Introduction By Eric Johnston apan, O scar Wilde once declared , is pur e invention. There was n o such country , he insisted . Though Wilde blamed the proliferation and popularity of woodblock prints rather than literary descr iptions for the exotic images of the country found in the drawing rooms of late Victorian England and Gilded Age America , his tongue - in - cheek as sertion was also applicable to the scribblings of contemporary foreign writers who offered readers in the West a portrait of Japan that was delightfu l but distorted , entertaining but exaggerated. O ften highly exaggerate d. Wilde nev er lived to see the rise of popular cinema. Ye t the Japan - based themes explored by 19 th century Western writers , and the resulting ment al images they conjured up , would be utilized to great effect by 20 th century Western filmmakers. E specially in Hollywood and especially after the Second World War ended in 1945. On the silver screen, Japan was no longe r a distant urban landscape viewed from the bomb bay door camera of a high - altitude B - 29 . It was now a down - to - earth countr y with real p eople, represented in vivid scenes of black and white , and later color , celluloid . A former enemy portrayed immediately after Pearl Harbor by Hollywood as fanatical, brutal, and suicidal was, in the postwar period, presented as peaceful, exotic , fr iendly, full of quaint but strange custom s, and colorful temples and shrines. T he Japanese themselves were no longer brainwashed maniacs following the Emperor in wartime propaganda like Frank Capra’s Why We Fight but a diverse nation of smil ing farmers and shopkeepers, or tough gangsters with their own code of honor, and delicate , shy women who, as Betty Grable sang in Call Me Mister , loved American GIs “Gangsters and geishas” w ere two popular stereotype s of Japanese men and women that form ed the basis of countless immediate postwar productions . F ilms made during the American - led Occupation (1945 - 1952) and then during the 1950s and 1960s that util ized these themes were not as blatantly racist as the wartime propaganda. B ut the tropes they borrowed from the 19 th century wo uld have been familiar to Wilde: kimono - clad women, wily men, and everyone polite , yet at the same time, different . S ometimes unintentionally funny and, in the end, inscrutable. Or at least puzzling. J y the early 1950s, it was fine to laugh at , or at least be puzzled by , Japan if you were an American theatre - goer. Japan was now America’s ally against Communism , albeit a subordinate one. It was an earnest nephew , anxious to learn about democracy at the feet o f Uncle Sam even as it , sometimes very reluctantly, hosted American military bases that played a major role during the Korean War and , to a lesser degree, during America’s war against Vietnam Only a few films in the immediate postwar years like Japanese War Bride move d beyond paternalistic attitudes and corny jokes by American leads and cardboard stereotypes of the Japanese with thoughtful scripts and serious acting . M ore often, what audiences saw were simplis tic American views of Japan in films like Back at the Front , Tokyo File 212, Oriental Evil , Geisha Girl, Joe Butterfly , House of Bamboo , and, of course, The Teahouse of the August Moon From the immediate postwar “gangsters and geisha” them e s would gradually emerge more diverse storylines — Japanese monsters, robots, and ka rate were themes that Hollywood embraced from the 1960s onwards . And, of course, films with a samurai theme, including The Last Samurai and the Lost Samurai series and , much later still , a variety of releases with the word “Ninja” in the title all drew audiences Yet the evolution did not lead to the extinction of the “gangster s and geisha” - genres. Quite the opposite The Yakuza in the 1970s was well - received in the U.S. , and was followed in the 1980s and 1990s by yakuza - themed films like Death Train To Osaka , Rising Sun and Black Rain By the dawn of the 21 th century , history showed that a half century of Hollyw o od `s Japan - themed films had, and were still , inspiring genera tions of Westerners to visit, work, and study in J apan. Many films were now available on video tape or DVD or shown on late night television , reaching a younger generation not yet been born when the work first appeared in local theaters But there were so many titles to choose from and no guidebooks . Wouldn’ t it be great if somebody , somewhere, could introduce , or re - intro duce , at least some of them to modern audiences? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ B n early 2002, Kansai Time Out magazine rea ders spo tted a new column KTO was the Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara region’s leading source of English language information for resi dent foreigners. It w as a small, independent, family - owned outfit where readers, n ot advertisers, came first. It eschewed the type of corporate gloss and dross found in Tokyo’s English magazines in favor of low - key advertising and an eclectic editorial approach. KTO was not hostile, as are so many Japan - based English - language magazines today, to ward the intelligently offbeat — as long the offbeat was judged by the editors to be of interest to its historically - minded readership The magazine welcomed ideas that most other editors dealing with Japan would spike. One proposal t hat got the green light came from a n American resident named Matt Kaufman. An avid film collector, he offered to pen articles on old , and recent, films abou t Japan The result was Hollywood Japan File , a series of informed , witty and highly opinionated columns. Many of the films Kaufman wrote about had been box office hits a nd won major awards . Others were obscure flops seen only in arthouse theaters . Some featured lavish productions with big budgets and internationally recognized stars O thers we re churned out for pocket change , with Ed Wood - level production valu es and laughably bad performances from third - rate actors who disappeared into obscurity Some films were unusually thoughtful, intell igent or racially sensitive by the standards of the time . Others were incredibly infantile, stupid, or racist . B y the standards of any time I t quickly