The Cinema of Ozu Yasujiro: Histories of the Everyday (Edinburgh Studies in East Asian Film)

Bringing three key issues - Ozu, everyday life and the modern Japanese history - into a unified discussion, __The Cinema of Ozu Yasujiro__ re-examines the renowned film director Ozu Yasujiro and his films from a socio-historical point of view to present a more contextualised contour of his cinema. The new approach will revise the previous tendency in Ozu studies that have emphasised Ozu's formal style, and articulate his consistent effort to explore the everyday life of ordinary Japanese people. The main subjects of this book include major issues of the history of Japan and Japanese cinema from prewar modernism and coming of sound cinema through struggles at war and during the US occupation, and the reconstruction and change of the postwar. It also emphasizes Ozu’s status and role as a studio director in Japanese film industry, with discussions of his generic contributions, such as __shōshimin__ films, family melodrama, and bourgeois drama, which could be established under the constant conflict and negotiation with the studio Shochiku’s everyday realism. Upon this socio-historical context, the book attempts detailed reanalysis of Ozu's films throughout his career, centering on the multilateral aspect of the everyday in terms of space and time, produced through constant negotiation among different genders, classes and generations. A re-interpretation of the master of Japanese cinema from a socio-historical perspective One of the most well regarded of non-Western film directors, responsible for acknowledged classics likeTokyo Story (1953), Ozu Yasujiro worked during a period of immense turbulence for Japan and its population. This book offers a new interpretation of Ozuâ€TMs career, from his earliest work in the 1920s up to his death in 1963, focusing on Ozuâ€TMs depiction of the everyday life and experiences of ordinary Japanese people during a time of depression, war and economic resurgence. Firmly situating him within the context of the Japanese film industry, Woojeong Joo examines Ozuâ€TMs work as a studio director and his relation to sound cinema, and looks in-depth at his wartime experiences and his adaptation to post-war Japanese society. Drawing on Japanese materials not previously examined in western scholarship, this is a ground-breaking new study of a master of cinema.Case studies include:

• Ozuâ€TMs shÅshimin films
• Ozuâ€TMs wartime films, including the script ofThe Flavour of Green Tea over Rice
• Postwar script of The Moon Has Risen
• Tokyo Story One of the most well regarded of non-Western film directors, responsible for acknowledged classics like Tokyo Story (1953), Ozu Yasujiro worked during a period of immense turbulence for Japan and its population. This book offers a new interpretation of Ozu's career, from his earliest work in the 1920s up to his death in 1963, focusing on Ozu's depiction of the everyday life and experiences of ordinary Japanese people during a time of depression, war and economic resurgence. Firmly situating him within the context of the Japanese film industry, Woojeong Joo examines Ozu's work as a studio director and his relation to sound cinema, and looks in-depth at his wartime experiences and his adaptation to postwar Japanese society. Drawing on Japanese materials not previously examined in western scholarship, this is a groundbreaking new study of a master of cinema A re-interpretation of the master of Japanese cinema from a socio-historical perspective. One of the most well regarded of non-Western film directors, responsible for acknowledged classics like Tokyo Story (1953), Ozu Yasujiro worked during a period of immense turbulence for Japan and its population. This book offers a new interpretation of Ozu's career, from his earliest work in the 1920s up to his death in 1963, focusing on Ozu's depiction of the everyday life and experiences of ordinary Japanese people during a time of depression, war and economic resurgence. Firmly situating him within the context of the Japanese film industry, Woojeong Joo examines Ozu's work as a studio director and his relation to sound cinema, and looks in-depth at his wartime experiences and his adaptation to post-war Japanese society. Drawing on Japanese materials not previously examined in western scholarship, this is a ground-breaking new study of a master of cinema. Case studies include:. Ozu's shoshimin films Ozu's wartime films, including the script of The Flavour of Green Tea over Rice Postwar script of The Moon Has Risen Tokyo Story One of the most well regarded of non-Western film directors, responsible for acknowledged classics like Tokyo Story (1953), Ozu Yasujiro worked during a period of immense turbulence for Japan and its population. This book offers a new interpretation of Ozu's career, from his earliest work in the 1920s up to his death in 1963, focusing on Ozu's depiction of the everyday life and experiences of ordinary Japanese people during a time of depression, war and economic resurgence. Firmly situating him within the context of the Japanese film industry, Woojeong Joo examines Ozu's work as a studio director and his relation to sound cinema, and looks in-depth at his wartime experiences and his adaptation to postwar Japanese society. Drawing on Japanese materials not previously examined in western scholarship, this is a groundbreaking new study of a master of cinema List of Figures 8 List of Tables 10 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction: Ozu, History and the Everyday 14 Chapter 1 Early Ozu: Shoshimin Film and Everyday Realism 34 Chapter 2 Ozu in Transition: The Coming of Sound and Family Melodrama 72 Chapter 3 Wartime Ozu: Between Bourgeois Drama and National Policy Film 116 Chapter 4 Postwar Ozu: Ozu’s Occupation-era Film and Tokyo Regained 154 Chapter 5 Late Ozu: New Generation and New Salaryman Film 199 Conclusion 222 Notes 229 Glossary of Japanese Terms 256 Select Filmography 260 Select Bibliography 264 Index 280 Introduction : Ozu, History And The Everyday -- Early Ozu : Shoshimin Film And Everyday Realism -- Ozu In Transition : The Coming Of Sound And Family Melodrama -- Wartime Ozu : Between Bourgeois Drama And National Policy Film -- Postwar Ozu : Ozu's Occupation-era Film And Tokyo Regained -- Late Ozu : New Generation And New Salaryman Film -- Conclusion. Woojeong Joo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.