Mark Schilling (born 1949)[1] is an American film critic, journalist, translator, and author based in Tokyo, Japan. He has written for The Japan Times, Variety, and Screen International.
Mark Schilling | |
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Born | 1949 (age 74–75) Zanesville, Ohio, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Film critic, journalist |
Schilling began working for The Japan Times in 1989.[2]
He has been an occasional commentator for NHK's English broadcasts of sumo tournaments since they began in 1992.[3][4] He wrote Sumo: A Fan's Guide in 1994, and previously co-wrote Jesse: Sumo Superstar in 1985 about Takamiyama Daigorō.[5] He has also reported on the sport for Variety.[6]
Schilling's 1997 book, The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture, was described by D. James Romero of Los Angeles Times as "a history as well as a guidebook to one of the freshest influences in the American popular stream."[7]
He was a script advisor for the 2003 Hollywood film The Last Samurai.[2]
Schilling has also written books such as Contemporary Japanese Film,[8] The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films,[9] and No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema.[10]
He curated the "No Borders, No Limits: 1960s Nikkatsu Action Cinema" series for Japan Society in 2007.[11]
He also does great play-by-play sumo commentary for NHK, but that's another story.