became clear that what readers were actually getting was a series of subversive , but poignant , insights as to h ow the Western world viewed Japan ese society and culture. Especially in the latter half of the 20 th century But Ka ufman’s genius was that he also forced those of us who lived here to look in the mirror . Watching the films he wrote about in the privacy of our home s or a t the occasional screenings KTO sponsored at an Osaka bar , we Japan - b ased foreigners who thought our selves enlightened could snicker at how ridiculous the country and its people were once portrayed . We could snort in disgust when – as Kaufman reminds us — Japanese parts in many films were played by Caucasians made up to look “Asian” . But w e also cringe d in embarrassment when we realized some of those long - ago crude stereotypes and sentiments about Japan flick er ing acros s the scr een remained fixed in the minds of our fri ends and relatives . Or , if we were honest, som etimes remained fixed in our own minds. I aufman’s co lumn included independe nt works as well as Japan - themed films from countries as diverse as Australia and Iran. In addition, a good number of later titles in the Hollywood Japan File collection were shot within Japan by locally - based foreign directors . Most are small budget efforts dating from the 1980s through the early 2000s In a nod to KTO readers, a few of those profiled were filmed in Kansai by neophyte directors who simply wanted to have a bit of fun They have a distinct film school feel only the most hard - core cinema buffs , Japanophiles, or friends and families of the directors and actors w ho appe ared in them will love These amateur efforts run the gamut from ghost stories to a mockumentary on Japan’s English - language conversation schools. But Kaufman makes them all sound interesting , appealing , and worthy of viewing because he is an encyclopedia of trivia who clearly loves his subject R eader s of his column never had to worry about running short of conversation topics in the ir local pub or at a cocktail party . Want to know which film, partially shot in Kyoto and Nara, a young , uncredited Clint Eastwood appeared in ? How ab out the name of Yoko Ono’s first film? W hich movie , set in Tokyo during the 1964 Olympics, was Cary Grant’s last ? What was the name of the famous Japanese actress , and later national politician , who starred in a few postwar films? Which film, shot in Kyoto, was a then unknown Hollywood wannabe a i kido pract itioner named “Steve Seagal ” involved with ? If you had read Kau fman’s columns , you kne w the answers to all of the above. Today , you can’t swing an iPhone in Japan without hitting an `I’m a filmmaker, darling” - foreigner shooting video of the streets of Tokyo, Kyoto , or wandering the most remote parts of the country in search of a “ unique ” Japan story. As of this writing, t he tourist boom of the past few years has yet to produce a mainstream Japan - themed Hollywood “hit” on the level of, say, Lost in Translation (2003) , Sayuri (2005) or Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima (2006). M ore recent films like Emperor (2012) and Silence (2016) have gotten mixed or bad reviews . Perhaps the last Japan - based film to cause a n international stir was the Oscar winning documentary The Cove (2009) B ut given the ease of video production , it’s only a matter of time be fore somebody, somewhere gains some degree of fame for a film about , or set in , Japan . R egardless of genre and the medium through which such recognition is gained Th e communications revolution of the last quarter century means w e have more images, celluloid and dig ital, of Japan and of Japanese pe ople tha n ever before . It is no longer K necessary to sit in a darkened theat re with tot al strangers to get -- apologies to Lafcadio Hearn -- glimpses of an un familiar Japan. Yet these images and stories on film were once seen and heard by millions . They continue to influence , often subconsciously, the way the Western world in particular sees and deals w ith Japan. K nowing h ow Hollywood once portrayed Japan is a form of cultural literacy. And this is what makes Hollywood Japan F ile worthwhile as an educational as well as an entertainment endeavor. K aufman`s writing naturally appeals to those with wide personal, professional and/or intellectual interest s in Japan , but who are often isolated in their own specialist communities Yet even those who know little about J apan will learn much about a country they have never visited , and perhaps never will Nor is it necessa ry the films under review be relevant or “correct” by today’s standards — academic , political or otherwise. They must be seen in the context of the time and the world in which they were created. They are a n important window into how millions of people ar ound the world once saw Japan and how many still do Fu rthermore , they also show how many older Japanese once, and sti ll , see themselves , or wish to be seen , by the outside world A ny of the titles listed here is sure to start an argument or prompt a discussion with frie nds and total strangers, and force everyone to consider or reconsider thei r “modern” views on Japan mor e carefully . That is their true merit. Of course, this is noth ing close to a complete collection of Japan - themed films , though it’s a very thoro ugh introduction In addition, while s ome of the works profiled are easily avai lable today from major ret ailers , o thers are quite rare and can only be found through specialty outlets. Several can be viewed for free on the internet. A couple are out of print or virtually impossible to find unless, like Kaufman, one has the right connections. A ll , however, sp rung from th e imaginations o f different people in different eras who took their mental images and perceptions of Japan and froze them on celluloid On one level , they are merely the pure invention of their creators . O n another, these films reveal, sometime s inadvertently, truths about Japan ese society and our own views of it that can be found in no other medium . Os car Wilde would have understood , and approved. https://hollywoodjapanfile.blogspot.com/?view=flipcard&fbclid=IwAR3PBH mhKMnS8NjsG6kdmZXORAv1yR_WT39wbYdJSo6Jl8ixRGhC49dFsmo