KYOTO INTERNATIONAL FILM AND ART FESTIVAL

At the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989), motion picture films were sold as toy films and small films for general home use. The films included not only popular period dramas and animations, but also now valuable documentary footage of Showa history, such as the Emperor's Grand Ceremony and the Manchurian Incident, which were viewed on hand-cranked projectors. The images recorded by the film departments of newspapers before WWII are historical testimonies and a cultural heritage of humanity. This film attempts to edit these images in the hope that connecting them in chronological order might reveal a forgotten aspect of Showa history. In this film festival, we will present a shortened version up to the Manchurian Incident and the Shanghai Incident to show how Japan became involved in the war.

Retro Kyoto is a film project to unearth valuable images of Kyoto and provide them to citizens. This time, we have a home movie from 1930, shot by a citizen with a Pathé Baby (9.5mm film). The three films show a trip to Amanohashidate in Tango, a trip down the Hozu River enjoyed by famous people, and the Kyoto Ekiden relay race. The race finish line is at Heian Shrine after running through various places whose scenery has completely changed now, such as Keage, Fushimi, Saga, and Omuro. It is very interesting to watch the film while recalling the current scenery. The film Yojo Dori wo Hashiru (Running Down 4th Street) from the Taisho era, which was added as an additional feature, is a toy film (35mm film), and is an interesting account of Kyoto in the old days, when Kawaramachi Dori was still narrow, there was no Tohka Saikan, and the north side of Hanamikoji Street had not yet been developed.

In 1926, capitalizing on the popularity of Tsumasaburo Bando, Ryosuke Tachibana, the owner of Bando Tsumasaburo Productions, signed a contract with Universal Pictures in the U.S. for worldwide distribution, and a joint venture was born. However, because of Tsumasaburo Bando's exclusive contract with Shochiku Kinema, he was unable to export the films he starred in. Without a star, the contemporary drama had no box-office power, and Universal's demands were not met, resulting in the cancellation of the contract. Bando Tsumasaburo Productions, which had produced 35 films, lost its dream of worldwide distribution only six months after signing the contract.
The comedy Tosei Shinshotai starring Naminosuke Horikawa and Haruko Izumi is a valuable work for being the only remaining film made by this joint venture.

The original title of the film, Stop, Look and Listen, made in 1926, was changed to Dorubako Simon when it was released in Japan in 1927, but the cover of the film donated to the museum had Moshin Rari written on it, so it will be shown under that title.
Larry Semon was at the peak of his career in the 1920's. However, he spent a huge amount of money on each short film, including this one, and violated his contract many times including shooting so many days that the film's completion was delayed resulting in a lawsuit from Vitagraph. Financial troubles always haunted Larry.
The story begins with a robbery at the bank where Larry works. Larry is mistaken for the criminal and is pursued by citizens. The robber flees, Larry pursues, and the police and citizens follow after Larry. The action continues with cars, motorcycles, and trains. A railroad bridge is destroyed creating a series of chaotic, crisis-filled action scenes. Oliver Hardy, of the comedy duo Laurel & Hardy, plays the role of the robber, which garnered a lot of attention.

Excerpted from the feature film The Cloudhopper (aka Keep Jumping), it was retitled The Weak-end Driver by Castle Film and edited into a film less than 10 minutes long for sale. The great thing about this film is that it is directed by Stephen Roberts and edited by Sam Zimbalist, who would later become the producer of the blockbuster Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston. As is typical of Larry Semon's work, this silent comedy is short but full of excitement, from chases on trains, motorcycles, and cars to acrobatic action on airplanes.

This is a silent comedy by Harold Lloyd, one of the three greatest comedians of all time. It features the same situation as Lloyd's For Heaven's Sake (1926) made seven years later, and can be considered a prototype for that film.
The story is about penniless Harold and a little girl who is starving just like him, and then a puppy picks up a wad of money. Just when they think they can finally eat a lot of delicious bread, they find out that the bills are counterfeit and are about to be charged by the police, but are saved by Mildred, a girl from a wealthy family. Harold falls in love with the beautiful Mildred at first sight. Meanwhile, a group of corrupt lawyers who are after her inheritance money kidnaps Mildred with the help of some street thugs. How will Harold, who is caught up in their schemes, rescue her?

Paul Parrott is the younger brother of American comedy actor Charley Chase, who was often mistaken for his older brother. Later, Paul directed under the name James Parrott and made many masterpieces such as The Music Box by Laurel and Hardy, known in Japan as the Gokuraku Konbi.
In the 1920s, there was a rush to build skyscrapers, and just like Harold Lloyd's Safety Last!, TAKE THE AIR will keep you on the edge of your seat with its dangerous gags and comedy sequences on top of skyscrapers.

