Pordenone Silent Film Fest’s screening of Frank Borzage’s THE LADY — which was wonderful — was accompanied by JAPAN I FEST, an actualité/travelogue film from 1914-1916, an incredibly rare glimpse of a period in Japan from which precious little film survives. And the rarity value was visually marked by the signs of decay creeping into the footage.
The scenes depicted are a series of festivals. The passage of time means that the unusual costumes and customs of the participants are of no greater interest (to me, anyway) than the faces of the regular people watching.
The Norwegian intertitles are occasionally a little patronising, but to be honest I was kind of thinking the same thing. Despite the patina of damage which sometimes reaches right into the image and distorts it like a liquid reflection, the faces have an incredible presence and immediacy.
Interesting moment bottom left when the intertitle writer cedes authority to Lou Reed.
shadowplay 