Campaign, a documentary film produced and directed by Kazuhiro Soda, is one of the view documentaries I found in the PBS listings that was not headed by a non-Japanese director. This being so, I don't think it fits as well into my purview of PBS Documentaries from the American/British point of view, but I find it very interesting as part of the POV series on WHYY PBS.
The film can be found in it's entirety streamed here at the home website at PBS.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
PBS: Some Thoughts on the Effect of Viewer Appeal on Public Broadcasting Media
Public Broadcasting sustains itself on a combination of foundations, donations, and more specifically, viewer donations. According to current.org, Public Broadcasting grew out of University broadcasting on Radio waves in America, way way back. Since, it has retained a strong tie to the Academic world. Strong appeal to consumers is necessary since the broadcasting can be supported up to 20 percent in revenue through the donation drives. Therefore, the programs must rely upon the 'innate worth' perceived by the audience, Academics working with foundations, and companies who want a by-line with the programs and also donate money to certain works. The lack of commercials is supposed to create a 'free zone', but I do not see this zone as free of influence from political, cultural, and Academic pressures the way I might have five years ago. While there is certainly a certain amount of freedom without the commercial drive, we cannot assume everything we see is 'educational and unbiased.'
Much in the same vein as the supposedly neutral 'encyclopedias' that Said speaks on in Orientalism, the documentary is supposed to be a free zone for commentary. Yet there are still heavy overtures of certain discourses. Japan-o-rama, when combined with a WWII educational video for soldiers, is the inspiration for this project. In both, I saw a strong attempt at authority and yet a flimsy actual product, rather biased. Johnathon Ross is popular at the BBC, evidenced by the fact he has three series, one which ran in chunks of episodes for three seasons, at current, and his work is rather clear evidence of Orientalist discourse still alive in modern, pop and trendy documentary. More serious documentary, on terms of the newsreel, have a much more cut and dry, neutral position, but evidence of their home political climate is still very strong. See Japan's About Face as well as Campaign. Then you have the historical and 'traditional culture' documentary, which take all of the incense smoke images of old Japan, combine them with jidaieki visuals, and make a play out of the events. Academia's influence is very strong in the latter two, I feel, while the more pop culture documentary is often taken on by the amatuer, the non-Academic, and have a more distilled version of current 'popular' impressions from Britain and America about Japan.
Much in the same vein as the supposedly neutral 'encyclopedias' that Said speaks on in Orientalism, the documentary is supposed to be a free zone for commentary. Yet there are still heavy overtures of certain discourses. Japan-o-rama, when combined with a WWII educational video for soldiers, is the inspiration for this project. In both, I saw a strong attempt at authority and yet a flimsy actual product, rather biased. Johnathon Ross is popular at the BBC, evidenced by the fact he has three series, one which ran in chunks of episodes for three seasons, at current, and his work is rather clear evidence of Orientalist discourse still alive in modern, pop and trendy documentary. More serious documentary, on terms of the newsreel, have a much more cut and dry, neutral position, but evidence of their home political climate is still very strong. See Japan's About Face as well as Campaign. Then you have the historical and 'traditional culture' documentary, which take all of the incense smoke images of old Japan, combine them with jidaieki visuals, and make a play out of the events. Academia's influence is very strong in the latter two, I feel, while the more pop culture documentary is often taken on by the amatuer, the non-Academic, and have a more distilled version of current 'popular' impressions from Britain and America about Japan.
Reaction Critique: (BBC: Asian Invasion, Episode 1 Japan)
To begin with the title is edgy, overtones of Asian taking over the Western world strong. However, the discourse of Orientalism is still strong in Ross's dialogue, overtures to 'crazy, edgey' Japan combined with a sort of narrowed focus on only those films that fit the mold. He's talking pop culture, but he often seems to define the best of Japan as only from a certain section of the pop culture that fits the theme.
