�U�t THE NEW CANADIAN Wodnoadgy, April 30, 1952
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By CINDERELLA
NWON NO KATSUDO SHASHIN"
Most Niseis, at sortie time w another, have been subjected to "Nihon no-Katsudo'Shashin.'" Before the talkies invaded Japanese movie making, no Hollywood film could quite match those films shown in the average Japanese community. For sheer sentimentality, for shameless, playing with human emotions, for intentionally wringing the heart dry of tears, there was ho equal to the Japanese silent flicker. �
As a very young child I recall vividly being bundled off to a
"Nihon no Katsjudo Shashin" -- an event which occurred several times a year, and a gala day for the Japanese community, hungry for the sights and sounds of a beloved country which for them was an oasis in a desert of foreign and strange customs.
No American-made or Engltsh-niade film can wring those tears as could the Japanese movies. And wring them they did! Japanese films were strong on situations which touch every conceivable emotion. ��.Emotional intensity was heightened by power of suggestion rather than by direct statement. And there was the projectionist � always with a double role to play � that of projecting the film and of enacting all the characters as well. And the success of the film depended, to a great extent, on his vocal gymnastics. And what a range he had .'. . if he was good! He would bellow in round terms to defend Die hero's manhood, simper coyly and toothily as the heroine, chirp with birdlike clarity as a child of six or eight, tremble with omniscience as prophetic seer, throb, murmur or tremolo in moments of passion as lover, father, villain.
And if rmo were the least bit sensitive to suggestions thrown upon the screen, to sounds hammering at one's ears, to sounds of women weeping openly in the audience, in time the ''Nihon no Kat-sudo Shashin" became an event for a really good cry.
Films quivered with emotions, riots, counter-plots, situations .-�� all plucking the heartstrings -- wore piled on top of one another, with no let up.- v '.'__ _ �
There were numerous '-favourite themes � all very tragic � but the prized ones were those which centred around the hackneyed "A little child shall lead them" angle. There was always ''Bo-ya'.' whose father, a drunkard, leaves his \vjfe and family in very dire straits; "Bo-ya" becomes the master of the house at tlie ago of eight,, precociously tells his- mother not to worry, and proceeds to send himself, his three brothers and sister through school. And in comes the power of suggestion-� scenes are .'shown with "Ho-ya" chasing after, the rice peddlar's wogoif, scraping up a few grains of rice for his sick mother; "Ho-ya" being told to beat it. by mean and wealthy schoolboys; "Bo-ya"watching another boy flying a kite, his eyes full of longing - - and the tears being to flow!
. And, as if that werenl enough, old pa. comes home. And thou, there is the heart-Vending moment when the bid-'man. completely changed, asks for forgiveness. True to life.? Questionable. 1 would say, but then, everyone has a wonderful time weeping-Then, there were the themes on love, tender and passionate, versus duty, stern and demanding. Many a movie did I sit.through where t-l\e'''.heroin'e.i'torn-between personal happiness and a greater duty, threw herself after a !<mg-drawn out sequence, into, a river. Sh�-never died, however, without coming up once above the ebbing tide, to give a farewell: speech' expressing it ho--hope that "Kamisama" \vouM forgive her. And of course, the nv'uvoi. question does-several"minuted of 'soliloquy, full of s^%lf-.less �"�'..�self-condemnation'/ and- then . xyaiks : through 'a � quiet; sunset, a s:'Md-.vr and' a wiser man, to his pat'eni wife and children; '
There was one film ..which' w-as- r-� V�voufite during the .impres.-siopahle teens. 1 wept buckets.-. Title' of f;im, netress. director have, -nil escaped ;vy memory-.'.but'' the...film did"' leave me with a lasting impress: ori that love and .patience will e::iv tuberculosis, A bea.utifu"' nurse-falls v.i - Jove with a' T.B. 'pat'i'ert.-wi;h 'only a few mo-'hs .t live. He dees-the' o:>:y honorable thing a nil- ve: �e'ts- her..- .She con--
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CLUB AMI PLANS TRIP TO NIAGARA
Springtime is blossom time and to take advantage of it, Club Ami is planning a bus trip to Niagara Falls on Sunday, May 18.
The bus will go along No. 8 Highway, passing through such points as .St. Catharines, Grimsby, Stoney.Creek,' Vine.land, and Beamsville. It. will stop. at Queeston Heights, the legation of the: famous Brock ilonument.
The bus will leave 184 Huron at i> a.m. and return for Toronto at 8.\"40 p.m. This will leave plenty of liine to'be spent at Niagara Falls, in enjoying lunch at the beautiful park, or in crossing the border to Buffalo or Niagara Falls, N.V.
Tickets for this trip must be bought before May 11. They can be obtained by calling Nancy Mori LI.. 0077; Don Tsuji ME. 5480; or Aki lkebata HA. 1787. The prices are $2,50 for members who have paid their fees before May 4, and $3.00 for non-members.
Tor. Baseball Meeting
The Toronto Nisei Sunday Baseball League is holding a meeting on Thursday, May 1, at 8 p.m., at 2% Pape Ave. All last year's nianagers and new prospective entries or representatives are requested to be present.
Tor. AYPA Slates Drama Nite, Supper
The next Toronto AYPA meeting will be held; this Friday, May 2, from 8 p.m. sharp, wit.h a drama, nitei being planned, which should be hilarious and entertaining. All members are requested to turn out and are urged to bring that shy friend along. �
Sat., May 3, is the date on which the Issei have invited the Nisei to a supper party starting from 6 pin- All members should make a big effort to show up with hearty appetites and social spirit.. � ' ' �C.S.
