Course Description:
An introductory scrutiny of major Japanese directors and genres with attention to film composition, choices of subject and character, ideas of the cinematic, and the relationship of cinema to Japanese culture and society. Students will analyze and critique films. Discussion of films will deal with the production of their historical, social, and cultural context, as well as issues dealing with popular culture and equity. Taught in English.
Units: 4
|
Reflective Narrative:
The film list for this class perfectly represented all aspect of Japanese culture which is why I think it fulfills MLO2. In the beginning of the semester, we watched mid 20th century Japanese films which influenced many of today’s popular directors such Akira Kurosawa’s influence of directors such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. These more traditional films also depicted older filming techniques which influenced many directors from all over the world. These earlier movies also focused more heavily on the traditional aspects of Japanese culture. For example, in the film Red Beard (film reflection here) the daily lives of people during this time were depicted and were shown to be full of worry and difficult. As American students, having watched the more traditional films first made me more interested in the Japanese culture because it was so completely different from my own culture. In the last half of the semester, we watched more modern Japanese film which allowed me to relate more to Japanese culture as there were many similarities. The more contemporary films showed everyday life in Japan, and it also showed the small differences in culture. For example, Departures (film reflection here) was about a man’s struggle to find success which many people can relate to but his occupation was something that was unique to just Japanese culture. The mix of universal and culture specific themes in these modern films made the films much more enjoyable to watch. For my final project (ppt below) and paper (doc), I chose to discuss how the westernization of Japan was reflected in the popular films Hidden Blade (2006), Tokyo Story (1953), and Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005).
The film list for this class perfectly represented all aspect of Japanese culture which is why I think it fulfills MLO2. In the beginning of the semester, we watched mid 20th century Japanese films which influenced many of today’s popular directors such Akira Kurosawa’s influence of directors such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. These more traditional films also depicted older filming techniques which influenced many directors from all over the world. These earlier movies also focused more heavily on the traditional aspects of Japanese culture. For example, in the film Red Beard (film reflection here) the daily lives of people during this time were depicted and were shown to be full of worry and difficult. As American students, having watched the more traditional films first made me more interested in the Japanese culture because it was so completely different from my own culture. In the last half of the semester, we watched more modern Japanese film which allowed me to relate more to Japanese culture as there were many similarities. The more contemporary films showed everyday life in Japan, and it also showed the small differences in culture. For example, Departures (film reflection here) was about a man’s struggle to find success which many people can relate to but his occupation was something that was unique to just Japanese culture. The mix of universal and culture specific themes in these modern films made the films much more enjoyable to watch. For my final project (ppt below) and paper (doc), I chose to discuss how the westernization of Japan was reflected in the popular films Hidden Blade (2006), Tokyo Story (1953), and Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005).