Exhibit Review: Nihon Eiga: The History of Japanese Film, Tokyo, Japan

Nihon Eiga: The History of Japanese Film
National Film Center, Tokyo

Nihon Eiga is a permanent exhibit featuring a small portion of the National Film Center’s large collection of film artifacts, such things as posters, scripts, still images, camera equipment, and props. Like many Japanese spaces, the area is small but used to good effect by layering and stacking.  There is very little unused wall or floor space.  Material is organized chronologically beginning with visual storytelling before the arrival of film and continuing on through to a final section on animation. Throughout there are small video screens displaying clips of historically relevant films.  During my weekday visit, I saw only three other guests and had no difficulty availing myself of several of the available stools, a nice to chance to relax while also enjoying parts of the display.  Japanese cinephiles are sure to find some mention of their personal favorites here, though there may be only one or two items per person.  Kurosawa, for example, probably Japan’s best known director to audiences outside Japan, is represented by costume sketches for Dodeskaden and a scrapbook of production stills of Ikiru collected by its star, Shimura Takashi.  Among the other items of interest was an original script of Tokyo Story, a collection of personal items of Tanaka Kinuyo, and the original puppets in the 1964 production of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.  The Center also has a regular screening schedule, often centered around a director, actor, genre or theme.

A poster and original script of Tokyo Story

A collection of Tanaka Kinuyo's personal  artifacts 

and a scrapbook of production stills from Ikiru

Original puppets and storyboards from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

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