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STREAMING TEARS1 COMtfd from P**e 2)
So 1 was left where I had be-gun, with the streaming tears. I still think about them every day, wpnderihg. Sometimes I see them in a sort of close-up face, glistening and reflecting the glister of a Las Vegas street as they go rolling down those anonymous plum pish cheeks. .. Recently, I. happened to see in the papers where they had invented a special pilotless plane for dropping atom bombs. Now I think this is just wonderful; it will do away with the necessity for streaming tears and Canadian monasteries and such. Unless, that is, the people assigned to sending these planes on their missions start moping.
Well, papa, no doubt, will meet up with one of those.
�From Rafu Shimpo.
SOCIAL CALENDAR
PASSING THRU
{Cont'd from Vage 1)
away romance. .
The silence had been horribly drawn put, he remembered. Willie kept trying to think up some bright, witty remark that would set the.tohe of the evening. Neither of them Svere much at conversation^ They had soon exhausted the commonplaces, the weather, and he stared gloomily at the floor, while she.studied the "knitting that had leaped suddenly into her hands. The atmosphere was pretty dull now.Willie thumbed through a magazine that was lying on the chesterfield and looked at the coyer.
Then a thought struck him. ''Would: you care", Willie mumbled, like a drowning man clutching at straws, "to go to the movies? There's a new Tony Curtis show playing downtown."
She smiled brilliantly. Desire, Ecstacy danced in her eyes. .He knew that somehow he had reached into her inner soul.
3�Toronto. Nisei Open Badminton Tournament Presentation Dance at Metropolitan gym, 8-12 p.m.
3�Montreal. Quebec Japanese Golf Club Social Nite, at St. Raphael House, 8:30 p.m.
3�Toronto. Metropolitan Nisei Mission Circle Annual Cherry Tea, at Metropolitan Church House, 2:30-5 p.m. 10�Toronto. Western Baseball Club benefit dance. St Michael Hall, Bond and Shuter. 17�Hamilton. Hamilton Nisei . Bowling Le a g u e Annual Wind-up Dance, at Century Room, Bud . Fisher's. Hotel, : 9-12. '
23�Toronto. Toronto JCCA Spring Fiesta, at UNF Hall.
It ZOO
Ty Cobb's article in Life Magazine ": recently, that baseball, ain't what it- used to-be stirred up quite a commotion in diamond circles. He claims that the player? of today couldn't stack up \tgainsf those of his time.;.'.'
We can't argue with such an .authority as the Georgia Peach. Moreover, we' weren't -around when -the Wagners, the .Uajoies. and the Speakers were in their h->-days. '.�'�"'
d'ut. Cobb foi-got- to �mention one'l thing, which"ca":i-bo.said in favor j of t:ie game as it's played pro- \ 'foss-i..:iaUy today. When he used I to cavort in the outfie'd for the . rv-:ro:: Tigers, they didn't-allow
Negroes to play. And that's a great improvement, especially when we compare their type of playing alongside - Cobb and his rough-house tactics which.he employed.
And we also -note that in his article, when he took stock of today's better players, he made no or little- mention of Robinson, Campanella," Inin etc. Who are good enough to make alt-star teams, win Most Valuable Player award and capture various titles.
'. Could it be that his argument that old piayers were better won't hold water;'-if he were to bring in the. Negro players for; comparison ? � �'
Hamilton Keg Loop Sets Wind-up Dance
HAMILTON . The Hamilton Nisej Bowling League is presenting its Annual Wind-up Dance, on Sat, May 17, with music provided by Floyd Roberts' Orchestra, at the Century Room of Bud Fisher's Hotel.
All non-bowlers and out-of-towners are invited to attend the dance which continues from 9 to 12 p.m. Tickets can be obtained from any of the bowlers. Admission is 75 cents for men and 50 cents for ladies. �MIL
Baggage And Parcel j DELIVERY j REXMATSUYAMA |
PHONE LL, 4576 52 Hicksoh St. � Toronto
| Ladies & Gents % ^Tailored Suits & Coats:! I MICfflASfflKAWA ^
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| Telephone RA, 2618
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� TILE WORK
' Walls . and Floor's Of Every- Description
EDWARD SORA
- (RA. 0305)
GEORGE SATO
(JU. 4434) TORONTO, ONTARIO
CELESTIAL GARDENS
Chop 8ae7 Hoove n-A EUha*efli St, forwU
ban^trrrs and famtlt
dinners
12 No** to 4 sj
Reeerratioiis: EM4-9035
a "Xih�- --^ Katsudo <hash:r>." Indeed, it took quite some time" fo '� -f- ?>% h�-ar:r.g'n-.y -usually ur.demor.?:rat:ve mother, sav-
after "a g d cry. "Trat was a go-d sh-nv,"
Of course, I have long since come to my own private conclu.*i�n-*
- t.:a: tr.e ure.-vv. ^"?trat-.vrr..^* t the Jara^s^ race i? a fallacv
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Cper. 12 norr. to 2 am.
Hoe Sal Cay
iamoui Chinese foods
69 Albert St �Toronto fet-Elnabethl Trlephoo* WA. 9>17 Spe.'iM Mention gheK to lake omt orders.
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