silent film narrator; benshi
Historical term for a performer who provided live narration and commentary for silent films in Japan. See also 活弁.
See also: 活弁
In old movie theaters, there was a benshi (silent film narrator).
female silent film narrator
Standard modern spelling.
Old kanji form; rarely used today.
From 弁 (speech, eloquence) + 士 (person of a certain qualification). The silent film narrator sense arose in early 20th-century Japan.