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Interview with Japanese cinema expert Donald Ritchie by film
critic Lalit Rao
A lot has been written about Donald Richie but one thing remains
to be told for sure.He might be an American in body but remains a
true Japanese at heart.Donald Richie is acquainted not only with
Japanese cinema but almost with everything related to Japanese
culture.His knowledge of cinema goes beyond the realms of
Japanese films.He is familiar with almost all aspects of Asian
cinema.He is known for his frank views on cinema.It is something
which will always remain at the back of his mind.
Donald Richie was in New Delhi,India to receive a lifetime
achievement award for Distinguished Contribution to Asian cinema.
A soft spoken gentleman,Donald Richie spoke to Lalit Rao in New
Delhi,India during 7th Osian Cinefan Asian Film Festival (15-24
July 2005)
Lalit Rao:We are living in an era in which young Japanese
filmmakers like Shinji Aoyama,Hirokazu Kore-eda,Takeshi Kitano
etc are easily getting funds for their films.At the same time,the
old established masters like Shohei Imamura and Nagisa Oshima are
having tough time obtaining finances for their films.Why is that
so ?
Donald Richie:This is happening because the buyers’ market
has changed in Japan.Initially when Imamura and Oshima were
making their films,Japanese audience for film had sunk
dramatically because of the advent of television.Everybody in
Japan thought that there would not be any more films.In the
1980s,1990s,a certain kind of film became much more
popular.Consequently young filmmakers were able to get funding
from people who did not ordinarily fund films like whisky
people,electronics people,automobile people etc.The problem is
that because it has become a best selling item,the people who
invest their money insist on a genre product.If there is a strong
director who would fight against that,it would be Kore-eda.He
refuses to make films,he does not believe in.Everybody else will
make films for their sponsors.Japanese cinema is no more a
directors’ cinema.It is a producers’ cinema.
Lalit Rao:You spoke of a decline in Japanese cinema.Which period
were you referring to ?
Donald Richie:I suppose Japanese cinema started to decline when
television made its first appearance in 1958.That year the
audience for Japanese cinema started to decline.By 1960 the
audience dropped by half.50% of Japanese movie goers no longer
saw Japanese films.Everybody was at home watching television.One
thing is for sure. People discovered soon how stupid it is to
watch television. So they became tired of it. They started to
watch films. Seeing a film is a social occasion.You would take
your girl friend to see a film.It is very special.Then there are
many “event” pictures like Spielberg’s films.In
the same way in Japan,anything with “Takeshi Kitano”
becomes an event.One has to go see it.It makes a lot of money
this way.
Lalit Rao:Isn’t it a bit unusual especially in Oshima’s
case because he got funding from Anatole Dauman of Argos films.
Donald Richie:One time,Yeah !
Lalit Rao:Why did this trend not continue in his case ?
Donald Richie:Kurosawa got his funds practically all of it from
abroad.Nobody would fund expensive films during 1960s and
1970s.Now they would fund this.New expensive films being made now
a days are mainly war films.They are about world war 2 japanese
soldiers,sailors.This is happening because Japan is moving very
rapidly.
Lalit Rao:When we talk of Japanese cinema normally the images
which comes to mind are that of Mizoguchi,Ozu,Kurosawa,Kitano
etc.The usual suspects if I may call so. People hardly know about
Pink Eiga,Nikkatsu Roman Porn.Why is that so ?
Donald Richie:This is because these films were never
exported.What happens is that when a film goes abroad,it is
usually sent to a film festival.If it wins a prize,it helps the
box office in the domestic country.The foreign buyers are more
interested in a film which wins a prize at let us say Cannes.So
these award winning films would be screened in
England,U.S.A.,France etc.Pink Eiga never ran anywhere.There was
no way one could get subtitled prints.One man who is very much
interested in this genre …..
Lalit Rao:Koji Wakamatsu ?
Donald Richie:Yeah.I mean one critic who is very much interested
in this genre is Mark Schilling.Mark helps the film festival in
Udine.
Lalit Rao:Udine film festival recently did a Pink Eiga programme.
