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.
Reflective Narrative:
In this course we watched a wide variety of Japanese films. Starting with Tampopo, a film about food, this course brought me through the many facets of Japanese culture, helping to fulfill MLO 2. After watching Tampopo, the next film we watched was Gojira. Much different from the American version, Godzilla, Gojira was actually a fairly serious movie, not only discussing nuclear weapons, but also reliving the firebombing of Tokyo, an event that happened less than 10 years prior to this film.
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.
Reflective Narrative:
In this course we watched a wide variety of Japanese films. Starting with Tampopo, a film about food, this course brought me through the many facets of Japanese culture, helping to fulfill MLO 2. After watching Tampopo, the next film we watched was Gojira. Much different from the American version, Godzilla, Gojira was actually a fairly serious movie, not only discussing nuclear weapons, but also reliving the firebombing of Tokyo, an event that happened less than 10 years prior to this film.