Comments During the Film follow:
At the end, he starts asking about the signifigence of gozilla--what he stands for. He asks if he's supposed to be Stalin in the remake of the first director. Godzilla is America and the Atom Bomb, on a certain level. Interesting he puts the focus on Communist Russia first. The director is amazed, and never thought about it--and doesn't really correct him, just says its a new idea to him.
He brings up the American version. "You're a thin man, you don't need to eat as much as me. I have a big hole in me." The Britain taking away from the man, it's extremely uncomfortable. The host is rather overbearing, considering. "Quintencensstial DVD shop"--It's HMV, an international store, or rather, a British one. I think of Tsutaya and Book Off? Britian as universal everywhere, trying to tie things together? The films he draws out seem to be charactures of the anime genre in the usual types--the sports manga, the shounen super fighter, "only coming from a culture that habitually bets on fights between stag beetles" wonky seinen crazyness, ..actually, generally, these are filsm with rather ridiculous premises that he's presenting as the best of the current crop of film. But these are the current crop of indy cult film, and that's not made clear. He treats them as all Japan has to offer in terms of film, comparable to Akira Kurosawa, and that this is a mark of the decline of Japan because of it's addiction to the West, because it's catering to Otaku. Because it's not longer 'pure' Japan, and for him as a Japanophile, this is a shame.
I see this as parallel to Said's Orientalists, who searched for a pure form of what they love, and dissapointment.
I wonder why he doesn't mention recent hits like Nana (which is shoujo, and less crazy in essence), and other films.
But there's hope in one specific example (Lily Chou Chou) that talks about idols, group think, suicide, etc.
Then there's everybody's favourite, Beat Takeshi.
Then Takeshi Miike. Happiness of the Katakakuris (hello Film Class!), Gozu, etc. The man likes to combine weirdness with normalcy.
He calls this past, present, and future. And then he moves to Anime, as the most important. "Typically perverse Japanese twist."
Akira, Steamboy; Miyazaki, who is enshrined in terms of media, with "leisurely style", but he always brings it back to 'edgeyness'; Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell "elevates from sweaty otaku to high art" (not mentioned: Paprika, Millenium Actress) state of the art, though our expert can't understand, but he respects it, with an odd stiffness.
"Intentional ambiquity of the original Japanese." with the obscurity of the subtitles, he says. Nihon as distant, strange, unintelligible. I call it poor translation--the subtitles are a little less then awesome, what they show. Why even mention this? He always calls the techniques of the director 'emptiness', techno, or distant, whereas I feel the director may think differently.
"Still looks distincitively Japanese to me", "a little something extra going on." And it's okay the present gen isn't as good as the older--but we don't know who that is. "Japan itself, showing the tension between technology and tradition." He also implies that the current newer crop of directors are somehow emotionless.
Comments During the Film follow:
At the end, he starts asking about the signifigence of gozilla--what he stands for. He asks if he's supposed to be Stalin in the remake of the first director. Godzilla is America and the Atom Bomb, on a certain level. Interesting he puts the focus on Communist Russia first. The director is amazed, and never thought about it--and doesn't really correct him, just says its a new idea to him.
He brings up the American version. "You're a thin man, you don't need to eat as much as me. I have a big hole in me." The Britain taking away from the man, it's extremely uncomfortable. The host is rather overbearing, considering. "Quintencensstial DVD shop"--It's HMV, an international store, or rather, a British one. I think of Tsutaya and Book Off? Britian as universal everywhere, trying to tie things together? The films he draws out seem to be charactures of the anime genre in the usual types--the sports manga, the shounen super fighter, "only coming from a culture that habitually bets on fights between stag beetles" wonky seinen crazyness, ..actually, generally, these are filsm with rather ridiculous premises that he's presenting as the best of the current crop of film. But these are the current crop of indy cult film, and that's not made clear. He treats them as all Japan has to offer in terms of film, comparable to Akira Kurosawa, and that this is a mark of the decline of Japan because of it's addiction to the West, because it's catering to Otaku. Because it's not longer 'pure' Japan, and for him as a Japanophile, this is a shame.
