Japn 340Ronald Loftusrloftus@willamette.eduVoice Mail: 6275 |
The Japanese Cinema |
Spring 2012Walton Hall 144 |
1. To develop a broadly interdisciplinary approach to an understanding of film and its role in society
2. To be conversant with the history of international cinema and be able to use that history to provide context for other works they encounter
3. To be exposed to the theoretical and disciplinary tools necessary for the analysis and assessment of film and filmic images
4. Develop critical responses to cinematic work based upon aesthetic or cultural values other than the entertainment model that dominates the mainstream Hollywood distribution system
Broader Course Objectives:



For the most part, these papers will be evaluated on the basis of
1) their Organization and Clarity (i.e., strong Introduction with a claim/thesis statement, effective arguments in the Body of the paper, and a Conclusion that reinforces the thesis or claim spelled out in the Introduction);
2) their effective use/analysis of materials from the readings and the films--e.g., dialogue, key scenes, filmic techniques employed, etc; and
3) their general Flow and Coherence--good, crisp, clear, efficient prose.
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David Desser, ed. Ozu's Tokyo Story |
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Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Kurosawa: Film Studies and Japanese Cinema |
Selected Articles, Handouts and Online Materials |
Good websites to know about:http://us.imdb.com/http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html (Kinema Club) |
Jan. 17 |
Introduction to Course and Materials |
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Jan. 19 |
Introduction to Japanese Film Studies, Discussion of Noel Burch ReadingsSee some useful Glossaries of Terms and Relevant Film VocabularyAn Article about Noel Burch's Book PDF; available on WISE as well (filmburch.pdf) |
Read Burch-1 PDF on WISEYoshimoto, Kurosawa, pp. 8-23 See capsule summaries Burch Pages 1 and 2 |
Jan. 24 |
Introduction to Ozu YasujiroSee his grave marker in Kamakura View exceprts from Wim Wender's Tokyoga |
Read Desser, Intro and Ch. 1 2(2-3 students present main ideas) |
Tuesday evening Jan. 24 |
Film Showing: Tokyo Story |
Very interesting site on Tokyo Story Ozu's Tokyo Story Everydayness in Ozu's filmsPost short commentary on WISE on Tokyo Story |
Jan. 26 |
Discussion of Tokyo Story |



