The silent films screened in Japan from the 1920s to ¡®40s were never completely silent. Katsudo-shashin benshi, or benshi for short, delivered live narration that provided everything an audience might need to appreciate a film ¡ª from commentary to translation. Derived from Japan¡¯s many narrative art forms, benshi were an effective way to introduce cinema to Japanese audiences.
Though the era of silent films is gone, the art of narration lives on through a handful of professionals. Ichiro Kataoka is one of the country¡¯s few active benshi, and he will provide narration for Tomiyasu Ikeda¡¯s 1926 classic ¡°Chushingura¡± at the Tokyo International Film Festival¡¯s Special Night Event at Kabukiza Theatre. The event will also feature narration by guest benshi Ichiro Furutachi and a special performance by kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke.
¡°I had known about benshi but I thought that it was a long lost profession,¡± Kataoka tells The Japan Times. ¡°When I was 18, I happened to attend a benshi performance by Midori Sawato and it made me want to learn about being one.¡±
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