Benshi

Benshi (弁士 in Japanese) were performers who provided live narration for silent Japanese films.

Role of the Benshi

During silent films, the benshi stood to the side of the movie screen and introduced and related the story to the audience. In theatrical style, benshi often spoke for the characters onscreen and played multiple roles. Stemming from the traditions of Kabuki and Noh theaters, the benshi's narration and general commentary were an important part of the Japanese silent film experience. Much like in the West, Japanese silent films were often accompanied by live music (in addition to the benshi).

The benshi tradition was adopted in Taiwan under the name benzi, and was also present in Korea from the first decade of the twentieth century where they were called byeonsa (변사).[link]

Many benshi were quite famous in their own right, and garnered great acclaim. The silent film era lasted until the mid-1930s in Japan in part due to benshi, despite the introduction of sound in full-length films in the late 1920s. The adoption of this new technology was slowed by the popularity and influence of the benshi. Though the tradition has mostly faded, there are still a few remaining active benshi in Japan.

External links

[Introduction to Japanese silent cinema with an interview from a modern-day benshi]

References

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.