Jan. 31 |
Finish Student Discussion of Desser as necessaryIntroduction to Kurosawa AkiraView Excerpts from Sanshiro Sugata? |
Yoshimoto, pp. 1-5;29-68 |
Jan. 31 Film Showing Film Showing No Regrets for our Youth(1946) |
No Regrets for our Youth(1946)
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See NYT Review of No Regrets |
Feb. 2 |
Discuss No Regrets |
Yoshimoto, Ch. 6, pp. 114-134Post Short Commentary for No Regrets on WISE, Forum |
Feb. 7 |
Continue Discussion of No Regrets, Introduce Drunken Angel |
Read Yoshimoto, Ch. 8, 138-139 |
Feb. 7 Film Showing |
Kurosawa's Drunken Angel
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Read the PDF file "Angel.pdf" under the Course Materials section of WISE |
Feb. 9 |
Discussion: Drunken Angel |
Post Short Commentary on WISE, Forum for Drunken Angel |
Feb. 14 |
From Kurosawa's Drunken Angel to Stray Dog (1949) |
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Feb. 14 Film Viewing |
Kurosawa's Stray Dog (1949)
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Yoshimoto Ch. 10, pp. 147-178 |
Feb. 16 |
Loftus to PDX to Participate in JET Interviews, No ClassDiscussion of Stray Dog will be postponed until Tuesday Feb. 21
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Short Commentary on WISE Forum on Stray Dog |
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| Feb. 21 | Discussion of Stray Dog Introduction to Kobayashi Masaki (http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Jo-Ku/Kobayashi-Masaki.html) |
Sign Ups for Yoshimoto Ch. 10, pp. 147-178 |
| Feb. 21 | Film Showing: Harakiri (1962) ![]() |
Some Reviews of Harakiri More Reviews of Harakiri |
| Feb. 23 | Finish Stray Dog Discussion also Talk About Harakiri | Short post on WISE for Harakiri Discuss/Assign 2nd paper on early Kurosawa films |
Feb. 24-24 3:00 pm Paulus Lecture Hall at the Law School, Symposium on "Lessons of Fukushima"
Keynote Address by Brett Walker, envrionemental historian, The Triple Disaster and Japan's Environmemtal Past. Events continue on Saturday. See Schedule.
Feb. 28 |
Final Cooments on Stray Dog/HarakiriIntroduceKurosawa's Rashomon (1950) |
Yoshimoto,, Ch. 12, 182-189 |
Feb. 28 Film showing |
Film showing of Rashomon |
Kurosawa's Rashomon
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March 1 |
Discussion of Rashomon |
Short post on WISE for RashomonRead Review by Stanley Solomon Review |
March 6 |
Introduction to Ikiru (To Live) (1952) |
Read Yoshimoto, Ch. 14, pp. 194-204 |
March 6 Film Showing |
Film showing: Ikiru (143 minutes) |
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March 8 |
Discussion: Ikiru |
3-4 page paper on early Kurosawa films due (No Regrets, Drunken Angel,, Rashomon, and/or Kobayashi's Harakiri) |
March 13 |
Finish Ikiru discussionIntroduction to Japanese Anime |
Nausicaa page on Miyazaki Web |
March 13 Film Showing |
Film showing: Naucicaa, Valley of the Wind |
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March 15 |
Loftus traveling to Association for Asian Studies Conference in Toronto, CA
No Class
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March 20 |
Discussion: Nausicaa Watch Some Excerpts from Grave of the Fireflies? Introduce Princess Mononoke |
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March 20 |
Film showing: Princess Mononoke |
My Gateway Mononoke Page |
March 22 |
Discussion: Princess Mononoke | Download pdf version of Susan Napier article from the "Course Materials" section on WISE napier.pdf,orRead an Online version: "ConfrontingMaster Narratives" by Susan NapierClick here for synopsis of article.Prompt for Paper #3 |

April 3 |
THE SEVEN SAMURAI : INTRODUCTION |
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April 3Film Showing (note--the Seven Samurai is roughly 3.5 hours!) |
View Seven Samurai (1954) |
View Seven Samurai. See the characters.See also some plot synopsis. |
April 5 |
Discuss The Seven Samurai; Review |
More Reviews of Seven Samurai |
April 10 |
Finish Discussion of Seven SamuraiKurosawa: The Final Period: Kagemusha (1980) |
Yoshimoto, Ch. 27, pp. 348-3543-4 page paper on the two anime films and the Napier article |
April 10 |
Film Showing: Kagemusha
See reviews of Kagemusha |
Battle of Nagashino: Image |
April 12 |
Discussion, Kagemusha |
Short post on WISE on Kagemusha |
| April 17 |
Introduce Rhapsody in August |
Short "Response" Paper (2-3 pp) on The Seven Samurai |
| April 17 Film Showing |
Film showing: Rhapsody in August(1991) |
Yoshimoto, Ch. 8, 364-371Yoshimoto, Ch. 28, 355-58 |
| April 19 | Discussion of Rhapsody in August, and the Overall Kurosawa Legacy for Japanese Film Ran Discussion |
Short post on WISE for Rhapsody |
April 24 |
Finish Kurosawa Discussion; |
Yoshimoto, Epilogue, 375-378 |
April 24 Film Showing |
After Life(1998)--a film by Koreeda Hirokazu |
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April 26 |
DiscussionAfter life |
Short Commentary on Ran |
May 1 |
Final Bonus Film Showing,Departuresby Yojiro Takita(2008)See Review here.Some of my thoughts onDepartures.
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Another Review of Okuribito |
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Director Frank Capra wrote that only the morally courageous are worthy of speaking to their fellow human beings for two hours in the dark. Kurosawa possessed this courage. His cinema is deeply formalistic, yet those forms are simply his means to an end that he regarded as paramount. That end is the recognition of common humanity and of common suffering. Few filmmakers had the drive, the overpowering sense of responsibility,and the gifts necessary to take viewers on this journey. Kurosawa did and, in doing so, he showed what cinema might yet accomplish.
Stephen Prince, The Warrior's Camera, p. 358.