DOCSLIB.ORG

Utmärkande Drag I Akira Kurosawas Filmskapande Teman, Rörelse Och Väder

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Utmärkande Drag I Akira Kurosawas Filmskapande Teman, Rörelse Och Väder Kandidatuppsats Utmärkande drag i Akira Kurosawas filmskapande Teman, Rörelse och Väder Författare: Björn Paulsson Handledare: Mariah Larsson Examinator: Tommy Gustafsson Termin: VT19 Ämne: Filmvetenskap Nivå: Grundnivå Kurskod: 2FV30E Abstrakt Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsens är att belysa Akira Kurosawas unika färdigheter och utmärkande drag som filmskapare, vilket adresseras i tre frågeställningar: Vilka återkommande narrativa teman finns representerade i Kurosawas filmproduktion, och hur presenteras dessa i tre utvalda filmer? Hur använder sig regissören stilistiskt och filmtekniskt av rörelse i de tre filmerna? Hur tar sig väder och andra naturfenomen uttryck i de tre filmerna och vilken funktion har de där? Filmerna som analyseras är Drunken Angel (Yoidore tenshi/Den berusade ängeln, 1948), Stray Dog (Nora inu/ Revolvern, 1949) och The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi toride no san akunin/ Den vilda flykten, 1958). Analysen utgår från det neoformalistiska tillvägagångsätt som David Bordwell och Kristin Thompson beskriver. Genom främmandegörning identifieras och granskas återkommande teman, rörelse och väder och andra naturfenomen i filmerna, studerade i sina socio- historiska sammanhang. Rättfärdigandet av inslagen, dvs deras motivering, adresseras tillsammans med den funktion de intar i scenerna. I Kurosawas filmproduktion identifieras 17 återkommande teman, där två kluster av teman, regissörens förhållande till japansk tradition och hans humanistiska livssyn, är särskilt framträdande. Väder- och naturfenomen som regn, vind, hetta, eld och dimma förekommer ofta och intar speciella funktioner i filmerna, både estetiskt och narrativt. De interagerar även med karaktärerna. Rörelser i bildrutan åstadkoms filmtekniskt på olika sätt. De är viktiga visuella komponenter som skapar spänning och kontinuitet, men har även ett rent artistiskt värde. Genom variationer och kombinationer av återkommande teman, väderinslag och rörelse visar Kurosawas på en stilistisk särart som karakteriserar hans filmskapande. Nyckelord Kurosawa, väder, natur, rörelse, tema, humanism, samuraj, neoformalism Innehållsförteckning 1 INLEDNING 1 1.1 Syfte och frågeställning 1 1.2 Disposition och konventioner 2 1.3 Akira Kurosawa – en introduktion 2 1.4 Tidigare forskning 4 1.5 Avgränsning och urval 5 2 KÄLLMATERIAL 6 3 TEORI OCH METOD 7 4 ANALYS 11 4.1 Drunken Angel, Stray Dog och The Hidden Fortress 11 4.2 Återkommande narrativa teman 12 4.2.1 Teman i Drunken Angel 12 4.2.2 Teman i Stray Dog 15 4.2.3 Teman i The Hidden Fortress 18 4.3 Förekomsten av rörelse 22 4.3.1 Rörelse i Drunken Angel 22 4.3.2 Rörelse i Stray Dog 23 4.3.3 Rörelse i The Hidden Fortress 24 4.4 Förekomsten av väder och andra naturfenomen 25 4.4.1 Väder och andra naturfenomen i Drunken Angel 26 4.4.2 Väder och andra naturfenomen i Stray Dog 27 4.4.3 Väder och andra naturfenomen i The Hidden Fortress 29 5 DISKUSSION OCH SAMMANFATTNING 30 6 KÄLLFÖRTECKNING 34 BILAGOR Bilaga A Akira Kurosawas filmografi Bilaga B Identifierade återkommande teman i Kurosawas filmer 1 INLEDNING När vi talar om en specifik regissör har vi oftast redan en idé om vad som gör honom speciell och vad som karakteriserar hans filmer. Så är fallet även med Akira Kurosawa som under 57 år regisserade 30 filmer. Vi kan idag konstatera att få regissörer har påverkat sin omvärld på samma sätt långt utanför sitt hemland och under flera generationer. Mitt intresse för Kurosawa började redan under 1970-talet med de relativt få filmer som då nådde svensk television och sedermera gavs ut på VHS. Denna tidiga nyfikenhet på hans produktion har idag lett till denna studie. Några av de komponenter som utmärker hans filmer adresseras därför i denna text som fokuserar på återkommande narrativa teman, hur regissören stilistiskt och filmtekniskt använder sig av rörelse i bild, och hur väder- och naturfenomen presenteras, samt vilken funktion de har. Med avsikt att exemplifiera detta analyseras tre av Kurosawas filmer: Drunken Angel (Yoidore tenshi/Den berusade ängeln, 1948), Stray Dog (Nora inu/Revolvern, 1949) och The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi toride no san akunin/Den vilda flykten, 1958). Det filmteoretiska avstamp som används i uppsatsen är neoformalism. 