Cinema in Japan was introduced in the last decade of the 19 th century. Since then Japanese cinema had
a steady rise of popularity in the country. The first fifty years of
Cinema Japan was limited to silent cinemas and mostly short films. The old films of Japan no longer exist as they were destructed in the Second World War and the earthquake. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the
Japanese Cinema got an international exposure. In recent years the
Japanese Cinema has made a significant place in the world films.
The most eminent of all the early directors and producers of Japan is Makino Shojo. He was the king of films of Japan during the silent era. During this period the actor who had created sensation all over Japanese silver screen was Matsunosuke Onoe and had featured in around 1000 films. After 1930 some of the noted films which had gained international recognition especially in the United States are ‘Humanity and Paper Balloons', ‘Osaka Elegy' and ‘Wife Be like a Rose'.
After 1950's when
Japanese cinema made its entrance into the international scenario it was admired by the critics and the audiences. The Seven Samurai, Ugetsu and Rashomon are the ones which acquired most fame. Some of the Japanese films like, Godzilla and ‘The Ring' were remade by the Hollywood film makers. One of the noted film makers of the 21 st century is Seijun Suzuki whose films had received a number of international honors and highest acclaims for films like ‘Distance' and ‘ Princess Raccoon'.
