Director Shohei Imamura and 'Black Rain' Production

Born:  September 15, 1926 Tokyo, Japan

Died:  May 30, 2006 (aged 79), Tokyo, Japan

Occupation:  director, screenwriter, assistant director, producer, actor

Shohei Imamura who was born to an upper-middle-class doctor’s family involved himself in the black market during the time when Japan was in a devastated post-war condition selling things such as cigarettes and liquor. In this period he was shown to post-war Japanese society which is why most of his films are focused on the lower-class of Japanese society.  After graduating from Waseda University in 1951, Immamura began to assist Yasujiro Ozu at Shochiku Studios which marks the beginning of his film career.  Apart from the fact that both Imamura and Ozu wanted to express particular Japanese elements of the society in their films, Imamura realized that he did not agree with Ozu’s style of portraying the Japanese society which Imamura thought was too refined and restrained. Imamura left Shochiku in 1954 for Nikkatsu studio. Later on in 1665, Imamura decided to establish his own production company, Imamura Production. The establishment of his own company allowed him more freedom to explore themes without studio interference.

‘Black Rain’ was shot between June 1988 and December 1988. The location was a small mountain village in Okayama Prefecture, near the Sea of Setonaikai off Shikoki.   The film's total budget was estimated to be $3.5 million. Adding to that, Imamura also mortgaged his house to add money to the budget. Even though the film was made in 1989, Imamura decided to go with the artistic approach and shot the film in black and white. This was to make sure that the audience would keep their eyes fixed on the film and not turn away due to some of the scenes being too depressing if showed in color. Imamura made sure that his message would get through to the audience. Our group also feels that with black and white pictures the horror is even more amplified and they also make the film look much older which goes with the era that the event actually took place. The film also uses the method of going back and forth between past and present which we think is Imamura’s way of showing us the uncertainty and anxiety that still exist within the hibakushas even when time has passed, therefore we can understand the extent of the damage that has continued on. 

Family scenes in ‘Black Rain’, whether intentional or not, are staged and framed to remind the audience of Yasujiro Ozu’s family dramas from the 1950s. Therefore, Ozu’s dramas which involve physical suffering and social stigma caused by radiation sickness is a reference for the ‘Black Rain’ audience. The dramas also help with understanding more about families under pressure to conform to traditional expectations but have difficulty achieving them due to their own physical conditions as well as the view of the society towards them. In ‘Black Rain’, Shigeko has always felt ashamed of not being able to give birth and have an heir for the Shigematsu family, or like Yasuko who feels pressured for not being able to be married off like other girls her age.

Imamura‘s way of presenting the story is very realistic. The film starts off by showing us the everyday lives of the Hiroshima people but then in a blinding light their lives change forever. The audience can also feel the connection with their own lives and therefore attain deeper understanding of the overall message by watching scenes that show everyday routines such as rice planting-harvesting, fishing, or like Yasuko who is looking for a suitable partner. Within all the suffering, Imamura also adds elements which suggest that these characters are trying to move on but due to their conditions and the society denying their very existence, they are constantly being reminded of their experiences. Imamura expertly introduces the question of how one can move on after experiencing a horrific event which results in the exclusion from the society. He unearths the issue regarding psychological state that truly existed during the post-bombing period. Imamura's intention is not to point finger or condemn anyone for the war. America, is only mentioned directly once on the radio news regarding the possibility of their using nuclear weapons during Korean War. This is when Shizuma gives the most powerful statement of the film.


            “Human beings learn nothing. They strangle themselves. Unjust peace is better than a war of justice.   Why can’t they see?”


Even though Imamura's intention is not to condemn, the anti-war theme is very clear. Different characters in the film, many times make statements blaming the war for their situations. ‘Black Rain’, a war-related film that is free from political persuasiveness and blame, highlights the fact that the effects of war don’t immediately disappear just because one side is defeated. For those who were there the effects lingered long afterwards.

 

References: 

Broderick, Mick (ed.). 1996. Hibakusha Cinema: Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Nuclear Image in Japanese Film. Kegan Paul International, London.

Cavanaugh, Carole. 2001. “A Working Ideology for Hiroshima: Imamura Shohei's Black Rain” in D. Washburn and C. Cavenaugh (eds.),Word and Image in Japanese Cinema. Cambridge: Cambridge U. Press.

http://www.crosscurrents.org/FeleppaSpring2004.htm
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7973211

 

By: Pim