Words by YAMAUCHI Nanako
Translated by MATSUDA Eisuke
As I write this, memories come flooding back—screenings at the film festival and the University of the Philippines, the wonderful people I met there, the sparkling lights of Shangri-La Plaza, the delicious food (Jollibee, love it!), and the Ely Buendia concert we all went to together… All I can remember are the joyful moments.
The role of a benshi, someone who tells stories alongside silent films. There are only about 20 of us left in Japan today.
Are we considered “old-fashioned” in the world of cinema?
No—we’re not. I felt strongly in the Philippines that katsuben (live film narration) is something always “new.”
To the musicians I performed with—Mariah, Teresa, and Pat—their music was absolutely incredible. No matter how many times I say “thank you,” it’s not enough. I love you all.
I believe we all came together as one through the love story of Fukujusō.
And then there was the thunderous applause and heartfelt feedback from the audience! I was deeply moved to see how the love embedded in silent cinema, as well as the combination of benshi narration and live music, reached people beyond words.
Through this screening, I realized something: unconsciously, I had been imposing a fixed way of “how to watch silent films.”
I would have never thought to pair a German silent film with techno music, or to perform the Austrian film The Life of Beethoven using sign language.
Because I’m so immersed in silent cinema, I had unknowingly decided for myself: “This is how it should be watched, narrated, and performed.” And that very mindset is what turns culture into something “old.”
The film festival and the workshops and screenings at the University of the Philippines reminded me once again that katsuben is a passionate, “new” art form.
Oh! One last important thing!
Is there anyone in the Philippines who wants to try being a benshi? Please, let’s perform together at the next film festival!
It will surely be a new chapter in the history of benshi—no, in the history of cinema itself.
※ Fukujusō (The Scent of Pheasant’s Eye : An Episode from the Tales of Flowers) (1935) based on a Shojo novel by Nobuko Yoshiya.
Synopsis: When Kaoru’s sister in-law Miyoko arrives at the family home, tender feelings start to grow between the two. However, the initial happiness that Kaoru finds in the company of her beautiful sister-in-law is frustrated by her brother Mitsuo, Miyoko’s husband, who intervenes in their budding passion.