Donald Richie:Yeah ! This year they organized a programme on
Nikkatsu action drama which is a very well made genre by itself.A
year before that Udine film festival showed a programme of Pink
Eiga films.So due to the efforts of critics like Mike Schilling
many more critics are getting interested in this genre like
Jasper Sharp.
Lalit Rao:The gentleman who runs midnighteye website ?
Donald Richie:Yeah,Jasper Sharp also has affiliations with
various film festivals.He is picking up these neglected
films.This means that now a days the companies which were
involved in distribution of films are releasing DVDs.For
example-Criterion.It has released 5 Seijun Suzuki DVDs.This is
the way these minority pictures are getting into a majority
market.
Lalit Rao:Do you mean to say that Seijun Suzuki made some of
these Pink Eiga films ?
Donald Richie:Yes,I do !.
Lalit Rao:These Pink Eiga films were completely ignored in the
past.So,I would like to know from you why at this particular
point of time there is a sudden interest in Pink Eiga. ?
Donald Richie:There was no way for people to see them.Pink Eiga
films were never exported.
Lalit Rao:So these films had limited domestic release.
Donald Richie:Yeah that is correct.One could see Pink Eiga in
1960s or 1970s.Now you can’t see it anymore because they
discovered that cinemas screening these films do not make
money.Nobody goes to watch these films because now you have the
internet which is the real thing.Pink in Japan means cover up.
Lalit Rao:I believe even today there are a lot of porno films
made in Japan.
Donald Richie:Yeah but they are not being made for an
audience.They are being made for tapes and DVDs.These films are
made in two versions.Covered up for Japan and no cover for Los
Angeles,New York etc. to be used on internet.There is a lot of
Japanese porn.We are no longer talking about films.
Lalit Rao:One way Pink Eiga films cannot be ignored,is it due to
the fact that many of Japanese cinema’s established
directors started their careers making these films.For
example-Kohei Oguri ?
Donald Richie:This is because they no longer had film schools.The
studio system had collapsed.One established director could not
teach another one.So there was no way one could learn filmmaking.
Lalit Rao:Couldn’t they have worked as assistant directors ?
Donald Richie:The Japanese film industry had collapsed.It is like
Hollywood.Hollywood has collapsed.One sees an MGM film.MGM
doesn’t make films.It buys films.Shochiku doesn’t make
films.It buys films and shows them as products.They are film
distributors.
Lalit Rao:As an expert on Ozu,I would like to ask you a
question.Hou Hsiao Hsien has made a film (Café Lumiere)
dedicated to Ozu.Now a days numerous seminars are organized on
Ozu.Almost every film festival talks about Ozu.What is Ozu’s
relevance in contemporary world cinema ?
Donald Richie:There is a very deep connection.Ozu,among other
things,was a modernist. To be a modernist is to subscribe to a
certain minimal.Less is more kind of aesthetic which may have
started in 1930s with people like Lubitsch.This has now become a
major avant garde tendency.So we have people like Jim
Jarmusch,Hou Hsiao Hsien,Coen brothers who are doing the same
kind of thing.All of these filmmakers have been influenced by Ozu
Lalit Rao:Kiarostami too !
Donald Richie:Yeah.That is true.His influence comes in a number
of ways.Firstly it is cinema pure because it is only cinema.That
is all it wants to do.The other thing is that it comes as a
designed trend where you get rid of complications,the commercial
image.“Anime” is so full of details that we don’t
know where to look.You could call it modernism.Most people now
call it post modernism because it sort of cannibalizes itself.It
fits the zeitgeist.I think that this is one of the reasons.
Lalit Rao:As an expert on Japanese cinema living in Japan,I would
like to know how is Japanese cinema promoted within Japan
especially at various film festivals like Tokyo, Osaka,Yamagata
etc.?
Donald Richie:Everybody has now discovered that one of the best
ways to promote a film is to send it to a film festival.This way
many people get to see it.If it wins a prize,one can release it
in cinema.There are many film festivals in Japan.Serious film
festivals who are interested in films not as a product are
few.For example-a film festival which is interested in cinematic
quality is Locarno.I don’t think Cannes is a serious film
festival.This should be the model for Japan.There is only one
film festival in Japan which is of that high caliber.That film
festival is Filmex.
