Films are cultural artifacts. Like pot shards,
tools, books, and a million other things they can help us understand how
a group of people live -- what matters to them, how they express their
feelings, how their society is organized, and so forth.
But as with other cultural artifacts, fully understanding a film requires some prior knowledge of the culture that produced it, as well as some general skill in what has come to be called "visual literacy"-- the ability to make conscious the processes by which images are created and understood.
Among our goals in studying Japanese film are these:
1) To help you understand how film in general "works"-- how movies are made and how we understand and respond to them.2) To help you understand how Japanese film in particular "works"-- its similarities to and differences from Western film, especially in relation to the so-called "Hollywood style".
3) To increase your fluency in Japanese.
4) To increase your understanding of Japanese culture and history.
The Island, by Shindo Kaneto (1961)
Ballad of Narayama, by Imamura Shohei (1983)
Tale of Genji, [animation] (?)
Kwaidan, by Masaki Kobayashi (1964)
Ugetsu, by Kenji Mizoguchi (1953)
Double Suicide, by Shinoda Masahiro (1969)
47 Ronin [Genroku Chushingura], by Kenji Mizoguchi (1941-42)
Nomugi Pass, by Satsuo Yamamoto (1979)
Kagemusha, by Akira Kurosawa (1980)
Tanpopo, by Juzo Itami (1986)
We have chosen these particular films for a combination
of reasons: some because they pair well with specific seminar readings
or fit a program theme, some because they or their directors are critical
to understanding Japanese film style(s), and some because they offer an
opportunity for direct comparisons with western film style(s).
Every Friday from 12:30pm to 4:3opm we will show one
of these films, usually accompanied by a film workshop and a short discussion
following the film. Some weeks we will finish before 4:30, but often
we will need the full four hours. All films will be shown in Lecture
Hall 4.
After seeing each film you are asked to write
down your reactions and reflections. Usually you will be given a
list of specific questions about the film to stimulate your thinking, but
your writing should be both personal and reflective. There are no
trick questions, no right or wrong answers. Our questions are just
to get you started.
You may write as much as you like, but you must write at least one full typed page. We strongly suggest that you do this writing immediately after seeing each film, while it is fresh in your memory.
We do not care about grammar or style in your reflective writing. You are not expected to make an argument or impress us. These are not formal papers and they will not be graded as if they were. The purpose of asking you to write down your reflections on each film is to break the habit of watching movies without seeing, to help you become more analytical about what you see, and to help bridge the memory gap between Friday's screening and Wednesday's seminar.
One technique you may find helpful is to write your reflections in the stream-of-consciousness: Think about something that struck you in the film and just start writing. Imagine telling a story to a friend about this film you just watched. Then work on the questions. You may also find it helpful to jot down some notes as you watch each film to jog your memory when you sit down to write.
Your reflective writing for each film will be collected
after seminar on the Wednesday following that film's showing on the previous
Friday. The faculty will then read and comment on your writing, returning
it to you by the following Wednesday.
You are in luck: There will be no formal
film paper assigned during fall quarter (although there will be one during
winter quarter). Your reflective writing is enough.
The primary text on Japanese film which we had
hoped to use in this part of the program (Cinematic Landscapes edited
by Ehrlich and Desser) is out of print. So is our second choice (Currents
in Japanese Cinema by Tadao Sato). Shikata ga nai.
Instead, we will use How to Read a Film by James Monaco (3rd edition) for general film studies, plus handouts of selected sections of Cinematic Landscapes and other readings dealing with Japanese film in particular.
Specific reading assignments for each week are
listed in the program syllabus.
Studying films necessarily requires watching them.
At times you may see images which are offensive, perhaps deeply offensive.
This is especially likely when a person from one culture sees a film made
by a director from another culture and intended primarily for an audience
of compatriots. If you peek in other people's windows, you cannot
be too self-righteous about what you see there…
Your faculty do not intend to hurt you. We hope
that when you see an image that makes you uncomfortable you will write
about this experience in your reflective writing. Why did
that image make you feel the way it did? What cultural differences
might be operating? What can you learn about both Japanese culture
and your own culture from this experience? We are also always
willing to talk with you about how you react to the films we have chosen.