I see this as parallel to Said's Orientalists, who searched for a pure form of what they love, and dissapointment.
I wonder why he doesn't mention recent hits like Nana (which is shoujo, and less crazy in essence), and other films.
But there's hope in one specific example (Lily Chou Chou) that talks about idols, group think, suicide, etc.
Then there's everybody's favourite, Beat Takeshi.
Then Takeshi Miike. Happiness of the Katakakuris (hello Film Class!), Gozu, etc. The man likes to combine weirdness with normalcy.
He calls this past, present, and future. And then he moves to Anime, as the most important. "Typically perverse Japanese twist."
Akira, Steamboy; Miyazaki, who is enshrined in terms of media, with "leisurely style", but he always brings it back to 'edgeyness'; Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell "elevates from sweaty otaku to high art" (not mentioned: Paprika, Millenium Actress) state of the art, though our expert can't understand, but he respects it, with an odd stiffness.
"Intentional ambiquity of the original Japanese." with the obscurity of the subtitles, he says. Nihon as distant, strange, unintelligible. I call it poor translation--the subtitles are a little less then awesome, what they show. Why even mention this? He always calls the techniques of the director 'emptiness', techno, or distant, whereas I feel the director may think differently.
"Still looks distincitively Japanese to me", "a little something extra going on." And it's okay the present gen isn't as good as the older--but we don't know who that is. "Japan itself, showing the tension between technology and tradition." He also implies that the current newer crop of directors are somehow emotionless.
BBC Documentaries: Asian Invasion (Japan)
Produced and hosted by the same man who sort of started me off in this direction, Johnathan Ross of Japan-o-Rama, this is a series looking at Asian cinema through the critical centers of Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea produced in the UK. Here's the first part of the Japan section, the first of the series. It is significant he begins here. In 2007, Johnathon Ross was best known for the third season of Japan-o-rama, a pop-culture fest focused on Japan, and he introduces himself as a biased 'Japanophile'. He's drawing in watchers from Japan-o-rama, and much of the production feels the same. He's pushing that same crowd, and is going to pull them through htis peisode into the others--an overview of theme that I think is important in dissecting what he is doing.
Phrases such as "violent even for Eastern audiences" are particularly telling about discourse. American film is often criticized as the most violent and accessible in the industry--what does it mean when he says, paraphrased, "violent even for Eastern audiences" when discussing his first director? He's playing up the drama, or does this play into Morris's idea of the Male Japan and the Female Japan, used when convenient, and this is Male Japan (of war and Imperialism) overtones?
Here's the first part of the Japan Episode.
Phrases such as "violent even for Eastern audiences" are particularly telling about discourse. American film is often criticized as the most violent and accessible in the industry--what does it mean when he says, paraphrased, "violent even for Eastern audiences" when discussing his first director? He's playing up the drama, or does this play into Morris's idea of the Male Japan and the Female Japan, used when convenient, and this is Male Japan (of war and Imperialism) overtones?
Here's the first part of the Japan Episode.
Some Priliminary Thoughts on Public Television Documentaries about Japan
I'm pretty sure one of the things behind the discourse in Documentaries is the easy push button for viewer recognition. Using short-cuts of wide-spread held images of the concepts or place being addressed to communicate information, instead of focusing on the reality of these images, or addressing their high levels of constructed meaning. In a way it is a cheap shot used to communicate to the audience, either a sense of place, time, or object, or as a dramatic, interest creating ploy to make the viewer watch by playing on the long-held discourse of Asia as exotic, distant, intriquing, interesting. If the place is exotic, we want to learn more about the 'strange, foreign ways'. However, not all documentaries use these sorts of ploys. There are also political factors, such as the sensitivity of the Atom Bomb, the American Occupation, etc that for an American audience may be elided or not mentioned in a sort of memory open space. I haven't decided how much of this seems to be a sort of political pressure in not wanting to create a controversy that may prevent the documentary from showing (since we are talking about public television), or not wanting to bring up or get into often complicated issues. (Am I giving too much credit there?)
