Japanese Film: Themes and Methods

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course focuses on major films representing milestones in Japanese film history, from the 1930s to the turn of the twenty-first century. We will examine masterpieces by great directors, including, Kurosawa Akira, Ozu Yasujirô, Mizoguchi Kenji, and Miyazaki Hayao, among others. We will explore genres from samurai and historical dramas to comedy, science fiction, and animated fantasy. In addition, we will consider the capacity of movies to provide and provoke cultural, social, and political commentary. On the way, we will take stock of significant contributions to film technique and film theory.