Next class assignment for the week after next (April 19-21)

BENSHI ASSIGNMENT

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AFTER WE CONCLUDE our next presentation, on hobbies or pastimes, we'll turn to the art of the BENSHI (Benzi), or voice-over narration of a film. Each student will select a video clip, about 5 minutes in length (Real Player allows editing, called "trimming," so exact length or nearly exact length should not be a problem) and perform the role of a benshi along with the clip.
    What is a benshi? A benshi, or film explainer, was popularized in Japan from the Silent to the early Sound era in movies. The role of the benshi was to "explain" the movie, present the background, describe the action, and speak the voices. Of course this was mainly for silent movies. But with the sound turned off it doesn't matter!
    A good mental exercise in order to practice your benshi performance is to pretend you're explaining the movie to a child. This should give you some clue of what to say.
    Let's take an example. This is a clip from Titanic (go here).

    "Let me briefly give you the background leading up to this scene. Rose, a wealthy woman, has told Jack, who has neither wealth nor status, that she cannot see him again. As the scene begins, she has changed her mind. [Start video.]
    "Jack is looking over the railing of the ship, called Titanic. What is he thinking of? He must be thinking of Rose who is not with him. But what he doesn't know is that she has returned.
    "Quietly, shyly, she approaches him. She says she has changed her mind about their relationship. Now Jack smiles, showing his happiness! Rose begins to speak but Jack hushes her and asks for her hand, which she gives him. Then he asks her to close her eyes. She hesitates for a moment, so he asks her again. Then he asks her to step close to the railing and guides her in position, asking her to hold on to the railing and not to peek. She complies.        
    "Now he asks her to step up to the railing, still keeping her eyes closed, which she does. This shows Rose's complete trust in Jack. That's why Jacks asks her, "Do you trust me" and she says "yes."
    "After Jack gives Rose permission to open her eyes Rose realizes that she is standing on the railing of the ship and she says she feels like she's flying. He whispers words into her ear and soon they clasp hands and kiss.
    "The ship, the biggest of its time, is going very fast, and the breeze from the cross wind seems to put the lovers in another world. But the moment is short-lived. A lapdissolve takes us back to modern times, with only the hull of what was once the Titanic remaining."

    Each benshi would use a different style and, of course, a benshi explainer would make more sense in the Silent Film era, where there was less dialogue (in the form of intertitles); and even that intertitles could be made more lively if spoken by a benshi in a dramatic voice.
    Still it's obvious that benshi explainers can still be effective with a sound film if the sound is turned off. Depending on the film, more complex explanations would be required. For example, the benshi can explain a gun, cannon, or laptop computer. In a mystery drama the benshi might speak like this:

    "He is walking alone on a street. It is after midnight. Few people are walking the streets at this time of night. Most people are at home, comfortable in their beds or at least in their armchairs, reading. So it's unlikely there will be anyone around. Then, suddenly, a shadow emerges from the moonlit night. Someone is following him. He soon senses someone behind him and begins to feel nervous. Wouldn't you? He quickens her footsteps."

    And so on.
    I don't think there are general rules for a benshi, except to make each film intelligible and entertaining to an average viewer. Of course, the benshi would no doubt have changed his vocabulary and style, depending on the film and audience. For example, a benshi would narrate a cartoon from the Disney Studio, exhibited for a young audience, differently from an adult movie about illicit romance, explained to a mature audience.
    I'm sending this now so you have time to reflect on which clip you wish to narrate, locate the clip, and then practice. I think five minutes is the ideal length. My example is shorter because I wanted to limit the example for easier reading.

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