Film

The Black Ships

1970 · 8m · History

IMDb

6.6

Created with imagery taken from the 19th-Century Japanese woodcuts on display in the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibition “The Japanese Expedition 1852-1866 of Commodore Matthew Perry,” the film records the opening of the country to Western trade from a Japanese perspective. In Charles’ words, the film “shows something of the special and rare situations that existed when these two cultures came together…one very sophisticated, one with a highly developed technology.” The soundtrack juxtaposes the visuals, with music from the album “Banjo Kings,” an early-American fife-and-drum recording from the Smithsonian Institution archives, and traditional Japanese music from tapes provided by the Japanese embassy.

• Charles EamesDirector
• Ray EamesDirector

Release date

January 1, 1970

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

8m

Genres

History