silent film narrator; benshi
Historical term for a performer who provided live narration and character voices during silent film screenings in Japan. The practice was especially prominent from the 1910s to the 1930s.
The audience was drawn into the world of the film by the benshi's eloquent narration.
Until the early Showa period, movie theaters had benshi.
An old term for motion pictures, often associated with the era when 活弁 were active.
Standard modern spelling.
Old kanji form using 辯; rarely seen today.
An abbreviation of 活動弁士, a narrator who explained and voiced silent films; 活 comes from 活動 and 弁 from 弁士.