1.1 Syfte och frågeställning Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa Akira Kurosawas unika färdigheter och utmärkande drag som filmskapare. Detta genomförs genom att analysera ett fåtal områden på djupet: återkommande narrativa teman, rörelse och väder och andra naturfenomen. Dessa observationer exemplifieras i tre av Kurosawas filmer: Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, och The Hidden Fortress. Konkret utförs det genom att adressera tre frågeställningar: - Vilka återkommande narrativa teman finns representerade i Kurosawas filmproduktion, och hur presenteras dessa i de tre filmerna? - Hur använder sig regissören stilistiskt och filmtekniskt av rörelse i de tre filmerna? 1 (42) - Hur tar sig väder och andra naturfenomen uttryck i de tre filmerna och vilken funktion har de där? 1.2 Disposition och konventioner I det inledande kapitlet ges en kortfattad bakgrund om Akira Kurosawa och hans filmgärning, samt en översiktlig genomgång av tidigare forskning. Avsikten är att förse läsaren med ett sammanhang inför den kommande analysen av de utvalda filmerna. Hur urvalet av de tre filmerna har gjorts diskuteras i relation till en genomförd förstudie, vilken även har betydelse för valet av de studerade utmärkande dragen. I teori- och metodkapitlet redogörs för det neoformalistiska tillvägagångssätt som används i studien. Analysen är uppdelad efter respektive utmärkande drag (teman, rörelse och väder och andra naturfenomen) som avhandlas var för sig. Det innebär därför att det inte finns någon sammanhållen granskning av respektive film, vilket heller inte är avsikten med studien. Dess fokus ligger istället på att skapa en mer djuplodande analys av de utmärkande dragen. I det avslutande kapitlet diskuteras observationerna som ställs i relation till frågeställningar och teori. Då Kurosawas filmer oftast är kända under sina engelska titlar i västvärlden, och då originaltitlarna måste skrivas ut med latinska bokstäver och inte japanska tecken, har jag valt att genomgående använda de engelska titlarna i uppsatsen. I bilaga A återfinns en förteckning över samtliga filmer med deras engelska, japanska och svenska titlar. 1.3 Akira Kurosawa – en introduktion Under sin 57 år långa karriär (1936-1993) regisserade Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) 30 filmer. Sitt internationella genombrott fick han först 1950 med Rashomon (Rashōmon/Demonernas port, 1950), som året därefter belönades med Guldlejonet på Venedigfestivalen. Hans filmproduktion har en stor bredd med såväl samtida som historiska filmer. Jidai-geki (period films) betecknar japansk historisk film med handlingen förlagd fram till slutet av Edo-perioden 1868. Chambara, eller ken-geki, är en underkategori av 2 (42) jidai-geki som används för filmer om samurajer. Kurosawas chambara omfattar skildringar av såväl ronin, såsom den cyniske ensamvargen i Yojimbo (Yōjinbō/Yojimbo - Livvakten, 1961), som feodala länsherrar och deras dramatiska öden under svek och våld, t ex i Ran (Ran/Ran, 1985). Dessa filmer, med deras extrema våld och polariserade karaktärer, innehåller liknande arketyper som återfinns i western- och gangsterfilmer, två genrer som fascinerade och inspirerade Kurosawa.1 En av hans idoler var John Wayne.2 Gendai-geki är en benämning på japansk film som utspelar sig i en modern samtid. Inom detta område experimenterade Kurosawa med crime och film noir. Shomin-geki, som tillhör gendai-geki, fokuserar däremot på vanligt folks vardagsliv, med sociala orättvisor och olika levnadsöden, t ex i One Wonderful Sunday (Subarashiki nichiyôbi, 1947). Kurosawas litterära influenser gör sig påminda i hans filmadaptioner, där tre filmer är baserade på Shakespearepjäser: The Bad Sleep Well (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru/Onda män sover gott, 1960), Throne of Blood (Kumonosu-jō/Blodets tron, 1957) och Ran. Även flera ryska författares verk har transformerats till filmer: Fjodor Dostojevskij (The Idiot/Hakuchi/ Idioten, 1951, och Red Beard/Akahige/Rödskägg, 1965), Maxim Gorkij (The Lower Depths/Donzoko/Natthärbärget, 1957) och Leo Tolstoj (Ikiru/Ikiru/Att leva, 1952). I sin produktion använde Kurosawa sig av en uppsättning av återkommande medarbetare som gick under benämningen Kurosawa-gumi. Den skådespelare som oftast associeras med regissören är Toshiro Mifune. De gjorde 16 filmer tillsammans. Den aktör som var med i flest filmer var däremot Takashi Shimura (21 filmer). Kurosawa räknas som en av filmhistoriens stora auteurer, med ett tydligt personligt signum i sina filmer. Hans storhet ligger i hans förmåga att 1 Alain Silver. The Samurai Film, expanded and revised edition. Woodstock & New York: The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers Inc, 2005, s. 39. 