Peliculas Japonesas

Cinema in Japan has a history that goes way back about one hundred years ago and Japan has the oldest and largest film industry in the world. Since the first cameraman arrived in Japan in 1897, movies have been produced in Japan. The Japanese film festival called the Nippon Connection Film festival takes place in Japan every year around mid April. It is the biggest film festival in Japanese Cinema all over the world.

The very first outstanding Japanese film was viewed in late 1897 and showed various well known sights in Tokyo. Early films were heavily influenced by traditional theater for example Kabuki and Bunraku.  To this very day, Japanese films are still heavily influenced by Japanese practices, manners and ways of life, behaviors and beliefs.

The first ever Japanese female entertainer to make an appearance in film in Japan was the dancer cum actress Tokuko Nagai Takagai. She made an appearance in between 1911 and 1914. Because of the popularity of Japanese movie starts, Japanese films gained fame as contrasted to foreign films in the 1920's. Some of the more famous Japanese actors were Jun, Sato Takero ,Narimiya etc.The earlier Samurai period pieces in Japanese film were more captivating and electric rather than action based. The Samurai movies of the post World War 2 became more action based and with a wicked and evil and more vicious and fiery nature and were characterized by uncontrolled and rough brute force.

A dominant determinant that ensured the successful continuity of Japanese film industry during its conversion to sound was its capability to change to sound in very slow progression over a ten year period because of the recognition and state of influence and quality of strength of the original homegrown diversity of silent film. Film in Japan was never experienced in Japan by the congregation in silence but alternatively, the showing of silent films was conducted with the accompaniment of live presentation of narration and music in the theater and the narrators were popular entertainers. This ensured that the film industry survived and even in 1942, a small but significant percentage of films shown in Japan were still silent.

Another significant factor in peliculas japonesas industry is anime. Anime is an abridged pronunciation of Japanese animation but customarily is animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan, anime is referred to simply as Japanese animation. The earliest Japanese anime goes way back to 1917 when many innovative Japanese cartoons were and in the following decades, the anime style evolved in the 1960's, distinctly the work of one Osamu Tezuka, also getting to be known outside Japan. Anime like Manga has a big following both in and outside of Japan.

2000 saw the formation of the Japan Film promotion Council and 2001 saw the representation of the Japanese foundation for the promotion of Arts laws to the House of Representatives. The purpose of such laws is to advance the cause of production media arts including film. Two Japanese films have so far been honored with international recognition by being picked to contest in major film festivals. Japanese film is poised to achieve greater heights.