//edit
There seem to be certain dominant aesthetiques in (recent, public television, focused) documentary on Japan--there is the super pop tech bright light, there is the old style jidaieki drama style, and then the more straightforward 'is as is' style.
///Edit
Also, how much of the aesthetique is appropriation of existing aesthetic in the culture viewed to create Theme in the documentary, how much is use of inner cultural signs for the topic, and how much is just cheese?
//edit
There seem to be certain dominant aesthetiques in (recent, public television, focused) documentary on Japan--there is the super pop tech bright light, there is the old style jidaieki drama style, and then the more straightforward 'is as is' style.
///Edit
Also, how much of the aesthetique is appropriation of existing aesthetic in the culture viewed to create Theme in the documentary, how much is use of inner cultural signs for the topic, and how much is just cheese?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
PBS Documentaries: Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire
Also available from the PBS website is a three part documentary series on Meiji era Japan, already somewhat suspect from it's title--secrets, memoirs--the incense images of the Orientalized experienced. The previews of the episodes including extra information from the program may be found here.
So far I have only watched two minutes of the first episode's opening, and I am worried, because the first piece of narration is (paraphrased) "The Japanese have rituals found in not other country around the globe. The things they do are unimaginable, and it may be said that Japan is the reverse of the world of Europe," as the heavy ring of a Buddhist bell rings out against a foreground of sharply dressed men marching down a street lined with bowed heads, followed by the evocative shot of a geisha applying her makeup.
In the first three minutes.
Supposedly, one of the main contributers to this series is a former Fulbright scholar, working (at the time of airing, 2004) an anticipated book about cultural exchange between Japan and America. I need to track down the rest of the episodes, but I am wary of the discourse within this one.
edit//
Links obtained! Youtube is a great resource for somewhat public domain film.
It's mis-labeled, but this is the referred-to documentary on Tokugawa Japan.
So far I have only watched two minutes of the first episode's opening, and I am worried, because the first piece of narration is (paraphrased) "The Japanese have rituals found in not other country around the globe. The things they do are unimaginable, and it may be said that Japan is the reverse of the world of Europe," as the heavy ring of a Buddhist bell rings out against a foreground of sharply dressed men marching down a street lined with bowed heads, followed by the evocative shot of a geisha applying her makeup.
In the first three minutes.
Supposedly, one of the main contributers to this series is a former Fulbright scholar, working (at the time of airing, 2004) an anticipated book about cultural exchange between Japan and America. I need to track down the rest of the episodes, but I am wary of the discourse within this one.
edit//
Links obtained! Youtube is a great resource for somewhat public domain film.
It's mis-labeled, but this is the referred-to documentary on Tokugawa Japan.
PBS Documentaries: Japan's About-Face
Only aired less then half a year ago, Japan's About-Face is an agressively titled documentary about the current shift in Japan's Self-Defense Force, the Military that cannot be called a Military (as one of the speakers in the show puts it.) PBS has the entire program, including additional material, online on the companion website here.
A rather well done program in the general, it's worth noting that when talking about Japan's miltary in WWII and following up on the results, they mention rather obliquely that (paraphrasing) "by the end of the war, Tokyo was burned to the ground" without mentioning that this was due to American firebombings of Tokyo, leaving a free association between the burning of Tokyo and the Japanese military as connected events in a way that is not exactly the actual connection--a sort of cause-effect that is slightly different then the actual sort of potential cause-effect argument they could attempt here. I need to view this again to more properly start analyzing the sort of argument that is made here, though there is also an emphasis ont he contradiction of the SDF, what they do, the constitution, and how politics are trying to get around the constitution without actively changing Article 9. There's also some interesting interviews with peace activists marching in reaction to the proposal of removing Art 9.
