The U-M Center for Japanese Studies Fall Film Series of 2012 features nine Fridays of silent films by Yasujiro Ozu with professional benshi (narrator), Ichiro Kataoka, performing theatrical narration at each screening. Most films will also include a live music accompaniment.
The series kicks off with a special event on Friday, September 14th in the Michigan Theater’s main auditorium. Film professor Abé Markus Nornes will provide an introduction starting at 7pm. Ozu’s I Was Born, But… (Otona no miru ehon – Umarete wa mita) is the feature film with music by “Little Bang Theory.” Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s The Cook (with Buster Keaton) will also be shown, accompanied by Stephen Warner on the Michigan Theater’s organ.
Admission will be charged at the door for this special opening night event ($15 for adults; $7 for Michigan Theater members, students, seniors, and veterans).
The remaining eight nights of the film series are free and will be screened on U-M’s campus in the Natural Sciences Auditorium. For more information on the series, visit http://www.ii.umich.edu/cjs, or click here.