(ぎんまく)

ぎんまく
noun
silver screen; the movies
1. silver screen; the movies; the cinema world
A literary word for the movie screen, and by extension the world of cinema. Often used when speaking of film as a glamorous art form.
彼女(かのじょ)銀幕(ぎんまく)のスターだった。
She was a star of the silver screen.
その俳優(はいゆう)(ひさ)しぶりに銀幕(ぎんまく)(もど)ってきた。
That actor returned to the silver screen after a long absence.
昭和(しょうわ)銀幕(ぎんまく)(いろど)った名優(めいゆう)たちの展示(てんじ)()た。
I saw an exhibition of the great actors who graced the silver screen of the Showa era.

Literally "silver curtain." Early movie screens had a silvery, reflective surface, which gave rise to the name.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 銀幕(ぎんまく)のスター: a star of the silver screen
  • 銀幕(ぎんまく)デビュー: a film debut
  • 銀幕(ぎんまく)(かざ)る: to grace the screen

USAGE:
銀幕(ぎんまく) is a somewhat literary, nostalgic word, used most often for classic cinema. For everyday talk about movies, 映画(えいが) is the normal word.