1.
Akira Kurosawa
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Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director in 1943, during World War II. The two men would go on to collaborate on another 15 films, Kurosawas wife, Yōko Yaguchi, was also an actress in one of his films. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Kurosawa directed approximately a film a year, including a number of highly regarded films such as Ikiru, Seven Samurai, in 1990, he accepted the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Kurosawa was born on March 23,1910 in Ōimachi in the district of Tokyo. In addition to promoting physical exercise, Isamu Kurosawa was open to western traditions and considered theater and he encouraged his children to watch films, young Akira viewed his first movies at the age of six. During this time, the boy also studied calligraphy and Kendo swordsmanship, another major childhood influence was Heigo Kurosawa, Akiras older brother by four years. In the aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, which devastated Tokyo, some commentators have suggested that this incident would influence Kurosawas later artistic career, as the director was seldom hesitant to confront unpleasant truths in his work. In the late 1920s, Heigo became a benshi for Tokyo theaters showing foreign films, Akira, who at this point planned to become a painter, moved in with him, and the two brothers became inseparable. Through Heigo, Akira devoured not only films but also theater and circus performances, while exhibiting his paintings, with the increasing production of talking pictures in the early 1930s, film narrators like Heigo began to lose work, and Akira moved back in with his parents. In July 1933, Heigo committed suicide, only four months later, Kurosawas eldest brother also died, leaving Akira, at age 23, the only one of the Kurosawa brothers still living, together with his three surviving sisters. In 1935, the new film studio Photo Chemical Laboratories, known as P. C. L and his half-mocking view was that if the deficiencies were fundamental, there was no way to correct them. Kurosawas essay earned him a call to take the exams, and director Kajirō Yamamoto. The 25-year-old Kurosawa joined P. C. L. in February 1936, during his five years as an assistant director, Kurosawa worked under numerous directors, but by far the most important figure in his development was Kajiro Yamamoto. Of his 24 films as A. D. he worked on 17 under Yamamoto, many of them featuring the popular actor Kenichi Enomoto. Yamamoto nurtured Kurosawas talent, promoting him directly from third assistant director to assistant director after a year. In the last of Kurosawas films as an assistant director, Horse, Kurosawa took over most of the production, One important piece of advice Yamamoto gave Kurosawa was that a good director needed to master screenwriting
2.
Hideo Oguni
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Hideo Oguni was a Japanese writer who wrote over 100 screenplays. He is best known for co-writing screenplays for a number of films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including Ikiru, The Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood and The Hidden Fortress. His first film with Kurosawa was Ikiru, and according to film professor Catherine Russell, film critic Donald Richie regarded him as the humanist among Kurosawas writers. In 2013, Oguni and frequent screenwriting collaborators Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, writing credits other than for Kurosawa films include Heinosuke Goshos Entotsu no mieru basho in 1953, Koji Shimas Warning from Space in 1956, Tora. Tora. and Hiroshi Inagakis Machibuse in 1970, hideo Oguni at the Internet Movie Database
3.
Macbeth
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Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I and it was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is his shortest tragedy. A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland, consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness, the events of the tragedy are usually associated with the execution of Henry Garnet for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In the backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, over the course of many centuries, the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comics, the play opens amidst thunder and lightning, and the Three Witches decide that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. Macbeth, the Kings kinsman, is praised for his bravery, in the following scene, Macbeth and Banquo discuss the weather and their victory. As they wander onto a heath, the Three Witches enter, though Banquo challenges them first, they address Macbeth, hailing him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and that he shall be King hereafter. Macbeth appears to be stunned to silence, when Banquo asks of his own fortunes, the witches respond paradoxically, saying that he will be less than Macbeth, yet happier, less successful, yet more. He will father a line of kings though he himself will not be one, while the two men wonder at these pronouncements, the witches vanish, and another thane, Ross, arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title, Thane of Cawdor. The first prophecy is fulfilled, and Macbeth, previously skeptical. King Duncan welcomes and praises Macbeth and Banquo, and declares that he spend the night at Macbeths castle at Inverness. Macbeth sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husbands uncertainty and wishes him to murder Duncan in order to obtain kingship. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overrides all of her husbands objections by challenging his manhood and he and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncans two chamberlains drunk so that they will black out, the next morning they will blame the chamberlains for the murder. They will be defenseless as they remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and he is so shaken that Lady Macbeth has to take charge
4.
William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet, and the Bard of Avon and his extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays,154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright, Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a career in London as an actor, writer. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, at age 49, Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories, which are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, in his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and it was prefaced with a poem by Ben Jonson, in which Shakespeare is hailed, presciently, as not of an age, but for all time. In the 20th and 21st centuries, his works have been adapted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship. His plays remain highly popular and are studied, performed. William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman and a successful glover originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden and he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual date of birth unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholars mistake, has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 and he was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son. At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway, the consistory court of the Diocese of Worcester issued a marriage licence on 27 November 1582. The next day, two of Hathaways neighbours posted bonds guaranteeing that no lawful claims impeded the marriage, twins, son Hamnet and daughter Judith, followed almost two years later and were baptised 2 February 1585. Hamnet died of unknown causes at the age of 11 and was buried 11 August 1596, after the birth of the twins, Shakespeare left few historical traces until he is mentioned as part of the London theatre scene in 1592. The exception is the appearance of his name in the bill of a law case before the Queens Bench court at Westminster dated Michaelmas Term 1588 and 9 October 1589
5.
Toshiro Mifune
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Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in such works as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo. He also portrayed Musashi Miyamoto in Hiroshi Inagakis Samurai Trilogy, Lord Toranaga in the NBC TV miniseries Shōgun, Toshiro Mifune was born on 1 April 1920 in Qingdao, Shandong, China, to Japanese parents. His parents were Methodist missionaries working there, Mifune grew up with his parents and two younger siblings in Dalian, Liaoning, China, and, from 4 to 19 years of age, in Manchuria. Mifune was a Christian born to Missionary parents, in his youth, Mifune worked in the photography shop of his father Tokuzo, a commercial photographer and importer who had emigrated from northern Japan. In 1947, one of Mifunes friends who worked for the Photography Department of Toho Productions suggested Mifune try out for the Photography Department and he was accepted for a position as an assistant cameraman. At this time, a number of Toho actors, after a prolonged strike, had left to form their own company. Toho then organized a new faces contest to find new talent, Mifunes friends submitted an application and photo, without his knowledge. He was accepted, along with 48 others, and allowed to take a screen test for Kajirō Yamamoto, instructed to mime anger, he drew from his wartime experiences. Yamamoto took a liking to Mifune, recommending him to director Senkichi Taniguchi and this led to Mifunes first feature role, in Shin Baka Jidai. Kurosawa was originally going to skip the event, but showed up when an actress he knew told him of one actor who seemed especially promising, Kurosawa later wrote that he entered the audition to see a young man reeling around the room in a violent frenzy. It was as frightening as watching a wounded beast trying to break loose, when an exhausted Mifune finished his scene, he sat down and gave the judges an ominous stare. Kurosawa, however, had found his muse, I am a person rarely impressed by actors, he later said. But in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed, one of Mifunes fellow performers, one of the 32 women chosen during the new faces contest, was Sachiko Yoshimine. Eight years Mifunes junior, she came from a respected Tokyo family and they fell in love and Mifune soon proposed marriage. Director Senkichi Taniguchi, with the help of Akira Kurosawa, convinced the Yoshimine family to allow the marriage and it took place in February 1950. In November of the year, their first son, Shirō was born. In 1955, they had a son, Takeshi
6.
