Moments of Truth Born from Waiting
Susumu Hani is a revolutionary figure in the history of Japanese documentary cinema. Making his directorial debut in 1952 at just 24, he developed one expressive technique after another that reached far beyond conventional educational and documentary films. At the heart of Hani's film philosophy is the act of waiting. His method of patiently waiting for subjects to behave naturally and capturing their true selves when they forgot the camera was there was groundbreaking at the time.
Children in the Classroom, released in 1955, is a remarkable realization of Hani's philosophy. By placing a camera in a corner of a second-grade classroom and waiting until the children stopped noticing it, he brought unprecedentedly lively images of children to the screen. Capturing truthful moments of school life, from natural expressions and behavior to occasional fights and tears, the film overturned conventional ideas of educational cinema and won the top prize at an educational film festival. Hani's approach, revealing universal human drama by observing the everyday space of a classroom with a director's keen eye, would greatly influence later filmmakers.
Combining Documentary and Fiction
Susumu Hani's innovation also appears in his attempts to blur the boundaries between documentary and fiction and bring the two together. Bad Boys, presented in 1960, is a representative example. Although a fiction film based on the memoir Wings That Cannot Fly, it used no professional actors and instead cast boys with actual experiences of delinquency. Made by improvisationally incorporating their own experiences, the film crossed the divide between conventional fiction and documentary, opening up new possibilities for cinematic expression.
This distinctive style of fiction filmmaking using documentary methods was highly acclaimed in Japan and abroad. Bad Boys placed first in the 1961 Kinema Junpo Best Ten, ahead of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. It also received international recognition, including a Gold Award at the Mannheim International Film Festival. Hani's methods were made possible by the distinctive perspective he developed in educational and documentary filmmaking as a founding member of Iwanami Productions. His approach of using documentary methods to capture truth and expressing it through the form of fiction opened a new door for Japanese cinema.
Deep Insight into People, Animals, and Nature
Deep affection and insight toward people, animals, and nature run consistently through Susumu Hani's films. His documentaries go beyond recording facts, looking at their subjects with empathy and understanding. Ueno Zoo, made in 1957, is a good example. Set in one of Japan's oldest zoos, the film examines relationships between animals and people by recording the lives of keepers and animals, strongly reflecting Hani's thinking about the relationship between nature and humanity.
Marine Life (1958) was an ambitious attempt to explain marine nature and the workings of life, exploring underwater phenomena and the development of organisms as Japan's first feature-length color underwater film. Shot on location on Hateruma Island in the Yaeyama Islands, at the southernmost end of the Ryukyu Islands, which were then overseas territory, the film conveys nature's mystery and wonder through images of beautiful islands and coral reefs. Hani later published many books on animals and nature and traveled to Africa to document wildlife, continuing his lifelong exploration of nature and life. This attitude of dialogue with nature also consistently underlies his films.
An Experimental Spirit Still Alive Today
Susumu Hani's work continues to be highly regarded and rediscovered because his experimental spirit and innovative approach remain deeply relevant to contemporary cinematic expression. The methods he pioneered, including crossing between documentary and fiction, patiently filming to capture natural behavior, and improvisational direction with nonprofessionals, have greatly influenced contemporary filmmakers.
Hirokazu Kore-eda also appeared in the documentary program The World of Film Director Susumu Hani: It All Began with Children in the Classroom, broadcast on NHK E-Tele in 2020, which discussed Hani's influence on contemporary filmmakers. Interest in Hani's work has continued to grow in recent years, with retrospectives at festivals and events in Japan and abroad. Large-scale retrospectives at the Viennale and New York's Lincoln Center demonstrate the international esteem in which his work is held.
Alongside directing films, Susumu Hani has written many books. He has published extensively on education, children's development, nature, animals, and philosophy. Works such as Two Plus Two Is Not Four: In Praise of Weed-Like Education (1975) and What I Most Wish For: Practicing an Epicurean Life (2007) are known for expressing his distinctive philosophy of life. Hani's ideas and aesthetics, expressed through films and books, continue to offer fresh perspectives and insights across genres and eras.
As contemporary visual expression becomes increasingly diverse and the boundary between documentary and fiction grows less distinct, the pioneering experiments Susumu Hani undertook in the 1950s and 1960s are being reassessed for their innovation and significance. The experimental spirit and deep insight into humanity in his work will continue to influence many filmmakers and viewers.