Lalit Rao:In Tokyo.
Donald Richie:Yeah.It is Tokyo’s second film festival.The
International Tokyo Film Festival is too heavily compromised by
business.The films which they show are films which already have
titles in Japanese.These films are going to be shown one week
after the festival is over.This is just a display for the coming
product.People who think about films don’t pay much
attention to Tokyo International Film Festival.Everybody goes to
attend Filmex.
Lalit Rao:What is Japanese government especially ministry of
culture doing to promote Japanese cinema ?
Donald Richie:The Japanese government keeps talking about it.Now
the government wants to create the film schools.What a disaster !
If the government gets into anything ! You know what the Indian
government does to Indian cinema.Any governments which gets into
film business wants to make commercially viable films.I
don’t have any great hopes.One good thing that has happened
is that Japanese ministry of culture has managed to get some
money.It has now become somewhat independent of the major
government in film work.It has shown new south Korean cinema.The
government money has gone into the showing of these films.They
have invited Tony Ryans who has done a big event on Korean avant
garde films in Tokyo with Japanese money.This is extremely
interesting.This is brand new.This is something which is just
happening.
Lalit Rao:A lot of Japanese directors have the feeling that their
films are uniquely Japanese in nature.They believe that their
films have a certain amount of japanness in them because of that
foreigners would not be able to understand them.Why do they have
this sort of feeling especially Mizoguchi ?
Donald Richie:That is true.Mizoguchi never thought of about being
Japanese.He was much more innocent back then.Ozu never tried to
be Japanese.Ozu thought that he was International.He thought of
himself as a modernist.He liked Lubitsch,Laurel & Hardy. He
thought that he was making that kind of films.
Lalit Rao:Ozu was a big fan of King Vidor.
Donald Richie:I am sure he must have seen a lot of King Vidor
films.What really influenced him were the bluebird films,the
early comedies.These Japanese filmmakers did not intend to be
spokesmen for Japan.Kurosawa said that he only makes films for
younger Japanese. He never made films for foreigners.I do not
know a single Japanese director who makes films for foreigners.I
don’t think that they think about foreign markets which is
one of their problems.Sometimes you hear of Japanese directors
going abroad particularly now a days.This does not mean anything.
Lalit Rao:According to you in real terms,when did west first take
note of Japanese cinema ?
Donald Richie:The 1st Japanese film shown abroad was in 1928.It
was called “Crossroads”. It was shown in Berlin.Murnau
saw it.Eisenstein was in Germany at that time.He saw it. They did
not like it but they saw it.In 1934,in U.S.A.,a Naruse film
“Kimiko” was shown.It got fantastic reviews.However,it
took “Rashomon” in 1950 to make western world take
serious note of Japanese cinema.
Lalit Rao:So “Rashomon” was a real trendsetter ?
Donald Richie:Yeah.Rashomon was a real trendsetter.Rashomon got
the whole world talking about Japanese cinema.Oh,here is the
cinema no one has ever heard of.After that Japanese films were
sent to various film festivals.Ugetsu won a prize,Life of
Oharu,Gates of hell won a prize.All of a sudden the sun rose on
the new Japanese cinema.
Lalit Rao:Do you think the current situation of Japanese cinema
is really pathetic ?Is there still some hope for new,young
filmmakers ?
Donald Richie:Well.as always it is all very commercial.All of the
“manga” films,all of these “anime” films tend
to make a lot of money.They also tend to cost a lot of money.The
films that are “chic” like Kitano cannot make any
money.There are films by “Miike” which are
shocking.There are films by “Aoyama” which are trendy.
Lalit Rao:Miike makes a film every 2 months.
Donald Richie:Everyone.He makes films to order.He is a
craftsman.Somebody says I want a film like that.He will make
it.One of the things which matter is that the distribution system
for Japanese films within Japan is very bad.America has a
hegemony of practically all cinemas.Right now,in every
neighbourhood at least 2 cinemas would be showing Star Wars.The
American hegemony means that there are no cinemas left for
Japanese cinema unless it is a Toho handkerchief film or a
Shochiku action film.