Isuzu Yamada
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Isuzu Yamada was a Japanese actress whose career on stage and screen spanned eight decades. Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada and her father, Kusuo Yamada, was a shinpa stage actor specializing in onnagata roles and her mother, Ritsu, was a geisha. Her family was poor, but under her mothers influence, she began learning nagauta, Yamada debuted as a film actress in 1930 at age twelve, appearing in a Nikkatsu film, Ken o Koete, opposite Denjirō Ōkōchi. Yamada appeared in the films of many of the Japanese directors, including Yasujirō Ozu for Tokyo Twilight and Akira Kurosawa for The Lower Depths, Throne of Blood, from the mid-1950s, she appeared more and more on stage and on television, including the Hissatsu series. Yamada was married four times, first to the actor Ichirō Tsukita, second to the producer Kazuo Takimura, third to the actor Yoshi Katō and her daughter with Tsukita, Michiko, became famous as the actress Michiko Saga. Yamada died in Tokyo on 9 July 2012 at the age of 95, Yamada earned numerous accolades during her long career. She also won a Blue Ribbon Award for best supporting actress in 1955 for Takekurabe and she received a Special Award from the Chairman of the Japan Academy in 1995 in honor of her lifetime achievements in cinema. For her work on stage, she has been awarded the Grand Prize three times from the Agency for Cultural Affairss Arts Festival for the plays Tanuki, Aizome Takao, and Daiyu-san. She was named a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 1993, the Order of Culture is considered Japans top cultural award. Isuzu Yamada at the Internet Movie Database Isuzu Yamada at the Japanese Movie Database
7.
Takashi Shimura
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Takashi Shimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He is particularly noted for his appearances in 21 of Akira Kurosawas 30 films, including as an actor in Drunken Angel, Rashomon, Ikiru. Takashi Shimura was born in Ikuno, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan and his forebears were members of the samurai class, in 1868 his grandfather took part in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi during the Boshin War. Shimura entered Ikuno Primary School in 1911 and Kobe First Middle School in 1917, at Nobeoka Middle School, he excelled in English and became active on the literary societys magazine, to which he contributed poetry. He also became a star of the rowing club, among the teachers in the English Literature Department were the playwright Toyo-oka Sa-ichirō and the Shakespeare scholar Tsubouchi Shikō. These two inspired in Shimura an enthusiasm for drama and he joined the Universitys Theatre Studies Society and in 1928 formed an amateur theatrical group, the Shichigatsu-za with Toyo-oka as director. He began to work because of the time he spent on theatrical activities. He then left university to try to earn a living in the theatre, the Shichigatsu-za turned professional and began to tour, but got into financial difficulties and folded. After the failure of the Shichigatsu-za, Shimura went back to Osaka, in 1930 he joined the Kindaiza theatre company and became a fully professional actor. He toured China and Japan with the Kindaiza, but in 1932 he left the company and returned again to Osaka, in 1932 he joined the Kyoto studios of the film production company Shinkō Kinema. He made his debut in the 1934 silent Renai-gai itchōme. The first film in which he had a part was the 1935 Chūji uridasu. His first substantial role was as a detective in Mizoguchi Kenjis 1936 Osaka Elegy. The film which established his reputation as an actor was Itami Mansakus 1936 Akanishi Kakita. In 1937 he moved to Nikkatsu film corporations Kyoto studios, and his most notable role in these years was that of Keishirō in the long-running series Umon Torimono-chō, starring Kanjūrō Arashi. He also demonstrated his ability as a singer in the 1939 cine-operetta. He was eventually released on the recognisance of his wife Masako, when Nikkatsu and Daiei merged in 1942, Shimura moved to the Kōa Eiga studios and then in 1943 to Tōhō. A few weeks before the end of the Pacific War in August 1945, in 1943, Shimura appeared as the old jujutsu teacher Murai Hansuke in Kurosawas debut movie, Sanshiro Sugata
8.
Toho
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Toho Co. Ltd. is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, Tohos most famous creation is Godzilla, who features in 29 of the companys films. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, and Rodan are described as Tohos Big Five because of the numerous appearances in all three eras of the franchise, as well as spin-offs. Toho has also involved in the production of numerous anime titles. Its subdivisions are Toho-Towa Distribution, Toho Pictures Incorporated, Toho International Company Limited, Company Limited, and Toho Music Corporation & Toho Costume Company Limited. The company is the largest shareholder of Fuji Media Holdings Inc, Toho was created by the founder of Hankyu Railway, Ichizo Kobayashi, in 1932 as the Tokyo-Takarazuka Theater Company. It was known as the Toho Theatre from the late 1960s until the 1970s, Toho also had a theater in San Francisco and opened a theater in New York City in 1963. The Shintoho Company, which existed until 1964, was named New Toho because it broke off from the original company, the company has contributed to the production of some American films, including Sam Raimis 1998 film, A Simple Plan. Detective Conan, Captured in Her Eyes Pocket Monsters, Lord of the Unknown Tower – Entei Godzilla vs. Takao vs. Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla, doraemon, Nobitas Space Heroes Assassination Classroom Crayon Shin-chan, My Moving Story. Godman Warrior Of Love, Rainbowman Meteor Man Zone Ike, jenny Belle and Sebastian Igano Kabamaru Touch Kimagure Orange Road Godzilla Midori Days Psycho-Pass Yowamushi Pedal Akame ga Kill. Blood Blockade Battlefront My Hero Academia Three Leaves, Three Colors Little Witch Academia In more recent years and for a period, one of their first video game was the 1990 NES game titled Circus Caper. Later, they followed with a series of games based on Godzilla and it also published games such as Super Aleste. They even worked with Bandai on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, released in Japan in 1988, Tohos headquarters, the Toho Hibiya Building, are in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company moved into its current headquarters in April 2005, tohoScope Tomisaburo Wakayama Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men - The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda, Peter H. Brothers. Toho Studios Story, A History and Complete Filmography Stuart Galbraith IV Official website Official Tohos YouTube channel, Toho Pictures official website TOHO-TOWA Company, Limited official website TOWA PICTURES Company, Ltd. official website Toho at Anime News Networks encyclopedia
9.
Samurai
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Samurai were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan. In Japanese, they are referred to as bushi or buke. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean those who serve in close attendance to the nobility, the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. According to Wilson, a reference to the word samurai appears in the Kokin Wakashū. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, the samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, and were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of then Japans population, following the Battle of Hakusukinoe against Tang China and Silla in 663 AD, which led to a retreat from Korean affairs, Japan underwent widespread reform. One of the most important was that of the Taika Reform and this edict allowed the Japanese aristocracy to adopt the Tang dynasty political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion, and philosophy. As part of the Taihō Code of 702 AD, and the later Yōrō Code, the population was required to regularly for census. With an understanding of how the population was distributed, Emperor Monmu introduced a law whereby 1 in 3–4 adult males were drafted into the national military and these soldiers were required to supply their own weapons, and in-return were exempted from duties and taxes. This was one of the first attempts by the Imperial government to form an organized army modeled after the Chinese system and it was called Gundan-Sei by later historians and is believed to have been short-lived. The Taihō Code classified most of the Imperial bureaucrats into 12 ranks and those of 6th rank and below were referred to as samurai and dealt with day-to-day affairs. Although these samurai were civilian public servants, the word is believed to have derived from this term. Military men, however, would not be referred to as samurai for many more centuries, Emperor Kanmu introduced the title of seii-taishōgun, or Shogun, and began to rely on the powerful regional clans to conquer the Emishi. Skilled in mounted combat and archery, these clan warriors became the Emperors preferred tool for putting down rebellions, though this is the first known use of the Shogun title, it was a temporary title, and was not imbued with political power until the 13th century. At this time, the Imperial Court officials considered them to be merely a military section under the control of the Imperial Court, ultimately, Emperor Kanmu disbanded his army. From this time, the Emperors power gradually declined, while the Emperor was still the ruler, powerful clans around Kyoto assumed positions as ministers, and their relatives bought positions as magistrates. To amass wealth and repay their debts, magistrates often imposed heavy taxes, through protective agreements and political marriages, they accumulated, or gathered, political power, eventually surpassing the traditional aristocracy. Some clans were formed by farmers who had taken up arms to protect themselves from the Imperial magistrates sent to govern their lands
10.
