THE Japan Foundation–Manila proudly presents a silent film screening of Yasujiro Ozu’s 1929 silent film comedy A Straightforward Boy (Tokkan Kozo), which, for the first time in history, will feature a Filipino benshi, or silent film narrator, at this year’s International Silent Film Festival in Manila (ISFFM).
The BusinessMirror’s very own columnist Tito Genova Valiente, a film critic and film educator, will be the first-ever benshi from the Philippines as he will work on one of Japan’s classical silent film masterpieces upon the invitation of the foundation, as he follows the steps of one of the best-known active professional benshis, Ichiro Kataoka from Japan, who performed the role last year.
Throughout the world, silent films were shown with musical accompaniment. However, those screened in Japan from the turn of the century to the mid-1930s were not only accompanied by live music but also a performer, known as a katsudo benshi or benshi for short, who delivered live performances by acting as a narrator, actor and storyteller. Standing next to the screen, the benshi provides everything an audience may need to fully appreciate and enjoy a silent film. Some of them were stars and had their own followers, which made them more popular than the movie itself at that time.
For his part, Valiente used to be very active in theater as he acted in school and community-theater presentations, as well as directed and translated.
“Being a benshi is a kind of performance,” he shared. “I have very nostalgic memories of my own performances. Perhaps, I can draw from that nostalgia the energy to be a benshi myself.”
Accompanying Valiente’s live interpretations of the silent film is the band Tanikala Tribe, who will be performing its own original music score. In the rehearsals, they have experimented with melodies taken from Bicolano folksongs and are looking forward to give a “Bicolano flavor” to the Japanese classical film.
A Straightforward Boy is about a man kidnapping a kid with an appetite for sweets. Unable to keep the youngster under control, the abductor brings him to his boss. The boy causes chaos and trouble that even the boss refuses to keep him. The kidnapper brings the boy back to where he found the little one, but that would not be the end of this strange kidnapping tale.
The original theatrical release of Straightforward ran for 38 minutes, but this copy is presumably lost. A 9.5-mm version sold as a format for home viewing was discovered in 1988, but it was incomplete due to degradation of the film reel. The version found that year was a 14-minute-long movie and was shown at the 2015’s edition of the International Silent Film Festival in Manila.
Screening this year is a complete and fully intact 9.5-mm Pathé “baby version” that was fortunately discovered just three years ago. This discovery is a 19-minute-long film. One of the important elements of the complete version is the discovery of the opening sequence, including the top titles.
The importance of the introductory sections to film works cannot be emphasized enough. There is incalculable value to the world of film in finding the most important scenes that were crafted to draw the audience in. It is unfortunate that there is virtually no chance of ever discovering the original release version in 35-millimeter film, given that approximately 90 percent of all silent Japanese films have been lost. Ultimately, it is beyond dispute that this version of Straightforward is the best and most complete version in existence.
Valiente will narrate the film in English—based on the translation of the Japanese script provided by Kataoka—on Saturday, September 1, 6 p.m. at the SM Megamall Cinema 2. He will also briefly explain about the history of benshis and share the experience of being the first Filipino of its kind. His talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
On its 12th edition, eight silent films from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Spain and the United States will be curated and accompanied by various Filipino musicians during the four-day festival at SM Megamall Cinema 2 from Thursday, August 30 to Sunday, September 2. The ISFFM is proudly coorganized and presented by the said countries’ cultural institutions and embassies. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis.