Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan (The United States in the World) Review

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Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan (The United States in the World) ReviewIn Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, author Hiroshi Kitamura successfully articulates how the defeated post World War 2 Japan evolved into the "biggest patron of American movies" and an important ally to the United States, both "politically and militarily" through the influence of Hollywood throughout the American occupation of Japan. (9) Kitamura points out that "Hollywood...actively reeducated and reoriented the Japanese", but he also "underscores the voluntary involvement of the Japanese" (1). Kitamura goes into great detail on how Hollywood marketed films that targeted Japanese viewers with American themes. Despite Kitamura continuously referring to the United States as occupiers, which has a negative connotation due the nature of an occupation, Kitamura's attitudes are pro-American as he goes on to defend the strict film codes imposed on Japanese film makers by mentioning that they were less restrictive than Imperial Japan's film censorship during the height of the War in the Pacific (3).
The acceptance of American ideals by the Japanese came because of several reasons. For starters, during the early 1900s, the United States operated "directly out of Japan" selling Hollywood films to Japanese theatres and eventually, American companies "surpassed European distributors and dominated the share of foreign imports". (2) Although short-lived, the flood of American films left a mark on the Japanese and influenced Japanese filmmakers to "appropriate Hollywood's practices" (2). A second reason that explains why many Japanese accepted American ideals was due to the fact that they looked up to the United States as they were superior to Japan in every single way (6). Kitamura explains that Japan's defeat at the hands of the Americans, earned the Americans a newfound respect from the Japanese (6). This newfound respect made many Japanese want to learn more about "American ideas and culture" (6). Kitamura points out that "tens of thousands of people sought to learn the values and lifestyles of a superior nation that defeated their own" (6). In response to this curiosity, Hollywood marketed American culture to the Japanese through film as a medium. Films that "encompassed the humanity manners, customs, temperament, national character, daily practice [of the] American people as well as the politics, thought, society, ideals [and] history of the United States" were "vital for the construction of a democratic, Japan" (6). In 1949, Hollywood culture led "cultural elites" to join together and form the American Movie Culture Association. (7) The American Movie Culture Association was composed of "politicians, journalists, writers, artists, musicians, [and] film critics" who stressed the importance of Hollywood culture as well as the critical evaluation and appreciation of American film (7). Despite members of the American Movie Culture Association looking down upon the masses, thousands of Japanese "consumed Hollywood with an equal degree of excitement." (7) A final contribution worth mentioning, that brought upon the acceptance of Hollywood cinema and American values, was the Eiga no tomo, a film magazine that targeted young consumers. (8) Kitamura argued that the magazine "brought together a new generation of fans, who crowded the theatres, gossiped with friends, wrote lots of fan mails, and organized group activities." (8) The magazine itself advocated for "Japan's democratization" with American movies making the publications a "centripetal force that directed...fans to look on the United States in a favorable light...weaving...pro-American sentiment". (8)
The pro-American sentiment that most Japanese eventually felt could not have risen if it were not for the American governmental regulation of the Japanese film industry. During the occupation, General Douglas MacArthur "oversaw the reconstruction of Japan in furtherance of America's ideological and geopolitical interests" as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, which also represented his administration. (3) During the occupation, "the aim was to replace perceived militaristic tendencies with peace-oriented, democratic values". (3) This was practiced in school curriculums and eventually in Japanese film itself. (3) SCAP relied on the Civil Information and Education Section and the Civil Censorship Detachment to monitor Japanese films or filmmaking. (3) Japanese films were restricted from containing themes that could be problematic to the development of a democratic Japan. (3) Among the themes were nationalism, vengeance, militarism, gender or race discrimination, feudalism, merciless violence and brutality, and opposed democracy. (3) Although the themes varied, the restrictions of them were to prevent the Japanese citizens from reacting to material that may anger them or cause a violent uprising. (3) Any reference to the nuclear weapons also had to be omitted from filmic narratives. (4) Films exported into Japan from other countries were also subject to censorship. Kitamura points out that "Hollywood was subject to MacArthur's political orientation, even while enjoying a privileged position above other international cinemas". (5) Films from Hollywood received priority in terms of being exported into Japan, when compared to films from other countries such as France or the United Kingdom. (5) This control of what Japanese moviegoers watched in the theatres allowed the development of American ideology, as movies with American themes were often allowed into Japan as long as they passed MacArthur's standards. (5)
In Screening Enlightenment, Hiroshi Kitamura coherently explains how Imperial Japan was transformed into a democratic government whose citizens craved American culture and lifestyle. Kitamura accomplishes this by pointing out how the demand for American values came from the Japanese themselves because of the emergence of film magazines and groups that advocated for the viewing of Hollywood movies, which marketed these democratic values to the Japanese. It is also because of the restrictions on problematic themes and regulation of film imports, which allowed SCAP to control what the Japanese were exposed to, and further the spread of pro-American sentiment.
Bibliography
1. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Preface." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
2. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Thwarted Ambitions." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 1-21. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
3. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Renewed Intimacies." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 22-41. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
4. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Contested Terrains." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 42-61. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
5. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Corporatist Tensions." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 62-86. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
6. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Fountains of Culture." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 87-111. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
7. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Seeking Enlightenment." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 134-154. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
8. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Choosing America." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 155-176. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
9. Kitamura, Hiroshi. "Conclusion." In Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan, 177-183. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2010.
Screening Enlightenment: Hollywood and the Cultural Reconstruction of Defeated Japan (The United States in the World) OverviewDuring the six-and-a-half-year occupation of Japan (1945--1952), U.S. film studios--in close coordination with Douglas MacArthur's Supreme Command for the Allied Powers--launched an ambitious campaign to extend their power and influence in a historically rich but challenging film market. In this far-reaching 'enlightenment campaign,' Hollywood studios disseminated more than six hundred films to theaters, earned significant profits, and showcased the American way of life as a political, social, and cultural model for the war-shattered Japanese population. In Screening Enlightenment, Hiroshi Kitamura shows how this expansive attempt at cultural globalization helped transform Japan into one of Hollywood's key markets. He also demonstrates the prominent role American cinema played in the 'reeducation' and 'reorientation' of the Japanese on behalf of the U.S. government.According to Kitamura, Hollywood achieved widespread results by turning to the support of U.S. government and military authorities, which offered privileged deals to American movies while rigorously controlling Japanese and other cinematic products. The presentation of American ideas and values as an emblem of culture, democracy, and sophistication also allowed the U.S. film industry to expand. However, the studios' efforts would not have been nearly as extensive without the Japanese intermediaries and consumers who interestingly served as the program's best publicists. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from studio memos and official documents of the occupation to publicity materials and Japanese fan magazines, Kitamura shows how many Japanese supported Hollywood and became active agents of Americanization. A truly interdisciplinary book that combines U.S. diplomatic and cultural history, film and media studies, and modern Japanese history, Screening Enlightenment offers new insights into the origins of this unique political and cultural transpacific relationship.

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