Noh
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Noh, or Nogaku —derived from the Sino-Japanese word for skill or talent—is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kanami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art still regularly performed today. Traditionally, a Noh program includes five Noh plays with comedic kyōgen plays in between, a program of two Noh plays and one kyōgen piece has become common in Noh presentations today. An okina play may be presented in the very beginning especially during New Years, holidays, Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature with a supernatural being transformed into human form as a hero narrating a story. Noh integrates masks, costumes and various props in a performance, requiring highly trained actors. Emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized gestures while the iconic masks represent the roles such as ghosts, women, children. Written in ancient Japanese language, the text describes the ordinary people of the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. Having a strong emphasis on rather than innovation, Noh is extremely codified and regulated by the iemoto system. The word Noh means skill, craft, or the talent particularly in the field of performing arts in this context, the word Noh may be used alone or with gaku to form the word nōgaku. Noh is a tradition that is highly valued by many today. When used alone, Noh refers to the genre of theatre originated from sarugaku in the mid 14th century. Noh and kyōgen originated in the 8th century when the sangaku was transmitted from China to Japan, at the time, the term sangaku referred to various types of performance featuring acrobats, song and dance as well as comic sketches. Its subsequent adaption to Japanese society led to its assimilation of other art forms. L Various performing art elements in sangaku as well as elements of dengaku, sarugaku, shirabyōshi, another theory by Shinhachiro Matsumoto suggests Noh originated from outcastes struggling to claim higher social status by catering to those in power, namely the new ruling samurai class of the time. As Noh became the shoguns favorite art form, Noh was able to become an art form through this newly formed relationship. In 14th century, with support and patronage from shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Kanami Kiyotsugu and his son Zeami Motokiyo brought Noh to what is essentially its present-day form during the Muromachi period, Kanami was a renowned actor with great versatility fulfilling roles from graceful women and 12-year-old boys to strong adult males. When Kanami first presented his work to 17-year-old Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Zeami was an actor in his play
11.
Macbeth on screen
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William Shakespeares Macbeth has been screened numerous times, featuring many of the biggest names from stage, film, and television. Men of Respect is a retelling of the Macbeth story as a Mafia power struggle in New York City, in modern English, but closely tracking the original plot. William Reilly director John Turturro as Mike Battaglia Katherine Borowitz as Ruthie Battaglia Scotland, Pa. is set in, vishal Bhardwaj director Irfan Khan as Mian Maqbool Tabu as Nimmi ShakespeaRe-Told Macbeth is a modern adaptation by Peter Moffat, set in a Glasgow restaurant. James McAvoy as Joe Macbeth Keeley Hawes as Ella Richard Armitage as Peter Macduff Teenage Gang Debs, during her first performance, a murder takes place in one of the opera boxes. Mysterious murders continue throughout the film as Betty is stalked and those around her meet their unfortunate end, during the final performance of the opera, the killer is revealed, and Betty must confront her past in a terrifying climax. Shakespeare on screen The Scottish Play
12.
Sake
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Sake, also spelled saké in English, is a Japanese rice wine made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. The brewing process for sake differs from the process for beer in that, for beer, like other rice wines, when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. Furthermore, the alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer, Wine generally contains 9%–16% ABV, while most beer contains 3%–9%, and undiluted sake contains 18%–20%. In the Japanese language, the word sake can refer to any alcoholic drink, under Japanese liquor laws, sake is labelled with the word seishu, a synonym less commonly used in conversation. The origin of sake is unclear, the making of Chinese alcoholic beverages predates recorded history. The earliest reference to the use of alcohol in Japan is recorded in the Book of Wei in the Records of the Three Kingdoms and this 3rd-century Chinese text speaks of the Japanese drinking and dancing. Alcoholic beverages are mentioned several times in the Kojiki, Japans first written history, bamforth places the probable origin of true sake (which is made from rice, water, and kōji mold in the Nara period. In the Heian period, sake was used for ceremonies, court festivals. Sake production was a government monopoly for a time, but in the 10th century, temples and shrines began to brew sake. The Tamon-in Diary, written by abbots of Tamon-in from 1478 to 1618, the diary shows that pasteurization and the process of adding ingredients to the main fermentation mash in three stages were established practices by that time. In the 16th century, the technique of distillation was introduced into the Kyushu district from Ryukyu, the brewing of shōchū, called Imo—sake started, and was sold at the central market in Kyoto. The work of writers was widely disseminated throughout Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. During the Meiji Restoration, laws were written that allowed anybody with the money and know-how to construct, around 30,000 breweries sprang up around the country within a year. However, as the years went by, the government levied more and more taxes on the sake industry, most of the breweries that grew and survived this period were set up by wealthy landowners. Landowners who grew rice crops would have left over at the end of the season and, rather than letting these leftovers go to waste. The most successful of these family breweries still operate today, during the 20th century, sake-brewing technology grew by leaps and bounds. The government opened the sake-brewing research institute in 1904, and in 1907 the very first government-run sake-tasting competition was held, yeast strains specifically selected for their brewing properties were isolated and enamel-coated steel tanks arrived. The government started hailing the use of tanks as easy to clean, lasting forever
13.
Macbeth (character)
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Lord Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, is the title character and titular main protagonist turned primary antagonist of William Shakespeares Macbeth. The character is based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland, and is derived largely from the account in Holinsheds Chronicles, the play was written for King James I of England and King James V of Scotland. Macbeth is a Scottish noble and a valiant military man, after a supernatural prophecy, and at the urging of his wife, Lady Macbeth, he commits regicide and becomes King of Scotland. He thereafter lives in anxiety and fear, unable to rest or to trust his nobles and he leads a reign of terror until defeated by his former ally Macduff. The throne is then restored to the heir, the murdered King Duncans son. Shakespeares version of Macbeth is based upon Macbeth of Scotland, as found in the narratives of the Kings Duff, Macbeth and Banquo wander onto a heath following the conflict, where they encounter three witches who greet them with prophecies. They address Macbeth first, hailing him as Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, as the witches disappear, Ross arrives and presents Macbeth with his new title, but it becomes apparent that Macbeth has already begun to consider murdering Duncan and taking his place as king. Macbeth becomes fixated on the prophecy, ignoring Banquos advice that “oftentimes to win us to our harm these instruments of darkness tell us truths…to betray us in deepest consequence”, when he returns home, Lady Macbeth tries to convince him to kill Duncan. Macbeth at first refuses but changes his mind when she accuses him of cowardice, giving in to his ambition, he kills Duncan and plants evidence of the regicide on two guards, whom he also kills. He hears voices that say “Macbeth shall sleep no more and he acknowledges that only the innocent sleep and that sleep is “the balm of hurt minds”. The kings sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, fear they will be blamed for Duncans death, Macbeth becomes a tyrant, brutally stamping out any real or perceived threats to his power. He believes himself to be beyond redemption, “in blood steppd in so far, returning were as tedious as go oer”. Macbeth decides to hire two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, with a Third Murderer sent later to assist, Banquo is murdered, but Fleance survives. Macbeth goes to the witches for counsel, and they tell him that he not be defeated until Birnam wood move to high Dunsinane. Macbeth takes this to mean that he is invincible, nevertheless, Macbeth decides to get rid of Macduff and sends assassins to kill him and his entire family. Macduff escapes harm, but his wife, her young son, Macduff swears revenge and joins forces with Malcolm to overthrow Macbeth. In Act V, Lady Macbeth is overcome with guilt, she dies, now completely alone, Macbeth laments that life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Beaten but still defiant, Macbeth declares, Lay on Macduff, in the ensuing duel, Macduff kills Macbeth and cuts off his head
14.
Lady Macbeth
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Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeares Macbeth. She is the wife of the plays antagonist, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman, after goading him into committing regicide, she becomes Queen of Scotland, but later suffers pangs of guilt for her part in the crime. She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide, according to some genealogists, Lady Macbeth and King Duncans wife were siblings or cousins, where Duncans wife had a stronger claim to the throne than Lady Macbeth. It was this that incited her jealousy and hatred of Duncan, the characters origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinsheds Chronicles, a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare. Lady Macbeth is a presence in the play, most notably in the first two acts. Following the murder of King Duncan, however, her role in the plot diminishes and she becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeths plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husbands hallucinations. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a point in the play. Has become a familiar to many speakers of the English language. The report of her late in the fifth act provides the inspiration for Macbeths Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow speech. Analysts see in the character of Lady Macbeth the conflict between femininity and masculinity, as they are impressed in cultural norms. Lady Macbeth suppresses her instincts toward compassion, motherhood, and fragility — associated with femininity — in favour of ambition, ruthlessness, and this conflict colours the entire drama, and sheds light on gender-based preconceptions from Shakespearean England to the present. In the account of King Duff, one of his captains, Donwald, Donwald then considers regicide at the setting on of his wife, who showed him the means whereby he might soonest accomplish it. Donwald abhors such an act, but perseveres at the nagging of his wife, after plying the Kings servants with food and drink and letting them fall asleep, the couple admit their confederates to the Kings room, where they then commit the regicide. The murder of Duff has its motivation in revenge, rather than ambition, not found in Holinshed are the invocation to the spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, the sleepwalking scene, and various details found in the drama concerning the death of Macbeth. Although Macbeths wife can be traced to a counterpart, Queen Gruoch of Scotland. Lady Macbeth makes her first appearance late in scene five of the first act, when King Duncan becomes her overnight guest, Lady Macbeth seizes the opportunity to effect his murder. The King retires after a night of feasting, Lady Macbeth drugs his attendants and lays daggers ready for the commission of the crime. Macbeth kills the sleeping King while Lady Macbeth waits nearby, when he brings the daggers from the Kings room, his Lady orders him to return them to the scene of the crime
15.
Macduff (Macbeth)
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Lord Macduff, the Thane of Fife, is a character in William Shakespeares Macbeth. Macduff plays a role in the play, he suspects Macbeth of regicide. He can be seen as the hero who helps save Scotland from Macbeths tyranny in the play. The character is first known from Chronica Gentis Scotorum and Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, Shakespeare drew mostly from Holinsheds Chronicles. Although characterized sporadically throughout the play, Macduff serves as a foil to Macbeth and these served as the basis for the account given in Holinsheds Chronicles, on whose narratives of King Duff and King Duncan Shakespeare in part based Macbeth. Macduff first appears in Holinsheds narrative of King Duncan after Macbeth has killed the monarch, when Macbeth calls upon his nobles to contribute to the construction of Dunsinane castle, Macduff avoids the summons, arousing Macbeths suspicions. Macduff leaves Scotland for England to prod Duncans son, Malcolm III of Scotland, Malcolm, Macduff, and the English forces march on Macbeth, and Macduff kills him. Shakespeare follows Holinsheds account of Macduff closely, with his only deviations being Macduffs discovery of Duncans body in 2.3, historically, the Clan MacDuff was the most powerful family in Fife in the medieval ages. The ruins of Macduffs Castle lie in East Wemyss cemetery, Macduff first speaks in the play in act 2, scene 3 to the drunken porter to report to his duty of awaking King Duncan when he is sleeping for the night at Macbeths castle. When he discovers the corpse of King Duncan, he raises an alarm, Macduff begins to suspect Macbeth of regicide when Macbeth says, O, yet I do repent me of my fury / That I did kill them. Interestingly, Macduff’s name does not appear in this scene, rather, in 2.4 Macbeth has left for Scone, the ancient royal city where Scottish kings were crowned. Macduff, meanwhile, meets with Ross and an Old Man and he reveals that he will not be attending the coronation of Macbeth and will instead return to his home in Fife. However, Macduff flees to England to join Malcolm, the slain King Duncan’s elder son, Macbeth, meanwhile, visits the Three Witches again after the spectre of Banquo appears at the royal banquet. The Witches warn Macbeth to beware Macduff, beware the Thane of Fife, furthermore, they inform him that, The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth. Macduff, who is still in England, learns of his family’s deaths through Ross and he joins Malcolm, and they return to Scotland with their English allies to face Macbeth at Dunsinane Castle. After Macbeth slays the young Siward, Macduff charges into the main castle, although Macbeth believes that he cannot be killed by any man born of a woman, he soon learns that Macduff was from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped. The two fight, and Macduff slays Macbeth offstage, Macduff ultimately presents Macbeth’s head to Malcolm, hailing him as king and calling on the other thanes to declare their allegiance with him. As a supporting character, Macduff serves as a foil to Macbeth, the play positions the characters of Macduff and Macbeth as holy versus evil The contrast between Macduff and Macbeth is accentuated by their approaches to death
16.
King Duncan
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King Duncan is a fictional character in Shakespeares Macbeth. He is the father of two sons, and the victim of a well-plotted regicide in a power grab by his trusted captain Macbeth. King Duncan is a father-figure who is generous but firm, insightful, however, the role is full of irony, he is completely deceived in the intents of Macbeth and therefore may come across as naive. Although a modern reader may view Duncan as an incompetent monarch in this respect, Duncan represents moral order within the play, King Duncan of Scotland is the ruler of Scotland who Macbeth murders for his throne. Duncans generous and trusting nature contrasts strikingly with the evil which surrounds Macbeth, though he appears only in Act 1, he is an important symbol of the values that are to be defeated and restored in the course of the play. His generosity and fatherly affection for Macbeth make his murder even more appalling, the unconscious irony is sharp when he greets Macbeth, who is already plotting against him, with a declaration of his own ingratitude, in 1.4. 14-16. Duncans faith, misplaced first in the rebellious Cawdor and then in Macbeth, the historical Duncan was a much younger man than Shakespeares character, only a few years older than Macbeth. The playwright altered Duncans age to stress the evil of Macbeths crime, but in fact Macbeth did not murder Duncan, he usurped the crown through a civil war, the two were first cousins, both grandsons of Duncans predecessor on the throne of Scotland, King Malcolm II. Duncans claim to the throne was somewhat stronger than Macbeths as it appears that Malcolm II had named Duncan as his heir, however, Macbeths action was an ordinary political manoeuvre in 11 th-century Scotland, King Malcolm II took the throne previously by murdering his cousin, Kenneth III. Shakespeare devised his version of Duncans death from an account of a royal assassination. Duncan has been played in film adaptations of the play by Anthony Head in 2008, Gary Sweet in 2006, javier Ronceros performed the role in Doggs Hamlet, Cahoots Macbeth and John Little in Macbeth, The Comedy. Christopher McCann played Duncan in Macbeth in Manhattan, greg Korin, John Corvin, and Antti Litja played the role in 1998,1997, and 1987 respectively. In Orson Welles 1948 film adaptation of Macbeth, the role of King Duncan is reduced,1.2 is cut entirely as well as generous portions of 1.4. King Duncan is seen briefly in 1.6 as he enters Macbeths castle amid considerable pomp, the top of 1.4 with its description of Cawdors execution has been transplanted to this scene. Banquos temple-haunting martlet speech is given to Duncan, Duncan is later seen asleep in bed for a fleeting moment as Lady Macbeth slinks about in the chambers shadows. Donalbain has been cut from the film, leaving Duncan with just one son, other television performers of the role include Philip Madoc, Mark Dignam, Powys Thomas, Malcolm Keen, Leo G. Carroll, Arthur Wontner. Bevington, David, ed. and William Shakespeare
17.
