Shina no yoru / China Nights

Historical Context:

Shina no yoru or China Nights, a Japanese film released in 1940 by the Manchurian Film Company, is best known as a piece of wartime propaganda. It is set in Shanghai, China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war took place from 1937-1941 and was fought between China and Japan. It is known as the largest Asian war in the 20^th century, where Japanese imperialist policy aimed to dominate China politically and militarily and to secure its raw material reserves and other economic resources. During this time period, cinematic excursions into China increased. Shina no yoru is appealing because its melodramatic framework uses emotional persuasion to advance a political cause. Furthermore, its settings, especially the hotel and Manchurian battle space, was considered "exotic" at the time.

Main Characters:
-Keiran, a Chinese orphan played by a Japanese actress; the film's "heroine"
-Mr. Hase, a Japanese soldier who ends up taking in Keiran and marrying her; the film's "hero"
-Toshiko, a model of the “modern 1940 woman”
-The hotel "mom"

Historical Relationships:

Naomi Ginoza argues in Dissonance to Affinity: An Ideological Analysis of Japanese Cinema in the 1930s that Mr. Hase’s compassionate and friendly personality is an allusion to “wakyo gaiko” (diplomacy of peace and cooperation) initiated under Foreign Minister Hirota Koki. I am not so sure that I agree with this argument. I do think that Mr. Hase is benevolent from the fact that he takes Keiran in off the streets, but his physical violence towards her and his mentality that he owns her would not signal to me that he is supposed to represent Japan’s “friendly” diplomacy towards China in the mid-1930s. I saw his character as more complex and problematic than Ginoza describes and if anything I would argue that he represents more of the “bully” side of Japan than the “friend” side during this time period.

Ginoza also argues that Shina no yoru makes an effort to achieve political mediation via femininity. Again, I am not so sure that I agree with this argument. Yes, it is true that Keiran, a woman, transforms from an anti-Japanese orphan to a supportive Japanese wife, but is this really political mediation? And yes Toshiko is supportive of Keiran and Mr. Hase’s relationship, but again is this really political mediation? I would have liked to have seen more grappling with what the raw issues between China and Japan were rather than just seeing generic anger from a Chinese individual go away due to a relationship with a Japanese “hero.” 

Themes:
Fluidity of cultural identity/masquerade: Yamaguchi Yoshiko/Ri Koran, a Japanese actress/singer, plays Keiran, a Chinese orphan. I liked that this actress/singer represents how culture is fluid and not a static category, but I did not like how she “passed” as a “dirty” Chinese woman and then turned into a well-put together Japanese woman. Her character almost seemed to present the fantasy of a China that desired Japan.

Repetition of speech: Keiran consistently repeats herself in short phrases. I believe that this repetition of speech aids in the pressure that builds throughout the film.

Death: Near the end of the film, a soldier announces to Keiran that Mr. Hase has died in battle. Even though she does not believe that he is dead, it almost seems as though she is ready to commit suicide in the last scene when she enters the water neck deep. However, Mr. Hase ends up living after-all and “saves” Keiran. The film ends with them reunited and the viewer assumes that they live happily ever after. This ending is quite different from some of the works we have read/watched recently. Even though the film does end happily, I do not think that it takes away from the melodramatic essence of the story.  There are also a few other scenes that grapple with the theme of death to include the shoot-out scene where we think Mr. Hase may have been shot and the cemetery scene where Keiran is visiting her deceased brother. 

 Community gossip: There are several scenes where people in the hotel are gossiping about Mr. Hase and Keiran. This reminded me of Far From Heaven where the women in the community would gossip about Raymond and Mrs. Whitaker. I believe that this type of community gossiping intensifies the characters that they are gossiping about actions.

Transformation: Keiran transforms from a Chinese orphan to a loyal Japanese wife. This transformation is not just on an internal or legal level; it also happens physically since she takes a bath and receives beautiful clothing and jewelry.

Patriotism: When Mr. Hase is called off to war, there seems to be much more of a sense of pride and obligation than a sense of worry or resentment on both Mr. Hase and Keiran’s part. It’s clear that Keiran is sad about the situation but she seems to understand how important it is for Mr. Hase to leave.

Physical aggression:  When watching Golden Demon, we discussed how the threat of physical aggression was certainly there but never really advanced to more than pushing around. However, in Shina no yoru there is clear scenes of physical aggression especially the scene where Mr. Hase slaps Keiran across her face. I think that this physical aggression adds to the shock value and subsequently melodramatic aspect of the film.

 Timing: Timing is an important element of melodrama. There are several places in the story where timing seems to create the question of “wait, how did/ why did that happen?” For example, Mr. Hase is called to war right after he gets married to Keiran.  Additionally, after the segment of battle where the ship is burning down, it quickly switches to the hotel. Furthermore, after the shoot out scene it switches to Mr. Hase and Keiran walking in the park exchanging "corny" comments such as "I didn't think there could be such happiness in the world." These quick plot shifts and scene changes certainly initiates that thought in the viewer that this story is “so melodramatic.”

Questionability of truth: At the beginning of the story, it is unclear whether Keiran is honest when she says she does not speak Japanese. This questionability of truth adds to the tension between characters and subsequently the pressure within the story.

Songs:

“Shina no yoru," sung by Watanabe Hamako, became one of the most famous Tairiku melodies. This song also became popular among American soldiers based in Japan and Korea after WWII. However, they couldn’t pronounce the song title so it came to be known as “She Ain’t Got No Yoyo.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you like the ending?

2. Did you view the film as propaganda?

3. How do you feel about the “wait, how did/why did that happen?” moments?

4. Does the film achieve reconciliation?

5. How did you feel about the physical aggression?

6. How did you feel about the language?

7. Opinions on Keiran as strong or desperate?

8. Opinions on cultural “counterfeiting”?

9. Were there any elements of feminism in the film?

10. How did you feel about the songs?