A Japanese narrator who provided live commentary during silent film screenings, explaining plot and adding sound effects and voices.
From Japanese benshi, combining ben (debate or explanation) and shi (person/master). The term emerged in early 20th century Japanese cinema and is now primarily of historical interest.
Benshi were the voice actors of silent film—they invented a whole performance art that completely disappeared when sound movies arrived, making them invisible to film history despite inventing a unique art form.
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