Akira Kurosawa and modern Japan

Bibliographic Information

Akira Kurosawa and modern Japan

David A. Conrad

McFarland, c2022

  • pbk.

Available at  / 4 libraries

Search this Book/Journal

Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-245) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The samurai films of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa are set in the past, but they tell us much about the present, as do his crime stories, romances, military films, medical dramas and art films. His movies are beloved for their ageless protagonists and haunting vistas of old Japan, but we haven't yet fully grasped everything they can teach us about modern Japan. This detailed study of all 30 of Kurosawa's films analyzes the links between the thrilling narratives onscreen and the equally remarkable events that occurred in Japan over his long, productive career. Kurosawa's films evolved as Japan redefined and reinvented itself, from films made for Japan's wartime regime to those made amid the trials of American occupation. Could we change that sentence to the following?: Kurosawa's films also include lavish epics from the "economic miracle" years and searching masterpieces he made with international assistance. This book explores how Kurosawa's classics depict the political, economic, cultural, sexual and environmental upheavals of a nation at the center of a turbulent century, whether directly or through period-piece mythmaking.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments On Names, Transliteration, Titles, and How to Read This Book Introduction: Kurosawa and the Japanese Century Part One. The War Years Chapter 1. Sanshiro Sugata Chapter 2. The Most Beautiful Chapter 3. Sanshiro Sugata Part II Part Two. The Occupation Years Chapter 4. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail Chapter 5. No Regrets for Our Youth Chapter 6. One Wonderful Sunday Chapter 7. Drunken Angel Chapter 8. The Quiet Duel Chapter 9. Stray Dog Chapter 10. Scandal Chapter 11. Rashomon Chapter 12. The Idiot Chapter 13. Ikiru Part Three. The Miracle Years Chapter 14. Seven Samurai Chapter 15. Record of Living Things Chapter 16. Spiderweb Castle Chapter 17. The Lower Depths Chapter 18. The Hidden Fortress Chapter 19. The Bad Sleep Well Chapter 20. Yojimbo Chapter 21. Tsubaki Sanjuro Chapter 22. Heaven and Hell Chapter 23. Redbeard Part Four. The Global Years Chapter 24. Dodesukaden Chapter 25. Dersu Uzala Chapter 26. Kagemusha Chapter 27. Ran Chapter 28. Dreams Chapter 29. Rhapsody in August Chapter 30. Madadayo Epilogue Chapter Notes Bibliography Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

Page Top