Lalit Rao:Handkerchief film means a tear jerker ?
Donald Richie:Yeah a tear jerker.Yochi Sai’s film
“Blood and Bones” got distribution only because it had
Shochiku money in it.The other film by Yoichi Sai like “All
under the moon” was shown only in one cinema.It played for
several weeks but it was screened in only one cinema.In main
districts Japanese films are usually shown only in 1 cinema
unless they are on a chain.So there is much demand for these
cinemas.For example-“The buried tree” by Kohei Oguri.It
is being shown in only 1 cinema in Shinjuku.This is Oguri.His
films have not been shown nationally.You cannot see his films in
Kyoto,in small towns as there are no cinemas.The distribution for
independent films is extremely bad which is unfortunate because
there is no audience for such films.
Lalit Rao:Since past few years a new trend has developed within
Japanese cinema.It concerns Japanese animation.Why do think
Japanese animation is getting more and more popular at different
film festivals all over the world ?
Donald Richie:One of the things that has happened is that
animation is much more inexpensive now.Before nobody could really
afford to make animation films as it was very expensive.They
would send these films to Manila,Singapore etc.It is cheaper to
make a “Manga” film,an “Anime” film than to
make a regular film.Everybody can make something now.Japanese
people ever since 17th century have been extremely fond of
caricature. They are extremely fond of making action
simplified.In the old days when it was expensive to make such
films,they would change the action only 3 frames.The boom in
“Manga” books and the boom in “Anime”
collided and made this new trend.This is leveling out now.The one
film which made a lot of money is “Swept away”.But the
next one “House of moving castle” did not make that
much money.Miyazaki says that he is not going to make any more
films.He says that he is going to stop making films.He says that
everytime.There is another trend which is different from
disneyfied fairy tale anime like “Akira”,“Ghost in
the shell”.
Lalit Rao:Mamoru Oshii !
Donald Richie:Yeah that’s right.These films are much more
dark,much more futuristic,more more Ridley Scott.I don’t
know whether such films will continue or not.Japan is a land of
fashions and fads.The things don’t last very long in Japan.I
think that the new portable handsets will change the shape of
films too.To what direction,I don’t have any idea.
Lalit Rao:Since funding of films is not readily available,have
the Japanese filmmakers taken to DV mode in a big manner ?
Donald Richie:I don’t think that they are so much interested
in technique.The DV cam is a little bit too clunky for them.It is
not quite up to the cutting edge.What they do use all the times
are new video cameras,plain video cameras,big ones.I think that
all new Japanese films are being made this way.Young people in
Japan are making more films than ever.Every high school in Japan
has a film club.There are film festivals like PIA which sponsors
a lot of these young filmmakers.There are a lot of young
cineastes,contests and events.Many people are making a lot of
amateur films than they used to do.It is so simple.It is so
inexpensive.This means that Japanese cinema is going to get a lot
of new directors and a lot of different kinds of directors than
we have now.
Lalit Rao:Lastly,I wish to know about the state of film criticism
in Japan.Are there a lot of film magazines in Japan ?
Donald Richie:The state of film criticism in Japan has been
fairly lamentable.There isn’t any film criticism in the
english sense of the word.It has never been in Japan.I don’t
know about other Asian countries.In Japan,there are reviewers who
usually parrot whatever the producers say.Thoughtful critics have
no place to publish.Japanese newspapers don’t carry
thoughtful criticism.We don’t really have thoughtful film
magazines in Japan except for Kinema Junpo which is not all that
thoughtful now.
LR:Is Kinema Junpo a film journal ?
DR:Yeah it appears every month.We have people like Hiroshi
Komatsu,Tadao Sato.These people publish but not where the public
would read them.The people who would be ones to be telling us
about Japanese film trends are only publishing in a very slow
media.It is in a hardcover book form which people cannot afford
to buy.Nobody really cares to read them.In U.S.A.,a critic like
Pauline Kael whatever her limitations were,was read
nationwide.She was very serious.Tadao Sato has no readers like
that.Nor do I ! There is a very specialized audience for these
books.That is why the general public is not informed.Moreover,the
general public is not interested.
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