Part II - Essay

Part II - Essay

Q2

Bunraku is a traditional form of puppet theatre in Japan; it came into being in the year 1684 in Osaka. There are three roles of performers in Bunraku; the puppeteers, the chanters (story tellers and sound effects) and the music players (shamisen - a three stringed musical instrument). Sometimes drums are also used if required.

Noh (or Nogaku) is derived from the Japanese word for talent or skill. It is a significant type of classical musical drama performed in Japan as early as the 14th century. Characters are usually masked, with men playing roles for both genders. Traditionally the performance lasted all day; however, modern Noh performances are much shorter. Noh promote traditional stories over new ones.

The culture of Japan has a long history of suicides that were considered to be honorable, like the 'Seppuku' or ritual suicide by Samurais, the Kamikaze pilots of World War II, or charging into an impossible battle to avert bringing shame upon oneself or family. Double Suicide follows the same theme, in order to be free from all the worries and the shame that would come upon them the lovers commit suicide in an attempt to bond in an everlasting love. The movie is based on a famous play often used in Bunraku acts; it is almost similar to Bunraku in nature, but instead of puppets real actors act out the scenes, and Japanese theatrical traditions like the 'Kuroko' (helping stagehands dressed in black clothes) are employed in progressing the scenes.

As was the tradition of ancient Samurais in Japan, 'the rule of the land' is seen among the men in the movie (Ugetsu - Tales of the rain and moon). They want to succeed in their respective fields to bring honor to themselves and their family. The introduction of Lady Wasaka with the help of 'Gagaku' (Japanese traditional music of the royal court), escorts the classical ghost, who symbolizes a story of a royal family, united with reality. The hero in the movie experiences a newfound love with the ghost lady in the course of his wartime associated journey to sell pottery. While somewhere else, his wife endures hard times due to attacks on their village.

Q4

Japanese horror movies symbolize a filmic method to deal with great uncertainties linked with globalization, the lengthy economic recession on top of a loss of hopefulness about the future, in addition to the outrageous exposure of wartime cruelty committed by the imperial forces of Japan for the duration of World War II that only in recent times have been exposed to the public in Japan. Additionally; the heritage of the catastrophic defeat of Japan after World War II along with the attack of the Atomic bomb keeps on exerting an obvious influence on Japanese horror movies. (J. McRoy, 2008)

The Ringu, one of the most frightening horror movies of all time, depicts the story of hopelessness and revenge. Japanese culture has always had a keen interest in the supernatural and evil ...