Heroes of the Golden Age
Heroes are needed for societies to grow, especially after detrimental events. Sometimes a hero is a local firefighter or police man, sometimes he’s a flying man with an “S” on his chest. After World War 2 Japan was in ruins. The fire-bombing of Tokyo and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki turned a previously economically thriving nation into a desolate wasteland. American occupation after Japan surrendered, completely changed what Japan stood for only 100 years earlier: isolation. Occupation was something completely different for the Japanese, many of whom were incredibly nationalistic during its phase of militarism. The films that were made during the 1950’s, also referred to as the Golden Age, represent many different views of the Japanese. Nationalism, liberalism, occupation, and heroes are a few of the themes of Golden Age films. Film-making and viewing in 1950’s Japan was not only loved, but a necessity. Film viewing brought the Japanese populous together, whether they were watching Samurai defending farmers or enormous marine-dragons destroying Tokyo, they are viewing it together, rising from the ashes of allied bombs. The films of the Golden Age had obvious heroes in them for good reason. They differed in age, gender, and time period which they lived, but all served to help Japan rebuild its lucrative society and keep its identity of a proud nation.
Slavery haunts the past of many nations throughout the world. Mizoguchi Kenji addresses Japanese slavery in his film Sansho the Bailiff. This very melodramatic film takes place in the 11th century feudal age of Japan. Slavery and the slave trade is not only present during this time, but it’s the norm. The film begins with the exiling of a governor, who tells his son “Without mercy, man is like a beast” and “Men are created equal, everyone is entitled to their happiness.” This way of thinking did not represent that shared by the Japanese during the 11th century feudal age, however Mizoguchi was creating a film for a 1950’s audience, where this way of thinking was becoming more popular because of the ingrained western influence. Zushio, the young boy who is told these liberal words of wisdom from his father, serves as an important hero throughout the film. Zushio, along with his sister Anju, fall from riches to slavery after they are kidnapped in the wilderness and sold to Sansho in western Japan. Zushio, in his adolescents, is optimistic and takes his father’s words to heart. However after years of hard labor his optimism fades and he becomes a jaded product of his society. An example of Zushio’s transformation is shown when he nonchalantly tortures a fellow slave who tries to escape. At this moment the audience can only hope that Zushio’s transformation is not permanent, and that his youthful optimism will return. Luckily for the viewers, Zushio escapes the labor-camp (with help from his sister, which I will discuss later), miraculously rises to governor in a short relatively short period of time, and uses his freedom to end slavery within his jurisdiction and re-unite himself with his mother who is also being held as a slave in another camp. Although his decision to end slavery is unheard of at this time period and extremely controversial, he follows through with it because he knows it is right. After Zushio makes sure that slavery has been abolished within his jurisdiction he resigns from his position as governor, for the purpose of finding his mother who he has not seen since his childhood. Zushio’s decision to resign from such a prominent position of power is something that can be seen as unprecedented in Japanese culture. Before the American occupation, powerful families or Zaibatsu controlled a large part of the market. Perhaps Mizoguchi’s intention was to show that power is not everything, and heroes can come from both powerful positions and low-level positions. Zushio shows that he is pure at his core and uses his childhood liberalism to change the status quo; this is the sign of a true hero. A hero does not always make the easy decision, or the most popular decision, but they make the right decision; no matter how many dissenters there are. Zushio’s heroic actions could not have been possible without the heroic actions of his sister: Anju.
Zushio’s younger sister Anju, represents sacrifice, something that has become synonymous with heroics. Unlike Zushio, Anju was always optimistic, even after years of intense labor. In the film Anju hears a new member of the camp sing a song with her and her brother’s name in the lyrics. After hearing the song, Anju knows for sure that her mother must still be alive. Shortly after Anju’s friend Namiji becomes deathly ill and must be brought into the woods and left there to spend her final moments. Anju sees this as the perfect moment to escape, however realizes that if both her and her brother try and escape, they will surely be caught. Because Anju believes that she will only slow her brother down, she elects to sacrifice herself to guarantee her brother’s safety. Anju knows that if she stays and her brother escapes, she will be tortured until she has no choice but to give up her brother’s position. With this knowledge Anju chooses to commit suicide by drowning herself in a nearby lake. Although it is upsetting to think that maybe both Zushio and Anju could escape together, it has to be recognized that Anju is a hero by making the ultimate sacrifice for someone she loves. A man who performs similar heroics to Anju is Dr. Serizawa of Honda Ishiro’s Godzilla.
When Gojira or Godzilla is the topic of conversation, that unique shriek and powerful footsteps flood the mind. However with more and more Godzilla movies being released, many westerners actually forget that Godzilla was a villain! Dr. Serizawa, the hero of the film who creates the weapon that kills Godzilla and secures Japan’s security, is no household name in the west. For a Japanese audience in 1954 however, Dr. Serizawa is a hero of epic proportions. The American occupation ended only two years before the film was released, and the war itself seven years before that. The bombings of Tokyo were still fresh in the minds of a Japanese audience, and watching their beloved city being decimated again must have been horrifying. If any audience needed a hero, it would be those viewing Godzilla. The secluded, eye-patched doctor conducts experiments in his basement. The experiment which makes Serizawa so important is one that is eerily similar to an atomic bomb. Although it is unclear exactly how Serizawa’s weapon works, he makes the claim that it if it is to fall into the wrong hands, it could wipe out entire nations and food sources. Serizawa is reluctant to show his invention to anyone else, let alone use it, but after receiving enormous amounts of pressure from his peers he chooses to use his weapon once and only once; for the safety of Japan. Serizawa burns the instructions on how to create the weapon, but to ensure that it is never used again, he must destroy one more thing: himself. Serizawa knows that if he only kills Godzilla and not himself too, he will be coerced into creating the weapon again. When Serizawa is in the North Pacific Ocean, watching the Godzilla disintegrate, he chooses not to ascend to the surface, leaving Japan behind him. The audience sympathizes with Serizawa’s dilemma, and realizes that he must end his own life, to save millions of others.
The final hero being discussed during the Golden Age is Kanbe from Seven Samurai. Kanbe serves as a prototype samurai: soft-spoken, skilled, and stern. In the film a village is annually tormented by a pack of bandits. The villagers finally decide to do something about the attacks, and hire ronin to defend the village against the bandits. Kanbe is selected to choose the rest of the samurai for the team. The samurai only receive food to fight; no money and no glory. Kanbe had this knowledge and still put his life at risk to help ungrateful villagers. The samurai fight to defend the village like it was their own home. Kanbe lost four members of his group while fighting to secure justice. Kanbe is a modest hero who understands that there is more to life than glory.
Heroes of Golden Age films were created for a re-born Japanese population. They represent the sacrifice so many families went through during the war, the courage so many soldiers showed during their service, and the craving for peace the population felt after the war. They are portrayed in a variety of ways, ranging from elderly men to young girls. The directors of the Golden Age loved their country and wanted to send messages of hope by creating heroes the audience could relate to. Zushio’s progressive way of thinking, Anju’s self sacrifice for loved ones, Kanbe’s modesty, and Serizawa’s love for his people are timeless attributes that were shown to help re-build Japan.