2 Patrick Galloway. Warring Clans, lashing Blades: A Samuari Film Companion. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2009, s. 16. 3 (42) kombinera teknisk virtuositet och narrativa färdigheter.3 Det finns i hans arbete en noggrannhet för detaljer och ett engagemang i alla filmskapandets moment; manus, foto, klippning mm. Han använde sig ofta av telefotolinser som ger perspektivförändringar och reducerar djupet i bilden för att skapa visuell närhet.4 Det får avlägsna karaktärer att framstå som större.5 Triangulära designarrangemang är en av hans visuella specialiteter, som ger stöd till filmens narrativ, t ex i triangeldramat Rashomon.6 Kurosawa experimenterade ofta med tid, framförallt i actionscener med slowmotion
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Commemorative Concert the Suntory Music Award
    Commemorative Concert of the Suntory Music Award Suntory Foundation for Arts ●Abbreviations picc Piccolo p-p Prepared piano S Soprano fl Flute org Organ Ms Mezzo-soprano A-fl Alto flute cemb Cembalo, Harpsichord A Alto fl.trv Flauto traverso, Baroque flute cimb Cimbalom T Tenor ob Oboe cel Celesta Br Baritone obd’a Oboe d’amore harm Harmonium Bs Bass e.hrn English horn, cor anglais ond.m Ondes Martenot b-sop Boy soprano cl Clarinet acc Accordion F-chor Female chorus B-cl Bass Clarinet E-k Electric Keyboard M-chor Male chorus fg Bassoon, Fagot synth Synthesizer Mix-chor Mixed chorus c.fg Contrabassoon, Contrafagot electro Electro acoustic music C-chor Children chorus rec Recorder mar Marimba n Narrator hrn Horn xylo Xylophone vo Vocal or Voice tp Trumpet vib Vibraphone cond Conductor tb Trombone h-b Handbell orch Orchestra sax Saxophone timp Timpani brass Brass ensemble euph Euphonium perc Percussion wind Wind ensemble tub Tuba hichi Hichiriki b. … Baroque … vn Violin ryu Ryuteki Elec… Electric… va Viola shaku Shakuhachi str. … String … vc Violoncello shino Shinobue ch. … Chamber… cb Contrabass shami Shamisen, Sangen ch-orch Chamber Orchestra viol Violone 17-gen Jushichi-gen-so …ens … Ensemble g Guitar 20-gen Niju-gen-so …tri … Trio hp Harp 25-gen Nijugo-gen-so …qu … Quartet banj Banjo …qt … Quintet mand Mandolin …ins … Instruments p Piano J-ins Japanese instruments ● Titles in italics : Works commissioned by the Suntory Foudation for Arts Commemorative Concert of the Suntory Music Award Awardees and concert details, commissioned works 1974 In Celebration of the 5thAnniversary of Torii Music Award Ⅰ Organ Committee of International Christian University 6 Aug.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hidden Fortress Delivers Kurosawa's Trademark Deft Blend of Wry Humor, Breathtaking Action, and Compassionate
    The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity. A grand­scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip­roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Susumu Fujita In Japanese with English subtitles | Not Rated | 139 min | 1958 | Directed by Akira Kurosawa Registration is required. Presented with Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C., Inc. You are invited to J-Film: The Hidden Fortress Wednesday, March 14th, 2018 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT) Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan 1150 18th Street Northwest Suite 100 Washington DC 20036 US CLICK HERE TO REGISTER This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at [email protected]. Program begins at 6:30 PM. Doors open 30 minutes before the program. No admittance after 7:00 PM. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee a seat. The JICC reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by JICC without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video..
