effective conveyance of humour, idioms, and other subtleties of speech were required. Some of the most prolific "Gavrilov translators" began their careers at such screenings.

[edit] Modern Benshi

• Sawato Midori
• Saito Yuko
• Kataoka Ichiro
• Sakamoto Raiko
• Sakurai Mami

[edit] External links

• List of Performing benshi from Matsuda Film Productions
• Introduction to Japanese silent cinema with an interview from a modern-day benshi
• Motion Picture Benshi “Sawato Midori” Official Website.
• "The Benshi Tradition: Cinema = Performance" by Tosh Berman (1995)

• Da Benshi Code (Modern-day performers re-interpreting the idea of benshi)

[edit] References

• Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey (1996). The Oxford History of World Cinema. ISBN 0-19-874242-8. 
• Dym, Jeffrey A. (August 2003). Benshi, Japanese Silent Film Narrators, and their Forgotten Narrative Art of Setsumei A History of Japanese Silent Film Narration. Edwin Mellen Press, 312. ISBN 0-7734-6648-7. 

1. ^ Cook, David A.(1990). A History Of Narrative Film, New York: W. W. Norton & Company . ISBN 0-393-95553-2.