Benshi as Stars: The Irony of the Popularity and Respectability of Voice Performers in Japanese Cinema

This essay examines the complex history of the benshi's stardom in terms of their performance, position in the film industry, and social status. While their institutionalization helped some benshi gain respectability and popularity, it also served to endorse their "vulgarity," localize their stardom, and ultimately make them replaceable by talkies.