Benshi (弁士 in Japanese) were performers who provided live narration for silentJapanese films. The Narrator is the entity within a story that tells the story to the reader. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...
Role of the Benshi
During silent films, the benshi stood to the side of the movie screen and introduced and related the story to the audience. In theatrical style, Benshi often spoke for the characters onscreen and played multiple roles. Stemming from the traditions of Kabuki and Noh theaters, the benshi's narration and general commentary were an important part of the Japanese silent film experience. Much like in the West, Japanese silent films were often accompanied by live music (in addition to the benshi). This tradition was adopted in Taiwan under the name benzi. The Kabukiza in Ginza is one of Tokyos leading kabuki theaters. ... Noh performance at Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Hiroshima Noh or No (Japanese: 能, nÅ) is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. ...
Many benshi were quite famous in their own right, and garnered great acclaim. The silent film era lasted until the mid-1930s in Japan in part due to benshi, despite the introduction of sound in full-length films in the late 1920s. The adoption of this new technology was slowed by the popularity and influence of the benshi. Though the tradition has mostly faded, there are still a few remaining active benshi in Japan. A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ...
External link
Introduction to Japanese silent cinema with an interview from a modern-day benshi
References
Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey (1996). The Oxford History of World Cinema. 0198742428.
The benshi would incorporate their own unique dialogue to the film, even changing the storyline to enhance their own definition of what is occurring on the screen.
If there is a scene in the film of a beautiful moon, the benshi may use that image to recite a poem about the lunar landscape, or some other classification to describe their center of attention besides the actual narration of the film.
Though ironically enough, the benshi performance is dying, the craft itself gives film a "a living" presentation and to one who was new to this beautiful process, there was a feeling of fresh air being pumped into the hot sticky cinema house that warm spring night in Tokyo.
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