Banquo
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Lord Banquo /ˈbæŋkwoʊ/, the Thane of Lochaber, is a character in William Shakespeares 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth, after prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his descendants will be. Later, Macbeth in his lust for power sees Banquo as a threat and has him murdered, Banquos son, Fleance, Banquos ghost returns in a later scene, causing Macbeth to react with alarm during a public feast. Shakespeare borrowed the character of Banquo from Holinsheds Chronicles, a history of Britain published by Raphael Holinshed in 1587. In Chronicles Banquo is an accomplice to Macbeth in the murder of the king, Shakespeare may have changed this aspect of his character in order to please King James, who was thought at the time to be a descendant of the real Banquo. Critics often interpret Banquos role in the play as being a foil to Macbeth, sometimes, however, his motives are unclear, and some critics question his purity. He does nothing to accuse Macbeth of murdering the king, even though he has reason to believe Macbeth is responsible, Holinshed in turn used an earlier work, the Scotorum Historiae by Hector Boece, as his source. Boeces work is the first known record of Banquo and his son Fleance, in Shakespeares day, however, they were considered historical figures of great repute, and the king, James I, based his claim to the throne in part on a descent from Banquo. In reality Walter fitz Alan was the son of Alan fitz Flaad, unlike his sources, Shakespeare gives Banquo no role in the Kings murder, making it a deed committed solely by Macbeth and his wife. Why Shakespeares Banquo is so different from the described by Holinshed and Boece is not known. But Shakespeare may also simply have altered Banquos character because there was no dramatic need for another accomplice to the murder, there was, however, a need to provide a dramatic contrast to Macbeth, a role that many scholars argue is filled by Banquo. Banquos role in the coup that follows the murder is harder to explain, if Macbeth, rather than Malcolm, is Prince of Cumberland then Macbeth would be next in line to the throne and no coup would be needed, effectively removing this ambiguity from Banquos character. Banquo is in a third of the scenes, as both a human and a ghost. As significant as he is to the plot, he has fewer lines than the relatively insignificant Ross, a Scottish nobleman who survives the play. In the second scene of the play, King Duncan describes the manner in which Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, and Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, bravely led his army against invaders, fighting side by side. In the next scene, Banquo and Macbeth, returning from the battle together, encounter the Three Witches, who predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and then king. Banquo, skeptical of the witches, challenges them to predict his own future, and they foretell that Banquo will never take the throne. Banquo remains skeptical after the encounter, wondering aloud if evil can ever speak the truth and he warns Macbeth that evil will offer men a small, hopeful truth only in order to catch them in a deadly trap
18.
Three Witches
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The Norns in Norse mythology are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They roughly correspond to other controllers of humans destiny, the Fates, in Snorri Sturlusons interpretation of the Völuspá, Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld, the three most important of the Norns, come out from a hall standing at the Well of Urðr or Well of Fate. They draw water from the well and take sand that lies around it and these three Norns are described as powerful maiden giantesses whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. They may be the same as the maidens of Mögþrasir who are described in Vafþrúðnismál, beside these three famous Norns, there are many others who appear at a persons birth in order to determine his or her future. In the pre-Christian Norse societies, Norns were thought to have visited newborn children, there were both malevolent and benevolent Norns, the former caused all the malevolent and tragic events in the world while the latter were kind and protective goddesses. The origin of the name norn is uncertain, it may derive from a meaning to twine. Bek-Pedersen suggests that the word norn has relation to the Swedish dialect word norna and this relates to the perception of norns as shadowy, background figures who only really ever reveal their fateful secrets to men as their fates come to pass. It should be noted that wyrd and urðr are etymological cognates, both Urðr and Verðandi are derived from the Old Norse verb verða, to be. While Urðr derives from the past tense, Verðandi derives from the present tense of verða, Skuld is derived from the Old Norse verb skulla, need/ought to be/shall be, its meaning is that which should become, or that needs to occur. There is no distinction between norns, fylgjas, hamingjas and valkyries, nor with the generic term dísir. Moreover, artistic license permitted such terms to be used for women in Old Norse poetry. To quote Snorri Sturlusons Skáldskaparmál on the names used for women. There are a number of surviving Old Norse sources that relate to the norns, the most important sources are the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. A skaldic reference to the norns appears in Hvinis poem in Ynglingatal 24 found in Ynglingasaga 47 and this reference brings in the phrase norna dómr which means judgment of the nornir. In most cases, when the norns pass judgment, it means death to those who have been judged - in this case, along with being associated with being bringers of death, Bek-Pedersen suggests that this phrase brings in a quasi-legal aspect to the nature of the norns. This legal association is employed quite frequently within skaldic and eddic sources and this phrase can also be seen as a threat, as death is the final and inevitable decision that the norns can make with regard to human life. The Poetic Edda is valuable in representing older material in poetry from which Snorri tapped information in the Prose Edda, like Gylfaginning, the Poetic Edda mentions the existence of many lesser norns beside the three main norns. Moreover, it agrees with Gylfaginning by telling that they were of several races
19.
Meiji Restoration
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The Meiji Restoration, also known as the Meiji Ishin, Renovation, Revolution, Reform, or Renewal, was an event of change that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were Emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical abilities, Meiji government also made education compulsory for both boys and girls at minimal fees. The goals of the government were expressed by the new emperor in the Charter Oath. The Restoration led to changes in Japans political and social structure. In Japan however, unlike China, foreign ideas were not associated with opium addiction. Figures like Shimazu Nariakira concluded that if we take the initiative, we can dominate, if we do not, we will be dominated, leading Japan to throw open its doors to foreign technology. Observing Japans response to the powers, Li Hongzhang considered Japan Chinas principal security threat as early as 1863. The word Meiji means enlightened rule and the goal was to modern advances with traditional eastern values. The main leaders of this were Itō Hirobumi, Matsukata Masayoshi, Kido Takayoshi, Itagaki Taisuke, Yamagata Aritomo, Mori Arinori, Ōkubo Toshimichi, and Yamaguchi Naoyoshi. The foundation of the Meiji restoration was the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, leaders of the reformist elements in the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain. These two leaders supported the Emperor Kōmei and were brought together by Sakamoto Ryōma for the purpose of challenging the ruling Tokugawa shogunate, after Emperor Kōmeis death on January 30,1867, Emperor Meiji ascended the throne on February 3. This period also saw Japan change from being a society to having a market economy. The Tokugawa Shogunate came to its end on November 9,1867, when Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Shortly thereafter in January 1868, the Boshin War started with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in which Chōshū and this forced the Emperor to strip Yoshinobu of all power, setting the stage for official restoration. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country, consequently the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Taikun, in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs and it is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. All Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under control, thus placing them under the prerogative of the new Meiji government. With Fuhanken sanchisei, the areas were split into three types, urban prefectures, rural prefectures and the already existing domains
20.
Rashomon
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Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa, working in close collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. It stars Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, while the film borrows the title and setting from Ryūnosuke Akutagawas short story Rashōmon, it is actually based on Akutagawas short story In a Grove, which provides the characters and plot. The film is known for a device that involves various characters providing alternative, self-serving. The film opens on a woodcutter and a priest sitting beneath the Rajōmon city gate to stay dry in a downpour, a commoner joins them and they tell him that they have witnessed a disturbing story, which they then begin recounting to him. The priest says that he saw the samurai with his wife traveling the same day the murder happened, both men were then summoned to testify in court, where they met the captured bandit Tajōmaru, who claimed responsibility for killing the samurai and raping his wife. Tajōmaru, a brigand, claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then brought the samurais wife there and she initially tried to defend herself with a dagger, but was eventually seduced by the bandit. The woman, filled with shame, then begged him to duel to the death with her husband, to save her from the guilt, Tajōmaru honorably set the samurai free and dueled with him. In Tajōmarus recollection they fought skillfully and fiercely, but in the end Tajōmaru was the victor, the samurais wife tells a different story to the court. She says that Tajōmaru left after raping her and she begged her husband to forgive her, but he simply looked at her coldly. She then freed him and begged him to kill her so that she would be at peace and he continued to stare at her with a look of loathing. His expression disturbed her so much that she fainted with dagger in hand and she awoke to find her husband dead with the dagger in his chest. She attempted to kill herself, but failed in all her efforts, the court then hears the story of the deceased samurai, told through a medium. The samurai claims that Tajōmaru, after raping his wife, asked her to travel with him and she accepted and asked Tajōmaru to kill her husband so that she would not feel the guilt of belonging to two men. Tajōmaru, shocked by this request, grabbed her, and gave the samurai a choice of letting the woman go or killing her, for these words alone, the dead samurai recounted, I was ready to pardon his crime. The woman fled, and Tajōmaru, after attempting to recapture her, gave up, the samurai then killed himself with his wifes dagger. Later, somebody removed the dagger from his chest, back at Rashōmon gate, the woodcutter explains to the commoner that all three stories were falsehoods. The woodcutter had actually witnessed the rape and murder, he says, according to the woodcutters new story, Tajōmaru begged the samurais wife to marry him, but the woman instead freed her husband
21.