    [Show full text]
  • Akira Kurosawa: IKURU 1952 140 Minutes
    October 9, 2007 (XV:7) Akira Kurosawa: IKURU 1952 140 minutes Directed by Akira Kurosawa Written by Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni Produced by Sojiro Motoki Original Music by Fumio Hayasaka Cinematography by Asakazu Nakai Takashi Shimura...Kanji Watanabe Shinichi Himori...Kimura Haruo Tanaka...Sakai Minoru Chiaki...Noguchi Miki Odagiri...Toyo Odagiri, employee Bokuzen Hidari...Ohara Minosuke Yamada...Subordinate Clerk Saito Seiji Miyaguchi...Yakuza Boss Kamatari Fujiwara...Sub-Section Chief Ono Daisuke Katô...Yakuza Makoto Kobori...Kiichi Watanabe, Kanji's Brother Miki Hayashi...Second Yakuza Nobuo Kaneko...Mitsuo Watanabe, Kanji's son Fuyuki Murakami...Newspaperman Nobuo Nakamura...Deputy Mayor Hirayoshi Aono...Newspaperman Atsushi Watanabe...Patient Junpei Natsuki...Hand-Washing Cancer Patient Isao Kimura...Intern Toranosuke Ogawa...Park Section Chief Masao Shimizu...Doctor Akira Sera...Worker in General Affairs Yûnosuke Itô...Novelist Ichirô Chiba...Policeman Kumeko Urabe...Tatsu Watanabe, Kiichi's Wife Akira Tani...Bar Owner Kin Sugai...Housewife Yoko Kajima...Worker in Sewage Section Eiko Miyoshi...Housewife Haruko Toyama Fumiko Honma...Housewife Mie...Woman in Dance Hall Yatsuko Tanami...Bar Hostess Sachio Sakai...Yakuza Yoshie Minami...The Maid Toshiyuki Ichimura...Pianist Kyôko Seki...Kazue Watanabe, Mitsuo's wife Harue Kuramoto...Dancer Kusuo Abe...City Assemblyman Lasa Saya...Stripper Tomoo Nagai...Newspaperman (as Tomo Nagai) AKIRA KUROSAWA (23 March 1910, Omori, Tokyo, Japan—6 September 1998, Setagaya, Tokyo,
    [Show full text]
  • The Seven Samurai Is His Sixth Film in the Buffalo Film Seminars
    AKIRA KUROSAWA (23 March 1910, Omori, Tokyo, Japan — 6 September 1998, Setagaya, Tokyo, stroke) wrote or cowrote nearly all 31 of the films he directed and edited several of them as well. Some of them are: Ame Agaru/After the Rain 1993, Yume/Dreams 1990, Ran 1985, Kagemusha 1980, Dodesukaden 1970, Yojimbo 1961 (remade in 1964 as Per un pugno di dollari and in 1996 as Last Man Standing), Kakushi toride no san akunin 1958 (remade in 1977 as Star Wars), Kumonosu jo/Throne of Blood 1957 (based on Macbeth), Shichinin no samurai/Seven Samurai) 1954 (remade as The Magnificent Seven), Ikiru 1952, Rashomon 1950 (remade as The Outrage), and Nora inu/Stray Dog 1949. Kurosawa received three Academy Awards: best foreign language picture for Rashomon and Dersu Uzala, and a Lifetime Achievement Award (1990). He received a nomination for best director for Ran. The Seven Samurai is his sixth film in the Buffalo Film Seminars. 7 FEBRUARY 2006, XII:4 AKIRA KUROSAWA: The Seven Samurai/Shichinin For much of his career Kurosawa was appreciated far more in the no samurai 1954. 206 min. West than in Japan. Zhang Yimou (director of Red Sorghum and Raise Takashi Shimura...Kambei Shimada the Red Lantern) wrote that Kurosawa was accused “of making films Toshirô Mifune...Kikuchiyo for foreigners' consumption. In the 1950s, Rashomon was criticized as Yoshio Inaba...Gorobei Katayama exposing Japan's ignorance and backwardness to the outside world – a Seiji Miyaguchi...Kyuzo charge that now seems absurd. In China, I have faced the same Minoru Chiaki...Heihachi Hayashida scoldings, and I use Kurosawa as a shield.” He directed his first film Daisuke Katô...Shichiroji in 1943 but says Drunken Angel in 1948 was really his first film Isao Kimura...Katsushiro Okamoto because that was the first one he made without official interference.
