If you’ve stuck around Jalopnik long enough, you probably recognize the band Godspeed You! Black Emperor from various Morning Shifts or Traffic Jams. You may not, though, be familiar with where the band got its name: A 1976 black-and-white documentary about the Black Emperors, a genuine Japanese bosozoku gang, called “God Speed You! Black Emperor.” As it turns out, no matter how hard the band goes, the documentary might be even better.
To call “God Speed You! Black Emperor” a documentary is almost a disservice. It’s a nature film, like David Attenborough without all that pesky narration. Just a camera embedded with the gang, held by an unspeaking camera operator, showing what the club gets up to — and who its members are. The documentary follows a few members of the gang, demonstrating a few of their struggles: Dealing with family, making money, and getting into trouble with the club’s leaders.
Not the band, but also good
The version of “God Speed You! Black Emperor” available on the Internet Archive is far from perfect, but it’s enough to get a sense of what’s going on. The baked-in subtitles don’t seem to follow anyone’s speech all too closely, and have no indications for who’s speaking in a group, so piecing together conversations (especially later in the film) can be a real struggle. Still, though, the emotions on the Black Emperors’ faces are clear as day. Also plenty of swastikas, but it’s worth remembering that the left-turned “manji” version of the symbol has a very different meaning over in Japan than the right-turned version used by the Nazis.
The Black Emperors were largely kids, younger than you or I, without much in the way of formal employment. It’s fascinating to see such a view of their lives, a camera placed in their midst without editorialization or description — just a chance to watch these kids and the bikes they love. “God Speed You! Black Emperor” just lets you sit in their rooms, listen in on their conversations, and feel like you’re right there hanging out with the whole group. It’s an anthropological study of the bosozoku.