Orson Welles
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George Orson Welles was an American actor, director, writer, and producer who worked in theatre, radio, and film. In 1937 he and John Houseman founded the Mercury Theatre, an independent repertory company that presented a series of productions on Broadway through 1941. It reportedly caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was actually occurring, although some contemporary sources claim these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to notoriety. His first film was Citizen Kane, which he co-wrote, produced, directed, Welles was an outsider to the studio system and directed only 13 full-length films in his career. He has been praised as the ultimate auteur, Welles followed up Citizen Kane with critically acclaimed films including The Magnificent Ambersons in 1942 and Touch of Evil in 1958. Although these three are his most acclaimed films, critics have argued other works of his, such as The Lady from Shanghai and Chimes at Midnight, are underappreciated. Known for his voice, Welles was an actor in radio and film, a Shakespearean stage actor. George Orson Welles was born May 6,1915, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, son of Richard Head Welles and he was named after his paternal great-grandfather, influential Kenosha attorney Orson S. Head, and his brother George Head. Despite his familys affluence, Welles encountered hardship in childhood and his parents separated and moved to Chicago in 1919. His father, who made a fortune as the inventor of a bicycle lamp, became an alcoholic. Beatrice died of hepatitis in a Chicago hospital May 10,1924, the Gordon String Quartet, which had made its first appearance at her home in 1921, played at Beatrices funeral. After his mothers death Welles ceased pursuing music and it was decided that he would spend the summer with the Watson family at a private art colony in Wyoming, New York, established by Lydia Avery Coonley Ward. There he played and became friends with the children of the Aga Khan, Welles briefly attended public school before his alcoholic father left business altogether and took him along on his travels to Jamaica and the Far East. When they returned they settled in a hotel in Grand Detour, Illinois, when the hotel burned down, Welles and his father took to the road again. During the three years that Orson lived with his father, some observers wondered who took care of whom, in some ways, he was never really a young boy, you know, said Roger Hill, who became Welless teacher and lifelong friend. Welles briefly attended school in Madison, Wisconsin, enrolled in the fourth grade. At Todd School, Welles came under the influence of Roger Hill, Hill provided Welles with an ad hoc educational environment that proved invaluable to his creative experience, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged theatrical experiments and productions there, Todd provided Welles with many valuable experiences, wrote critic Richard France
22.
Macbeth (1948 film)
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Macbeth is a 1948 American historical drama war film adaptation by Orson Welles of William Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth, with Welles in the lead role. Jeanette Nolan co-stars as Lady Macbeth, in 1947, Orson Welles began promoting the notion of bringing a Shakespeare drama to the motion picture screen. He initially attempted to pique Alexander Kordas interest in an adaptation of Othello, Welles switched to pushing for a film adaptation of Macbeth, which he visualized in its violent setting as a perfect cross between Wuthering Heights and Bride of Frankenstein. Teaming with producer Charles K. Feldman, Welles successfully convinced Herbert Yates, founder and president of Republic Pictures, Yates was attempting to raise the level of his studio, which produced Roy Rogers Westerns and low-budget features, into that of a prestige studio. Republic had already tried to present off-beat features, including Gustav Machatýs Jealousy, however, Yates was not able to provide Welles with a large budget. Welles guaranteed to deliver a completed negative of Macbeth on a budget of $700,000, when some members of the Republic board of directors expressed misgivings on the project, Welles had a contract drawn in which he agreed to personally pay any amount over $700,000. Welles had previously staged the so-called Voodoo Macbeth in 1936 in New York City with an all-black cast and he borrowed aspects from both productions for his film adaptation. None of these films was commercially successful, but the commercial and critical prestige earned by Laurence Oliviers film version of Henry V helped to propel Welles Macbeth forward. Welles cast himself in the role, but was initially stymied in casting Lady Macbeth. His first choice was Vivien Leigh, but Welles never approached her since he believed her husband, Laurence Olivier, the role was offered to Tallulah Bankhead, who turned it down. At Welless request Anne Baxter, Mercedes McCambridge and Agnes Moorehead were approached, there is no evidence to suggest that these rejections were much of a blow to Welles, wrote biographer Frank Brady. Welles settled on Jeanette Nolan, one of the Mercury Theatres repertory players on radio, Welles brought in Irish actor Dan OHerlihy in his first U. S. film role as Macduff, and cast former child star Roddy McDowall as Malcolm. Welles also cast his daughter Christopher in the role of Macduffs son, the cast of Macbeth is listed in the AFI Catalog of Feature Films. In bringing Macbeth to the screen, Welles made several changes to Shakespeares original and he added sequences involving the witches to increase their significance. At the beginning of the film, they create a figurine of Macbeth. It collapses in a heap, seemingly of its own volition, the witches seem to cast a spell on the doll, and anything that happens to it seems to happen also to Macbeth, as in voodoo. Because of censorship, the Porters speech was shorn of all its double entendre, a major change is Welles introduction of a new character, the Holy Man. The priest recites the prayer of Saint Michael, Welles later explained that the characters presence was meant to confirm that the main point of that production is the struggle between the old and new religions
23.
Middle Ages
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In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance, the Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history, classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is subdivided into the Early, High. Population decline, counterurbanisation, invasion, and movement of peoples, the large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the seventh century, North Africa and the Middle East—once part of the Byzantine Empire—came under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate, although there were substantial changes in society and political structures, the break with classical antiquity was not complete. The still-sizeable Byzantine Empire survived in the east and remained a major power, the empires law code, the Corpus Juris Civilis or Code of Justinian, was rediscovered in Northern Italy in 1070 and became widely admired later in the Middle Ages. In the West, most kingdoms incorporated the few extant Roman institutions, monasteries were founded as campaigns to Christianise pagan Europe continued. The Franks, under the Carolingian dynasty, briefly established the Carolingian Empire during the later 8th, the Crusades, first preached in 1095, were military attempts by Western European Christians to regain control of the Holy Land from Muslims. Kings became the heads of centralised nation states, reducing crime and violence, intellectual life was marked by scholasticism, a philosophy that emphasised joining faith to reason, and by the founding of universities. Controversy, heresy, and the Western Schism within the Catholic Church paralleled the conflict, civil strife. Cultural and technological developments transformed European society, concluding the Late Middle Ages, the Middle Ages is one of the three major periods in the most enduring scheme for analysing European history, classical civilisation, or Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Modern Period. Medieval writers divided history into periods such as the Six Ages or the Four Empires, when referring to their own times, they spoke of them as being modern. In the 1330s, the humanist and poet Petrarch referred to pre-Christian times as antiqua, leonardo Bruni was the first historian to use tripartite periodisation in his History of the Florentine People. Bruni and later argued that Italy had recovered since Petrarchs time. The Middle Ages first appears in Latin in 1469 as media tempestas or middle season, in early usage, there were many variants, including medium aevum, or middle age, first recorded in 1604, and media saecula, or middle ages, first recorded in 1625. The alternative term medieval derives from medium aevum, tripartite periodisation became standard after the German 17th-century historian Christoph Cellarius divided history into three periods, Ancient, Medieval, and Modern. The most commonly given starting point for the Middle Ages is 476, for Europe as a whole,1500 is often considered to be the end of the Middle Ages, but there is no universally agreed upon end date. English historians often use the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 to mark the end of the period
24.
Cautionary tale
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A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated, some act, location, then, the narrative itself is told, someone disregarded the warning and performed the forbidden act. Finally, the comes to an unpleasant fate, which is frequently related in expansive. Like horror fiction, generally the cautionary tale exhibits an ambivalent attitude towards social taboos and those whose job it is to enforce conformity therefore frequently resort to cautionary tales. The German language anthology, Struwwelpeter, contains tales such as Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug, the genre of the cautionary tale has been satirized by several writers. Hilaire Belloc in his Cautionary Tales for Children presented such moral examples as Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion, and Matilda, Who told lies, and was Burned to Death. In The Complete Tribune Printer, Eugene Field gave cautionary tales an ironic inversion, as in The Gun, put the Gun on the table, and you, Susie, blow down one barrel while you, Charlie, blow down the other. Run quick, Jennie, and pick up Susies head and Charlies lower Jaw before the Nasty Blood gets over the New carpet. Some films, such as Gremlins, satirized this framework by imposing very arbitrary rules whose violation results in horrendous consequences for the community by not taking responsibility, Cautionary tales are sometimes heavily criticized for their ham-fisted approach to ethics. The Cold Equations is a well-known example, clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws, Gender in the Modern Horror Film. On Analyzing Fairy Tales, Little Red Riding Hood Revisited, in Western Folklore, vol. 46, no.2 KLEIN Norman M.7 Minutes, The Life and Death of the American Animated Cartoon, Verso, New York,1993, Ch.7, “Depression Melodrama”, pp. 130-134. Secrets beyond the Door, The Story of Bluebeard and His Wives, in The Lion,1, - Discusses the traditional folktale of Bluebeard as a cautionary tale. Mental Hygiene, Classroom Films 1945 -1970, white, Beatrice, A Persistent Paradox, in Folklore, vol. 83, no.2 - the tale of King Yunan from One Thousand and One Nights as a cautionary tale
25.
Ikiru
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Ikiru is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa and starring Takashi Shimura. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat, the screenplay was partly inspired by Leo Tolstoys 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The major themes of the film include learning how to live, the inefficiency of bureaucracy, and decaying family life in Japan, the film has received widespread critical acclaim, and in Japan won awards for Best Film at the Kinema Junpo and Mainichi Film Awards. It was remade as a film in 2007. Kanji Watanabe is a man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for thirty years. His wife is dead and his son and daughter-in-law, who live with him, seem to care mainly about Watanabes pension and their future inheritance. At work, he sees constant inaction, including a group of parents who are referred to one department after another when they want a cesspool cleared out and replaced by a playground. After learning he has cancer and less than a year to live. He plans to tell his son about the cancer, but decides against it when his son does not pay attention to him and he then tries to find escape in the pleasures of Tokyos nightlife, guided by an eccentric novelist whom he just met. In a nightclub, Watanabe requests a song from the piano player and his singing greatly affects those watching him. After one night submerged in the nightlife, he realizes this is not the solution, the following day, Watanabe encounters a young female subordinate, Toyo, who needs his signature on her resignation. He is attracted to her joyous love of life and enthusiasm and she eventually becomes suspicious of his intentions and grows weary of him. After convincing her to him for the last time, he opens up. Inspired by her, Watanabe realizes that it is not too late for him, like Toyo, he wants to make something, but is unsure what he can make in the city bureaucracy until he remembers the lobbying for a playground. He surprises everyone by returning to work after a long absence, Watanabe dies, and at his wake, his former co-workers gather, after the opening of the playground, and try to figure out what caused such a dramatic change in his behavior. His transformation from listless bureaucrat to passionate advocate puzzles them, as the co-workers drink, they slowly realize that Watanabe must have known he was dying, even when his son denies this, as he was unaware of his fathers condition. They also hear from a witness that in the last few moments in Watanabes life, as the snow fell, he sang Gondola no Uta. The bureaucrats vow to live their lives with the dedication and passion as he did
26.
Kabuki
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Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers, the individual kanji, from left to right, mean sing, dance, and skill. Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as the art of singing and dancing and these are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of skill generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre, since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning to lean or to be out of the ordinary, kabuki can be interpreted as avant-garde or bizarre theatre. The expression kabukimono referred originally to those who were dressed and swaggered on a street. The history of kabuki began in 1603 when Izumo no Okuni, possibly a miko of Izumo-taisha and it originated in the 17th century. Japan was under the control of the Tokugawa shogunate, enforced by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the name of the Edo period derives from the relocation of the Tokugawa regime from its former home in Kyoto to the city of Edo, present-day Tokyo. Female performers played both men and women in comic playlets about ordinary life, the style was immediately popular, and Okuni was asked to perform before the Imperial Court. In the wake of success, rival troupes quickly formed. For this reason, kabuki was also called 遊女歌舞妓 during this period, Kabuki became a common form of entertainment in the ukiyo, or Yoshiwara, the registered red-light district in Edo. A diverse crowd gathered under one roof, something that happened nowhere else in the city, Kabuki theaters were a place to see and be seen as they featured the latest fashion trends and current events. The stage provided good entertainment with exciting new music, patterns, clothing, performances went from morning until sunset. The teahouses surrounding or connected to the theater provided meals, refreshments, the area around the theatres was lush with shops selling kabuki souvenirs. Kabuki, in a sense, initiated pop culture in Japan, the shogunate was never partial to kabuki and all the mischief it brought, particularly the variety of the social classes which mixed at kabuki performances. Women’s kabuki, called onna-kabuki, was banned in 1629 for being too erotic, following onna-kabuki, young boys performed in wakashū-kabuki, but since they too were eligible for prostitution, the shogun government soon banned wakashū-kabuki as well. Kabuki switched to male actors, called yaro-kabuki, in the mid-1600s. Male actors played both female and male characters, the theatre remained popular, and remained a focus of urban lifestyle until modern times. The modern all-male kabuki, known as yarō-kabuki, was established during these decades, after women were banned from performing, cross-dressed male actors, known as onnagata or oyama, took over
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Impermanence
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Impermanence, also called Anicca or Anitya, is one of the essential doctrines and a part of three marks of existence in Buddhism. The doctrine asserts that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is transient, evanescent, inconstant, all temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction. The concept of impermanence is also found in schools of Hinduism and Jainism. Anicca or impermanence is understood in Buddhism as the first of three marks of existence, the two being dukkha and anatta. All physical and mental events, states Buddhism, come into being, human life embodies this flux in the aging process, the cycle of repeated birth and death, nothing lasts, and everything decays. This is applicable to all beings and their environs, including beings who have reincarnated in deva and this is in contrast to nirvana, the reality that is Nicca, or knows no change, decay or death. Impermanence is intimately associated with the doctrine of anatta, according to which things have no essence, permanent self, the Buddha taught that because no physical or mental object is permanent, desires for or attachments to either causes suffering. Understanding Anicca and Anatta are steps in the Buddhist’s spiritual progress toward enlightenment, the Pali word anicca is a compound word consisting of a meaning non-, and nicca meaning constant, continuous, permanent. While the word Nicca refers to the concept of continuity and permanence, Anicca refers to its exact opposite, the term appears in the Rigveda, and is synonymous with Anitya. The term appears extensively in the Pali canon, Impermanence is one of trilakshana of existence. Everything, whether physical or mental, is a formation, has a dependent origination and is impermanent and this impermanence is a source of Dukkha. This is in contrast to nirvana, the reality that is Nicca, or knows no change, decay or death. The term Anitya, in the sense of impermanence of objects and life, appears in verse 1.2.10 of the Katha Upanishad, one of the Principal Upanishads of Hinduism. It asserts that everything in the world is impermanent, but impermanent nature of things is an opportunity to obtain what is permanent as the Hindu scripture presents its doctrine about Atman, the term Anitya also appears in the Bhagavad Gita in a similar context. Even in the details of their respective impermanence theories, state Frank Hoffman and Deegalle Mahinda, Buddhist, the Nicca in Buddhism is anatta, the Nitya in Hinduism is atman. The five aggregates, monks, are anicca, impermanent, and what is the all that is impermanent. The eye is impermanent, visual objects, whatever is felt as pleasant or unpleasant or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant, born of eye-contact is impermanent. All formations are impermanent Akio Jissojis Buddhist auteur film Mujo owes its title to the doctrine of Impermanence
