Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan
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 timeless protagonists and haunting vistas of old Japan, but we haven't yet fully grasped everything they can teach us about modern Japan. Kurosawa's films evolved as Japan redefined and reinvented itself, from movies made for the wartime regime to those made amid the trials of American occupation. From the lavish epics of the economic miracle years to searching masterpieces made with international assistance in a globalizing world, Kurosawa's movies responded to changing times.

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. 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, both directly and through period-piece mythmaking.

1140505125
Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan
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 timeless protagonists and haunting vistas of old Japan, but we haven't yet fully grasped everything they can teach us about modern Japan. Kurosawa's films evolved as Japan redefined and reinvented itself, from movies made for the wartime regime to those made amid the trials of American occupation. From the lavish epics of the economic miracle years to searching masterpieces made with international assistance in a globalizing world, Kurosawa's movies responded to changing times.

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. 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, both directly and through period-piece mythmaking.

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Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan

Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan

by David A. Conrad
Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan
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Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan

Akira Kurosawa and Modern Japan

by David A. Conrad

Overview

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 timeless protagonists and haunting vistas of old Japan, but we haven't yet fully grasped everything they can teach us about modern Japan. Kurosawa's films evolved as Japan redefined and reinvented itself, from movies made for the wartime regime to those made amid the trials of American occupation. From the lavish epics of the economic miracle years to searching masterpieces made with international assistance in a globalizing world, Kurosawa's movies responded to changing times.

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. 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, both directly and through period-piece mythmaking.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781476686745
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date: 05/06/2022
Pages: 260
Product dimensions: 7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.52(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

David A. Conrad grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, spent three transformative years in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture, and received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016. He lives in Round Rock, Texas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

On Names, Transliteration, Titles, and How to Read This Book ix

Introduction: Kurosawa and the Japanese Century 1

Part 1 The War Years

Chapter 1 Sanshiro Sugata 9

Chapter 2 The Most Beautiful 18

Chapter 3 Sanshiro Sugata Part II 26

Part 2 The Occupation Years

Chapter 4 The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail 35

Chapter 5 No Regrets for Our Youth 41

Chapter 6 One Wonderful Sunday 49

Chapter 7 Drunken Angel 56

Chapter 8 The Quiet Duel 62

Chapter 9 Stray Dog 68

Chapter 10 Scandal 74

Chapter 11 Rashomon 80

Chapter 12 The Idiot 87

Chapter 13 Ikiru 92

Part 3 The Miracle Years

Chapter 14 Seven Samurai 101

Chapter 15 Record of Living Things 109

Chapter 16 Spiderweb Castle 116

Chapter 17 The Lower Depths 123

Chapter 18 The Hidden Fortress 129

Chapter 19 The Bad Sleep Well 137

Chapter 20 Yojimbo 145

Chapter 21 Tsubaki Sanjuro 151

Chapter 22 Heaven and Hell 157

Chapter 23 Redbeard 165

Part 4 The Global Years

Chapter 24 Dodesukaden 175

Chapter 25 Dersu Uzala 182

Chapter 26 Kagemusha 189

Chapter 27 Ran 197

Chapter 28 Dreams 205

Chapter 29 Rhapsody in August 213

Chapter 30 Madadayo 219

Epilogue 227

Chapter Notes 231

Bibliography 239

Index 247

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History
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Japanese History
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History
Asian History
Japanese History
Japanese History - General & Miscellaneous

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