Setsuko Hara In The New Earth (1937)


I have recently been fascinated by the period of time in 1936 and 1937, before Japan's war in China broke out. It was an era of disaster waiting to happen, yet also beauty and cultural achievements, not to mention all the technological breakthroughs (such as the April, 1937 flight from Tokyo to Paris and London by "Japan's Lindbergh," pilot Masaaki Iinuma from Nagano).

We have films and music from that era that help us understand, to some degree, the emotions and hopes of the individuals whose fate would be determined by the war, rather than peace.

Oh well, it is all 75 years ago, who cares?

Well, watch this clip from The New Earth (Japanese title 新しき土, Atarashiki Tsuchi, German title Die Tochter Des Samurai), and you will probably be moved.

It starts in Hiroshima on Miyajima, at Itsukushima Shrine. Still a wonderful location. Amazing to see it the way it looked back then, complete with sacred deer and with no tourists...

The actress is Setsuko Hara, born 1920.



The film was a joint production as Germany and Japan was eying closer ties. According to the Japanese wikipedia article, it helped Nazi Germany understand Japan better, and get over its racist attitudes regarding East Asia and its people. Be that as it may, it was probably also a first introduction for many people to Japanese tea ceremony, archery, flower ceremony, rice farming... The Japanese wikipedia article notes that it shows cool and historically valuable footage of stuff like the modern train lines that I also enjoy learning more about. However, it also goes on to promote the policy of encouraging Japanese people to move to the continent...

The film will be screened in Tokyo on April 7, 2012 at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, according to MSN/Cinema Today.

Comments

Pandabonium said…
Great find. Thank you. Having walked the same places shown in the clip it takes on a special meaning. I'm looking forward to watching the entire film.
6:25 pm, February 25, 2012
Tom O said…
Sigh... If only so MUCH of Japan cerca 1937 was still around. Summer of 1990, Hiroshima and the last 3 innings of their game v Hanshin Tigers for free, okonimyiaki, clubbing, Miyajima, oyster soba with the brothers that ran the Mercedes dealership in Hiroshima then fishing/beers/waterskiing + amazing O-Bon festivals on that island. Ice cold bottles of Kirin brought to us for free. Almost 22 years later, did I mention how I miss all that???
7:07 am, March 04, 2012
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