Japanese Magic Lantern Show at the Academy
June 16th, 2008 by Andre Soares
In addition to a screening of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will have another East Asian cinematic event in the upcoming weeks: an evening dedicated to the Japanese magic lantern tradition of Utsushi-e, described as "a blend of moving images, light, color, music, storytelling and traditional art." Presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, the Minwa-za Company of Tokyo will make its American premiere performance on Wednesday, July 2, at 8 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
As per the Academy’s press release, the program, led by Minwa-za of Tokyo director Fumio Yamagata, will "recreate and examine the uniquely Japanese art form using reproductions of lanterns and slides of the Edo era," including "a technical presentation on the inner workings of the Utsushi-e rear-projection technology as well as a demonstration of the skills required for a performance."
(Top images: The top two images are Japanese chromotope slides; the bottom image is a japanese magic lantern slide depicting a daruma.)
The following background information is also from the press release:
"Created more than a century before the invention of film, Utsushi-e represents one of the earliest forms of projection technology and in many respects is a forerunner of modern filmmaking. In contrast to traditional Western magic lantern shows, which used single-lantern front projection, Japanese magic lantern shows relied on a combination of fixed and hand-held rear-projection techniques, drawing on some elements of European phantasmagoria and incorporating the traditions of Asian shadow shows and puppet theater.
"Utsushi-e used six or more magic lanterns positioned behind a long semi-transparent paper screen. The lanterns and slides were constructed of balsa wood, making them lightweight and easy to manipulate; in some cases slides with moving parts were also used. Utsushi-e performers developed elaborate projection techniques whose effects might be described in filmmaking terms as cuts, fades, dissolves, double exposures and zooms."
(Photos: above center image shows a print of a japanese magic lantern and projection on the cloth of a kimono; above right image shows a Minwa-za performance at the Metropolitan Art Theatre, Ikebkuro, Tokyo, 2007)
Tickets to "The Minwa-za Company of Tokyo" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved.
The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).
For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Photos: Courtesy of Machiko Kusahara
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