A mysterious silent film based on the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Human beings have two sides, good and evil. Dr. Jekyll, who studies the dual personalities of human beings, takes a drug that causes his own personality to split, leading him down a path of destruction. John Barrymore plays the role of the good and benevolent Dr. Jekyll, as well as Mr. Hyde, the vulgar and brutal man of desire. The film thrillingly depicts his transformation and the agony of his path toward destruction, from which there is no turning back.

This adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's original story is a classic science fiction film. It took Willis O'Brien, the world's leading pioneer of stop-motion animation, seven years to produce this film. The famous King Kong (1933) was also his work, and he won the Academy Award in Special Visual Effects for Mighty Joe Young (1949). The Lost World is a special effects classic that brings dinosaurs from the depths of the South American Amazon to modern London, and is a monumental work as a trailblazer for science fiction films, including Jurassic Park.

In 1927, Utaemon Ichikawa became independent from Makino Film Productions and opened his own studio in Ayameike, Nara. This is a commemorative film of this endeavor. Following Tsumasaburo Bando, Ichikawa established a star production comany and played a role in the heyday of sword-fighting films. The story begins with Harunojo Sekiguchi vowing to avenge his father who was killed in a petty dispute. However, his life is in trouble and he ends up stealing a man's belongings on his journey. This is witnessed by the little fox Otama, and he begins his descent into evil. By chance, he meets his enemy at a mansion he has broken into with his friends, and achieves his goal, but his mother has already committed suicide due to hardship. Surrounded by his captors, Harunojo purifies his body and soul in a fierce battle, and dies together with Otama.

Kyoto News was produced by the Kyoto City Public Relations Bureau and shown in movie theaters throughout the city from 1956 to 1994. It is a collection of videos on topics such as the lives of citizens, urban development, changes in the landscape, festivals, welfare, international exchange, and cultural activities.
More than 60 years have passed since its production, and it is not only a history of Kyoto city administration, but also a valuable visual cultural asset for today.
This year's Kyoto International Film and Art Festival will present a collection of news footage of the Gion Festival, one of Japan's three largest festivals, taken between 1956 and 1989.

Cooperation: Kyoto City, Kyoto City Library of Historical Documents, Toy Film Museum (Kyoto Institute of Arts and Culture)

This short film is a study of D. W. Griffith, one of the most famous filmmakers in the history of cinema, and is the first slapstick comedy in American cinema, made at a time before Hollywood existed. The lead role was played by Mack Sennett, a superstar who later trained Chaplin, Bing Crosby, and Darryl F. Zanuck, and laid the foundation for entertainment films. Enjoy this madcap comedy from the dawn of cinema with the elegant piano accompaniment of Eri Kozaki.

This is a masterpiece of the domestic comedy of the first American films, seasoned with outlandish ideas. Mack Sennett directed and starred in the film, and the heroine was played by Mabel Normand, who became the first international idol in history. Enjoy the fishy story of the early days of cinema with Eri Kozaki's elegant piano accompaniment (you'll have to watch it to find out what's so fishy).

This is a masterpiece of slapstick comedy, so packed full of sheer absurdity and chaos that it seems pointless to follow the story seriously! This madcap comedy is full of the entertainment elements of the early days of cinema, where gags are the driving force of the story! Enjoy the excellent special effects, which have also inspired gag cartoons, with Eri Kozaki's elegant piano accompaniment.

In recent years, the performances of elephants and lions in circuses have been criticized from the viewpoint of animal rights, and many performances are being banned. In spite of this sentiment, in this film, a clown is faced with the threat of a lion. This work is bursting with gags that would be forbidden nowadays. Enjoy the film with Eri Kozaki's lively piano accompaniment.

Vanilla Yamazaki, a popular orator who normally entertains children at the theater, has removed her own personal restrictions to tell her story in a suggestive way for adults to enjoy! German-Jewish director Lubitsch, one of the most fashionable directors in the world, depicts the delights of Paris from a Hollywood perspective! Enjoy this light-hearted and fetishized composition with piano narration that laughs away blissfully ignorant and flirtatious attitude.

This is the fourth film in the early career of the master filmmaker, René Clair, and was made for worldwide release after his previous film, Paris Qui Dort (Paris Asleep), received great acclaim. It is a "fairy tale about adults lurking in the streets of Paris," compiled by the young Clair with utmost sincerity, absorbing energy from his close friends and predecessors in surrealism, German expressionism such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Hollywood entertainment films. Take a trip to the kitsch and magical land with Haruca Amamiya's piano accompaniment.