Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

Where does the Benshi name come from?
When the cinema appeared in Japan the special office of storyteller and interpreter, because of the cultural differences, was created with it. He was responsible for explaining to viewers the content flowing from the foreign movies. This responsible office was called “Benshi”.

Project co-financed by the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute