A Story of Tobacco

Plot

In this partially lost 1926 Japanese animated short, a tiny man appears on a desk before a girl with traditional Japanese hairstyle and makes the provocative claim that 'women descended from tobacco.' The girl dismisses him with laughter and traps him under a glass. Enraged, the man smokes a cigarette in a pipe and blows smoke at the girl, who retaliates by taking his cigarette and hiding it under her book. The conflict escalates when the man threatens her with a gun, but the weapon fails to fire when he attempts to shoot. The film's surviving portion ends with the man beginning to tell the girl about the origins of tobacco, though this concluding narrative is now lost to history.

Historical Background

1926 was a pivotal year in Japanese cinema, occurring during the Taishō democracy period when cultural experimentation flourished. The film industry was transitioning from silent to sound technology, though this animated short would have been silent with likely live musical accompaniment. Japanese animation at this time was heavily influenced by Western techniques but was developing its own aesthetic sensibilities. The 1920s saw increased urbanization and Westernization in Japan, with tobacco products becoming symbols of modern life. This film reflects the cultural tensions between traditional Japanese values and modern influences. The animation industry was still in its infancy, with most works being short educational films or advertisements, making narrative pieces like this relatively rare. The film also emerged during a period when censorship was becoming more systematic in Japan, hence its documentation in official censor records.

Making Of

Noburô Ôfuji created this film during his early career, before establishing himself as a master of paper cut-out animation. The production would have involved hand-cutting paper figures and backgrounds, then photographing them frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. This labor-intensive process was typical of Japanese animation in the 1920s, which operated with minimal budgets and small crews. The film's surreal premise and character interactions showcase Ôfuji's early interest in fantastical storytelling and visual humor. The missing second half reportedly contained the actual story of tobacco's origins, which would have been told through animation rather than remaining as a simple narrative device. The film's creation coincided with a period when Japanese animators were developing their own distinct visual language, separate from Western animation influences.

Visual Style

The film utilized cut-out animation techniques, with characters and backgrounds created from paper cut-outs moved frame by frame. The visual style reflects the limitations and characteristics of early 1920s Japanese animation, which often employed two-dimensional figures with limited articulation. The animation likely featured simple camera movements and basic special effects achieved through in-camera techniques. The character designs show the influence of both traditional Japanese illustration and Western animation styles of the period. The surviving portion demonstrates careful attention to the timing and rhythm of character movements, suggesting Ôfuji's emerging mastery of animation principles. The black and white cinematography would have emphasized contrast and silhouette effects, common in early cut-out animation.

Innovations

The film demonstrates early mastery of cut-out animation techniques, which required precise frame-by-frame manipulation of paper elements. Ôfuji's approach to character movement and interaction shows sophistication beyond basic animation, incorporating subtle gestures and expressions. The film's use of scale differences between the tiny man and the girl creates visual interest and narrative possibilities. The technical execution of effects like smoke from the cigarette and the glass trapping the man shows ingenuity within the limitations of the medium. The surviving portion indicates careful planning of composition and staging, maximizing visual storytelling within the technical constraints of 1920s animation equipment. While not revolutionary in technical terms, the film represents solid craftsmanship for its period and context.

Music

As a silent film from 1926, 'A Story of Tobacco' would have been accompanied by live musical performance during its original theatrical screenings. The specific musical arrangements or selections used are not documented in available sources. Typical accompaniment for Japanese animated shorts of this period might have included traditional Japanese instruments mixed with Western musical elements, reflecting the cultural fusion of the era. The music would have been synchronized to the on-screen action, with different motifs for the two main characters and their interactions. The tempo and style of the accompaniment would have varied to match the film's changing moods, from comedic to confrontational. Modern screenings of the surviving fragment often feature newly composed scores or period-appropriate musical selections.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening scene where the tiny man emerges on the desk and makes his provocative claim about women's origins, establishing the film's surreal premise and setting up the conflict between the characters.

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception of this specific film is not well-documented, as was common for short animated works of the period. Most reviews and critical attention in 1920s Japan focused on feature-length live-action films rather than animated shorts. However, modern film historians and animation scholars recognize the film as an important example of early Japanese animation. The surviving fragment has been studied for its technical execution and narrative approach, providing insight into the development of animation techniques in Japan. Animation historians particularly value the film for its documentation of Ôfuji's early style and the broader state of Japanese animation in the 1920s. The film's surreal premise and character interactions are noted as precursors to themes that would later become common in Japanese animation.

What Audiences Thought

Original audience reception in 1926 is not recorded in available sources, as was typical for short animated films of this era. These works were often shown as part of larger programs alongside feature films, and audience reactions were not systematically documented. The film's humor and surreal imagery would likely have appealed to urban audiences familiar with modern entertainment forms. The tobacco theme would have resonated with contemporary viewers, as smoking was increasingly fashionable in 1920s Japan. Modern audiences viewing the surviving fragment at film archives or special screenings often express fascination with the film's historical significance and early animation techniques. The incomplete nature of the surviving print adds to its mystique and scholarly interest.

You Might Also Like