Soul of Japan
The Soul of Japan was the seventh film produced by Ken Wolfgang and was released in 1971. This film is 80 minutes long and was shot on 16mm Kodachrome film. Wolfgang presented the film on the travel lecture circuit from 1971 until his retirement in 1982. In a press release for the film, it is stated that after its destruction in World War II, Japan had become one of the most imaginative and progressive nations. This was due to many factors, but primarily thanks to its soul which Wolfgang defines in the film as a sense amongst the Japanese people of being part of a larger whole and working towards a common goal. In the film, Wolfgang documents the patriarchs of two Japanese families and shows their strong sense of community and tradition garnered by their immediate family, their company family, and their national family. The film then explores the relationship of a young modern Japanese couple that struggles to balance traditional Japanese values with prevailing western customs adopted by their peers. The Soul of Japan was the second of four films Wolfgang produced documenting the Japanese culture and was regarded highly in critical circles and was purchased by the Walt Disney Company.