About the event

• Date：Friday, September 13, 2024　6:30pm - 8:45pm (Doors open at 6:00pm)
• Venue：Ushigome Tansu Community Hall (15 Tansucho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
• Participant：Open to students, faculty, and the general public. (Young children under elementary school age are not allowed)
• Participation Fee：Free
• All performances are in Japanese with English subtitles.
• Due to reaching its capacity, registration is closed.

Registration

Registration Form

Program

• Dog Heaven <32 min.>
• Sweetie <21 min.>
• A Page of Madness <70 min.>

　Dog Heaven　　USA 1927　　Performed by Hideyuki Yamashiro
Pete the Pup, a.k.a. Pal, the Wonder Dog, the beloved American Staffordshire Terrier that starred in Hal Roach’s Our Gang comedies from 1924-1930, takes center stage in his own light-hearted story of love and betrayal. When his owner Joe (Joe Cobb) develops a young crush on Clarabelle (Annette De Kirby), Pete feels left out, becoming so dejected that he decides to end it all—to the delight of the local cats and kittens. Of course, Pete’s never in any real danger and a climatic race to the rescue ultimately set everything right.

　Sweetie　　USA 1923　　Performed by Kumiko Ōmori
In this rags-to-riches tale, an orphaned and destitute Baby Peggy (a.k.a pioneering child star Diana Serra Cary) enlists the aid of a mischievous performing monkey to seek restitution for an elderly violinist. After an epic chase, she is adopted by a wealthy couple—then steals the spotlight at the evening social.

　A Page of Madness　　Japan 1926　　Performed by Ichirō Kataoka
With a scenario devised by Japanese novelist (and later Nobel Prize winner) Yasunari Kawabata with contributions from other members of the radical literary movement known as Shinkankakuha, director Teinosuke Kinugasa crafted this visionary masterpiece that was thought lost for almost 50 years. Wracked with guilt, believing his wanton cruelty drove his wife insane, a husband becomes a janitor at the asylum where she’s incarcerated so he can care for her. When he comes to fear her illness may prevent their daughter from getting married, he gradually loses his own grip on reality. Replete with fantastical images, super impositions and rapid montage, the film subverts any sense of narrative coherence even as Kinugasa builds, according to critic Chris Fujiwara “an atmosphere of astonishing intensity.”

Performers & Musicians

BOOK, LINK

BOOK

• 

  The World of the Benshi

  Featuring more than 300 images from archives and private collections around the world.
  ・Edit：Michael Emmerich & Daisuke Miyao
  ・Specs：Hardcover, 20.5 cm x 26.5 cm, 304 pages, color.
  ・Price：5,500 yen (tax and shipping included).

  Click HERE for purchases in Japan.

• CONTENTS

  * The Benshi: A Brief History　(DAISUKE MIYAO)
  * In the Spotlight Behind the Silver Screen: A Brief History of Benshi Stardom　(CHIE NIITA)
  * When Benshi Shone: Japanese Movie Theaters in the Age of Early Cinema　(MANABU UEDA)
  * Women Benshi, Past and Present　(COLLEEN LAIRD)
  * Benshi as a Transcolonial Media Practice: Benshi and Pyõnsa in Korea　(DONG HOON KIM)
  * Benshi in the United States　(DENISE KHOR)
  * And the Shamisen Played on:Changing Silent Film Music in Japan　(KŌTARŌ SHIBATA)
  * Benshi in the Era of the Talkie　(JOHAN NORDSTRÕM)

LINK

• The Art of the Benshi 2024 World Tour
• The Art of the Benshi 2024 World Tour at Waseda University
• Press Conference at Waseda Unversity
• The Yanai Initiative

Presented by the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities
Collaboration with UCLA Film & Television Archives

Flyer

Contact

Yanai Initiative：[email protected]
（Monday – Friday：9:00am – 5:00pm）