Film / Reviews Dec 5, 2019
'Talking the Pictures': Talking up the magic of silent films
by Mark Schilling
Masayuki Suo's comedy celebrates a bygone era of Japanese silent films and live narrators.
Film Oct 16, 2016
When to speak and when to shut up: the art of a Japanese 'benshi'
by Alisa Yamasaki
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 — from commentary to translation. Derived from Japan's many ...
People | WORDS TO LIVE BY Dec 25, 2012
by Judit Kawaguchi
Midori Sawato is a benshi, a unique kind of performer who provides live narration to silent films at the movie theater. The benshi brings the characters in films alive using different voices and vocal expressions. They sit to the side of the screen, watching ...