Photo/Illutration A screen capture of a site where "fast movies" were posted. The account is now closed. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

"Yoake Mae" (Before the Dawn) by Toson Shimazaki (1872-1943) is a novel I intend to read to the end someday.

An epic novel in two parts, it is set against a historical backdrop spanning the years from before, during and after the Meiji Restoration.

After starting it and abandoning it so many times, I decided to skip Part I and start from Part II. But my progress so far has been as slow as molasses.

Admitting I may never live to finish it at this pace, I thought of trying an abridged edition.

But that won't really qualify as reading this masterpiece saga, will it? Or is that still better than giving up altogether?

A condensed version spells a convenient shortcut.   

I was surprised to learn recently of the availability of just such an alternative to two-hour-long films. It is called "fasuto eiga" (fast movie) in Japanese.

Online videos of feature-length movies, edited down to about 10 minutes in running time with subtitles summarizing the plot, began to catch on last spring, according to The Asahi Shimbun's digital edition. 

Unlike trailers, these videos come with a spoiler, which suggests that they are just after ad revenue, not for promoting the films themselves.

There have been cases of people who have posted such videos being arrested for copyright infringement.

The U.S. magazine Reader's Digest, launched in the 1920s, was a typical example of abridgement turned into a business.

Selecting and summarizing articles from a broad variety of magazines, the publication became an instant success.

A U.S. newspaper reported that people back then were becoming overwhelmed by a surfeit of information, and the magazine's founder saw the need to make choices for them.

It appears that many online news providers nowadays have taken to prefacing their stories with a precis. I can see how well this works for news and opinion pieces.

But for cinematic art and entertainment? Not really.

Perhaps "fast movies" are in demand today because more people are thinking of films as just a source of information.

I think I will pass up a digest version of "Before the Dawn."

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 28      

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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