MovieChat Forums > Kumonosu-jô (1961) Discussion > Japanese acting

Japanese acting

posted 19 years ago by Dantès
10 replies | jump to latest

Hi,

I've got a question for anyone more familiar with Japanese acting than I am.

I've seen a several Japanese films, and a lot of movies in general, and it seems to me that Toshiro Mifune really overacts. I like him anyway, but he's rather over the top, especially in this film.

But I also know he's considered one of the greatest Japanese actors, and a longtime collaborator with Kurosawa, so I don't think he's just a bad actor.

So the question is, is he a devotee of a certain Japanese style of acting or something? That may sound stupid, but I know there are many unusual acting styles in Japan (like of the Kabuki theatre) and I'm curious as to whether there's something in his performance that is just lost in translation, so to speak.

[–] acidwolf 19 years ago

It's more the character that he plays that overacts.

[–] djrossiross 19 years ago

It's hard to say really. When I lived there plenty of the older tough guys, police and what not, acted pretty much like him all the time, but maybe they were just copying him, in the same way that macho twats try to copy Clint Eastwood. Anyway, he seems to be the epitome of Japanese butch.

[–] kkawachi 19 years ago

I think part of Kurosawa's and Mifune's genius was because of this "overacting". The famous reasons of how Mifune and Kurosawa began working together is because of the audition in which Mifune exploded into an incredible rage. Kurosawa loved this, and often asked for it in films, Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood. Mifune is great because he could bare it all and get so worked up while acting, and in films like Stray Dog, Lower Depths, Yojimbo, High and Low, and Red Beard bring a power that is more quiet and reserved to characters. Mifune is unlike most Japanese actors in this respect, particularly at this time.

For example, Takashi Shimura, who had a small part in Throne of Blood, was often a mentor figure and heroic lead for Kurosawa as well. Kurosawa would not, and possibly could never get a rage like Mifune's out of this equally great Japanese star.

[–] counterrevolutionary 19 years ago

Mifune's acting is more over-the-top in some movies than in others.

In modern-day settings such as Stray Dog or High and Low, in non-samurai-oriented period dramas (such as Red Beard or Lower Depths), and even in some samurai films (e.g., Inagaki's Miyamoto Musashi trilogy [aka the Samurai Trilogy]), he's much more restrained.

I suppose it all depends on what he and the director think a specific character demands.

[–] nifelhem 19 years ago

I'd be interested to know if japaneese people think he's overacting too, or if it's just some cultural misunderstanding. Perhaps in Japan they simply express feelings and emotions in a different way from western standards? Anyway, I think he's the greatest actor of all time!

[–] Karl Aksel 19 years ago

Chalk it down to cultural differences. The language, plus the way they express emotion. In some situations they express next to no emotion compared to what Westerners would do, in some cases they express totally different emotions, and in some cases they express a lot more emotion than what Westerners would do.

For example, their demeanour toward superiors may seem grovelling compared to their Western counterparts, but it is nothing more than correct behaviour.

Another example is family. If a Westerner has friends over, he may boast or brag about his wife. In Japan however, traditionally, one apologizes to one's guest for one's wife's uselessness. To brag about one's family is seen as bad manners. And indeed, a Japanese gentleman upon visiting the US, made this observation: "In Japan we beat our wives in public and kiss them in private. Here, you kiss your wives in public and beat them in private."

So back on topic, I don't see the overacting people are complaining about.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Nergal 19 years ago

I think for films like Throne Of Blood, he evoked a much more Kabuki style of acting than he did for other films. As someone's mentioned, he acts quite differently in films like Red Beard. So I think it's really for period films like this, he is acting far more theatrical.

[–] Kawada_Kira (7282) 8 years ago

Earlier Japanese acting drew heavily from the legacy of Kabuki and Noh (the Noh influence is particularly strong in this movie). The point wasn't to be "realistic", but to tell a story and convey a message. It depended on the movie, anyway. This movie is very much in the play style of acting (note, also, that it's based on a Shakespeare play). Other movies were more "realistic". See Mifune's modern-setting films, like High and Low.

This isn't completely exclusive to Japanese movies either, though it's bigger with them. I recall Richard Harris' portrayal of Oliver Cromwell in the 1970 movie. That was a play style of acting.

[–] TheArgentinian (7108) 3 years ago

i see how it can be considered ott but it works in the context