| Popis: |
Upending the oft cited claim that Japanese cinema first appeared in the United States via the art house circuit of the 1950s, this chapter argues for Japanese cinema’s American encounter in an earlier moment and across an expansive circuit of exchange by and for Japanese Americans. Whereas Japanese proprietors operated film theaters from the first start of the nickelodeon era and beyond, Japanese films were also often projected in non-theatrical exhibition venues. Across the United States, agricultural fields, abandoned warehouses, Buddhist temples, community halls, churches, and even people’s backyards were converted into makeshift theatres to project and view Japanese films. By highlighting these nontheatrical contexts, the chapter locates Japanese film exhibition as a useful cinema extending beyond commercially or entertainment-oriented purposes. This chapter also highlights the central role of the benshi in both performing alongside the film as well as serving as a film’s distributor and exhibitor. Working independently or in partnership with Nichibei Kogyo Kaisha in Los Angeles, the benshi retained significant control in promoting and exhibiting film. These dynamics in Japanese film exhibition ensured an irreproducibility of the filmic experience even as industries increasingly moved towards standardization. |
