Music and sound in the Japanese 'ghost' film: cultural representation and transformation

Bayley, Hannah Sarah Mary

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of music and sound in Japanese ‘ghost’ films. Scholarship on contemporary Japanese horror cinema often examines culture-bound descriptions of spirits. Such discussion typically revolves around tensions between, on the one hand, traditional Japanese practices and values and, on the other hand, modernity and advancing technological developments. This conflict is often connected in these films to visual representations of ‘ghosts’. A smaller number of studies, however, have begun to address audio representations in Japanese ‘ghost’ films through analysis of sound and music. These contributions suggest the value of a broader survey and in-depth analysis of the cultural connotations of sound and music in Japanese cinematic representations of ‘ghosts’. This thesis provides that survey and analysis.
Earlier discussions of music and sound in Japanese ‘ghost’ films have considered the influence of theatrical traditions and music, traditional Japanese music, and multifaceted Japanese concepts such as ma and sawari. This thesis builds on these studies to demonstrate the pertinence of a wider range of Japanese musical traditions and socio historical contexts. It examines the influence of Japanese art and aesthetics, while also noting the adaptation and hybridization of external influences. Close film music analysis and critical applications of screen music theory help further conceptualize the roles of sound and music in Japanese ‘ghost’ films through the ages. Two examples – Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water, Nakata, Hideo, 2002) and Ju-on: The Grudge (Shimizu, Takashi, 2002) – demonstrate sound design relating to Japanese aesthetics; other important case studies include Chakushin ari (One Missed Call, Miike, Takashi, 2003) and Kairo (Pulse, Kurosawa, Kiyoshi, 2001). Finally, the roles of sound and music in Japanese horror remakes are examined to develop critical perspectives on the contrasting roles played by audio representations of ‘Japanese’ ghosts in transnational contexts.

Citation

Bayley, H. S. M. Music and sound in the Japanese 'ghost' film: cultural representation and transformation. (Thesis). Keele University. https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/530058

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 27, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 27, 2023
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/530058
• Award Date: 2023-07