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Japanese cinema is one of the greatest cinematic traditions of the world, with a history that stretches back more than 100 years. Japan currently has the fourth largest film industry in the world, and hundreds of feature length films are released annually. Japanese cinema is notable for having introduced a number of renowned icons and cultural staples to an international audience such as Godzilla, the director Akira Kurosawa, and Japanese anime. The excellence of Japanese cinema has been feted abroad numerous times: Japan has won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film four times, and Japanese films and directors have received critical praise in international film festivals. Recent luminaries have included Koji Wakamatsu, who won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for “Caterpillar”, and Yojiro Takita, who won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for “Departures”. Cinema was invented in France in the late 19th century by the Lumière Brothers. Their Cinematograph was first presented to a Japanese audience in 1897. By the following year, ghost films based on local folklore were being produced for local audiences. Early Japanese films were heavily influenced by traditional Japanese theatrical art forms such as Kabuki and Bunraku. Matsunosuke Onoe, a former Kabuki actor, became Japan’s first film star. He appeared in more than 1000 film roles between 1909 and 1926. Japan produced a considerable number of silent films and anime sequences throughout the 1920s. Unfortunately, the 1923 earthquake, the Allied Bombings of WW II, and the degenerative effects of time on unstable nitrate film have resulted in the loss of many films from this period. Thankfully, some early anime sequences can be seen on free anime online websites. Prewar animators faced financial difficulties, mostly due to foreign competition from producers like Disney and Warner Brothers. However, many anime companies managed to thrive in spite of setbacks. Moreover, some early anime classics, such as “An Obtuse Sword”, directed by Namakura Gatana can be seen on free anime online websites. As military rule developed in Japan during the 1930s and 1940s, increasing government pressure coerced film makers to produce propaganda films and documentaries. Growing nationalism also influenced anime companies. A masterpiece from this period was the war propaganda anime film “Momotaro's Sea Eagles”, a story about a boy and several talking animals. This film has been commercially released on DVD and can be viewed on free anime online websites.
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