A rather well done program in the general, it's worth noting that when talking about Japan's miltary in WWII and following up on the results, they mention rather obliquely that (paraphrasing) "by the end of the war, Tokyo was burned to the ground" without mentioning that this was due to American firebombings of Tokyo, leaving a free association between the burning of Tokyo and the Japanese military as connected events in a way that is not exactly the actual connection--a sort of cause-effect that is slightly different then the actual sort of potential cause-effect argument they could attempt here. I need to view this again to more properly start analyzing the sort of argument that is made here, though there is also an emphasis ont he contradiction of the SDF, what they do, the constitution, and how politics are trying to get around the constitution without actively changing Article 9. There's also some interesting interviews with peace activists marching in reaction to the proposal of removing Art 9.
Banned Cartoons 1 : Japan
Here are several interesting links to videos I thought everyone might find interest:
"Banned Cartoons" on Youtube are plentiful, but poorly organized. Here's some I found focusing on Japan, shown from 1942 to 1944.
You're a Sap, Mr. Jap!, 1942 : Pop Eye leads the naval fight against Japanese Troops
The title for this cartoon is based on a war song from 1941, which I found the lyrics for here. If you click through, you can see the cover for the record is bright orange, with a huge Uncle Sam 'punishing' a tiny man who I assume is supposed to be Japanese like a young, naughty child.
Tokio Jokio, 1943 : Bugs Bunny leads us on a tour of "Corrupt Japan"
Stereotype minefield! They combine stereotypes of China, Japan, and general Oriental Incense Images (which is the only shorthand I can think of) to present a corrupt, backstabbing and inable Japan.
Commando Duck, 1944: Donald Duck is sent to wipe out Japanese troops (watch out for the crocadiles)
This one is the most interesting of the bunch. It's one of the last (note the colour) and the ideology going on is more complex because it's become more subtle--the Japanese are used as a point of humour, less then a focus, and Donald Duck is an 'unwilling soldier', unlike every other earlier film. They combine scenery from stereotyped deep jungle Africa and the Grand Canyon to create a backdrop for Japanese aggression.
There are plenty more about the War in general that mention Japan as part of the axis but do not focus on Japan, and Germany. The German cartoons seem to be more sympathetic towards the people of Germany and focus on Nazi-ism as evil, while the Japanese films lump all of Japan into one boat for the most part as far as I have seen.
"Banned Cartoons" on Youtube are plentiful, but poorly organized. Here's some I found focusing on Japan, shown from 1942 to 1944.
You're a Sap, Mr. Jap!, 1942 : Pop Eye leads the naval fight against Japanese Troops
The title for this cartoon is based on a war song from 1941, which I found the lyrics for here. If you click through, you can see the cover for the record is bright orange, with a huge Uncle Sam 'punishing' a tiny man who I assume is supposed to be Japanese like a young, naughty child.
Tokio Jokio, 1943 : Bugs Bunny leads us on a tour of "Corrupt Japan"
Stereotype minefield! They combine stereotypes of China, Japan, and general Oriental Incense Images (which is the only shorthand I can think of) to present a corrupt, backstabbing and inable Japan.
Commando Duck, 1944: Donald Duck is sent to wipe out Japanese troops (watch out for the crocadiles)
This one is the most interesting of the bunch. It's one of the last (note the colour) and the ideology going on is more complex because it's become more subtle--the Japanese are used as a point of humour, less then a focus, and Donald Duck is an 'unwilling soldier', unlike every other earlier film. They combine scenery from stereotyped deep jungle Africa and the Grand Canyon to create a backdrop for Japanese aggression.
There are plenty more about the War in general that mention Japan as part of the axis but do not focus on Japan, and Germany. The German cartoons seem to be more sympathetic towards the people of Germany and focus on Nazi-ism as evil, while the Japanese films lump all of Japan into one boat for the most part as far as I have seen.
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