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Mount Fuji
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Mount Fuji, located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m. An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, Mount Fuji is one of Japans Three Holy Mountains along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japans Historic Sites and it was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22,2013. Per UNESCO, Mount Fuji has inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries, UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mt. Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain itself, Fujisan, in Shinto mythology, Kuninotokotachi is one of the two gods born from something like a reed that arose from the soil when the earth was chaotic. He is known by mythology to reside on top of Mount Fuji, Kuninotokotachi is described as a hitorigami and genderless in Kojiki, while as a male god in Nihon Shoki. Yoshida Kanetomo, the founder of the Yoshida Shintō sect, identified Kuninotokotachi with Amenominakanushi, the current kanji for Mount Fuji, 富 and 士, mean wealth or abundant and a man with a certain status respectively. The origin of the name Fuji is unclear, having no recording of it being first called by this name. A text of the 10th century, Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, says that the name came from immortal, an early folk etymology claims that Fuji came from 不二, meaning without equal or nonpareil. Another claims that it came from 不尽, meaning neverending, a Japanese classical scholar in the Edo era, Hirata Atsutane, speculated that the name is from a word meaning, a mountain standing up shapely as an ear of a rice plant. It is also pointed that huchi means an old woman and ape is the word for fire, research on the distribution of place names that include fuji as a part also suggest the origin of the word fuji is in the Yamato language rather than Ainu. A Japanese toponymist Kanji Kagami argued that the name has the root as wisteria and rainbow. In English, the mountain is known as Mount Fuji, some sources refer to it as Fuji-san, Fujiyama or, redundantly, Mt. Fujiyama. Japanese speakers refer to the mountain as Fuji-san and this san is not the honorific suffix used with peoples names, such as Watanabe-san, but the Sino-Japanese reading of the character yama used in Sino-Japanese compounds. In Nihon-shiki and Kunrei-shiki romanization, the name is transliterated as Huzi, among the most renowned works are Hokusais 36 Views of Mount Fuji and his One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, as well as Utagawa Hiroshiges similarly-titled 36 Views of Mount Fuji. The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems and it is thought that the first recorded ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times and was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era, ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present-day town of Gotemba. The shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo held yabusame in the area in the early Kamakura period, the first ascent by a foreigner was by Sir Rutherford Alcock in September 1868, from the foot of the mountain to the top in eight hours and three hours for the descent
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Izu Peninsula
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The Izu peninsula is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture, the peninsula has an area of 1,421.24 km² and its estimated population in 2005 was 473,942 people. Tectonically, the Izu peninsula results from the Philippine Sea Plate colliding with the Okhotsk Plate at the Nankai Trough, the Philippine Sea Plate, the Amurian Plate, and the Okhotsk Plate meet at Mount Fuji, a triple junction. The peninsula itself lies on the Philippine Sea Plate, the southern portion of the peninsula is composed largely of breccia, and the central and northern portions consist of numerous highly eroded volcanos. The peninsulas major river, the Kano River in the north, as a result of its underlying geology, the peninsula is prone to frequent earthquake swarms and tsunamis, and it abounds in hot springs. All of Izu Peninsula is within Shizuoka Prefecture, the peninsula abuts Mount Fuji and is a part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The area is popular for sea bathing, surfing, golfing. Aside from tourism, agriculture and fishing are the mainstays of the local economy, Izu is one of the biggest producers of wasabi in Japan, and the local cuisine offers dishes flavored with wasabi. The Izu peninsula is accessible from Tokyo and points west via the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. JR Itō Line and the Izu Kyūkō Line provides service along the east coast of the peninsula to Shimoda, central Izu is served by the Sunzu Line as far as Shuzenji. The west coast of the peninsula is less developed, and has no train service, Izu Peninsula is served by numerous expressways. By car, it is 103.3 km from the Yōga Interchange on the Tokyo end of the Tōmei Expressway to Numazu. To get to the side, a branch at Atsugi leads to the Odawara-Atsugi Road, which continues past Odawara to Yugawara, Atami. Izu Peninsula is also served by Japan National Route 135, Japan National Route 136, Izu also offers two scenic roads, called Izu Skyline and Western Izu Skyline (西伊豆スカイライン）that offer beautiful views on nature and Mt. Fuji. Both skyline roads are favorite spots of car and motorcycle enthusiasts, the Odakyu Electric Railway runs local bus services from Odawara and Hakone, and there is an extensive internal bus network. Izu Peninsula Geopark Izu Peninsula - Encyclopædia Britannica Online Eastern Area - Shizuoka Guide Izu Peninsula
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Peter Brook
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Peter Stephen Paul Brook, CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director who has been based in France since the early 1970s. He has won multiple Tony and Emmy Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, the Praemium Imperiale, and he has been called our greatest living theatre director. With the Royal Shakespeare Company, Brook directed the first English language production of Marat/Sade in 1964 and it transferred to Broadway in 1965 and won the Tony Award for Best Play, and Brook was named Best Director. Brook was born in the Turnham Green area of Chiswick, London, the family home was at 27 Fairfax Road, Turnham Green. His elder brother was the psychiatrist and psychotherapist Alexis Brook and his first cousin was Valentin Pluchek, chief director of the Moscow Satire Theatre. Brook was educated at Westminster School, Greshams School, and Magdalen College and he directed Dr Faustus, his first production, in 1943 at the Torch Theatre in London, followed at the Chanticleer Theatre in 1945 with a revival of The Infernal Machine. In 1947, he went to Stratford-upon-Avon as assistant director on Romeo and Juliet, from 1947 to 1950, he was Director of Productions at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His work there included a highly controversial staging of Strauss Salome with sets by Salvador Dalí, a proliferation of stage and screen work as producer and director followed. Dark of the Moon by Howard Richardson, at the Ambassadors Theatre and it has been based in Paris at the Bouffes du Nord theatre since 1974. In 2008 he made the decision to resign as director of Bouffes du Nord, handing over to Olivier Mantei. Brook has been influenced by the work of Antonin Artaud and his ideas for his Theatre of Cruelty, the result was a showing of works in progress made up of improvisations and sketches, one of which was the premier of Artauds The Spurt of Blood. – Lee Jamieson, Antonin Artaud, From Theory to Practice, Greenwich Exchange,2007 His greatest influence, Brook described her as the most galvanising director in mid-20th century Britain. Brooks work is inspired by the theories of experimental theatre of Jerzy Grotowski, Bertolt Brecht, Chris Covics and Vsevolod Meyerhold. Gurdjieff, Edward Gordon Craig, and Matila Ghyka, Brook first encountered Wakhévitch in London when he saw the production of Jean Cocteaus ballet Le Jeune Homme et la Mort which Wakhévitch designed. Brook declared, he was convinced that this was the designer for whom I had been waiting, however, many postcololonial scholars have challenged the claim to universalism, accusing the play of orientalism. In 2015 Brook returned to the world of Mahabharata with a new Young Vic production, Battlefield in collaboration with Jean-Claude Carrière, in 2005 Brook directed Tierno Bokar, based on the life of the Malian sufi of the same name. The play was adapted for the stage by Marie-Hélène Estienne from a book by Amadou Hampate Ba, the book and play detail Bokars life and message of religious tolerance. Columbia University produced 44 related events, lectures, and workshops that were attended by over 3,200 people throughout the run of Tierno Bokar, panel discussions focused on topics of religious tolerance and Muslim tradition in West Africa
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Kinema Junpo
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Kinema Junpo, commonly called Kinejun, is Japans oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese Jun system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar Kinema Junpō has been published twice a month. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, in that first month, it was published three times on days with a 1 in them. These first three issues were printed on art paper and had four pages each, Kinejun initially specialized in covering foreign films, in part because its writers sided with the principles of the Pure Film Movement and strongly criticized Japanese cinema. It later expanded coverage to films released in Japan, while long emphasizing film criticism, it has also served as a trade journal, reporting on the film industry in Japan and announcing new films and trends. The Kinema Junpo awards began in 1926, and their 10 best list is considered iconic and prestigious