    [Show full text]
  • Grey Morality of the Colonized Subject in Postwar Japanese Cinema and Contemporary Manga
    EITHER 'SHINING WHITE OR BLACKEST BLACK': GREY MORALITY OF THE COLONIZED SUBJECT IN POSTWAR JAPANESE CINEMA AND CONTEMPORARY MANGA Elena M. Aponte A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2017 Committee: Khani Begum, Advisor Kristen Rudisill © 2017 Elena M. Aponte All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Khani Begum, Advisor The cultural and political relationship between Japan and the United States is often praised for its equity, collaboration, and mutual respect. To many, the alliance between Japan and the United States serves as a testament for overcoming a violent and antagonistic past. However, the impact of the United States occupation and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is rarely discussed in light of this alliance. The economic revival, while important to Japan’s reentry into the global market, inevitably obscured continuing paternalistic interactions between Japan and the United States. Using postcolonial theory from Homi K. Bhahba, Frantz Fanon, and Hiroshi Yoshioka as a foundation, this study examines the ways Japan was colonized during and after the seven-year occupation by the United States. The following is a close assessment of two texts and their political significance at two specific points in history. Akira Kurosawa's1948 noir film Drunken Angel (Yoidore Tenshi) shaped the identity of postwar Japan; Yasuhiro Nightow’s Trigun manga series navigates cultural amnesia and American exceptionalism during the 1990s after the Bubble Economy fell into recession in 1995. These texts are worthy of simultaneous assessment because of the ways they incorporate American archetypes, iconography, and themes into their work while still adhering to Japanese cultural concerns.
    [Show full text]
  • Last Tango in Paris (1972) Dramas Bernardo Bertolucci
    S.No. Film Name Genre Director 1 Last Tango in Paris (1972) Dramas Bernardo Bertolucci . 2 The Dreamers (2003) Bernardo Bertolucci . 3 Stealing Beauty (1996) H1.M Bernardo Bertolucci . 4 The Sheltering Sky (1990) I1.M Bernardo Bertolucci . 5 Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) Adrian Lyne . 6 Lolita (1997) Stanley Kubrick . 7 Eyes Wide Shut – 1999 H1.M Stanley Kubrick . 8 A Clockwork Orange [1971] Stanley Kubrick . 9 Poison Ivy (1992) Katt Shea Ruben, Andy Ruben . 1 Irréversible (2002) Gaspar Noe 0 . 1 Emmanuelle (1974) Just Jaeckin 1 . 1 Latitude Zero (2000) Toni Venturi 2 . 1 Killing Me Softly (2002) Chen Kaige 3 . 1 The Hurt Locker (2008) Kathryn Bigelow 4 . 1 Double Jeopardy (1999) H1.M Bruce Beresford 5 . 1 Blame It on Rio (1984) H1.M Stanley Donen 6 . 1 It's Complicated (2009) Nancy Meyers 7 . 1 Anna Karenina (1997) Bernard Rose Page 1 of 303 1 Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1964) Russ Meyer 9 . 2 Vixen! By Russ Meyer (1975) By Russ Meyer 0 . 2 Deep Throat (1972) Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato 1 . 2 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) Elia Kazan 2 . 2 Pandora Peaks (2001) Russ Meyer 3 . 2 The Lover (L'amant) 1992 Jean-Jacques Annaud 4 . 2 Damage (1992) Louis Malle 5 . 2 Close My Eyes (1991) Stephen Poliakoff 6 . 2 Casablanca 1942 H1.M Michael Curtiz 7 . 2 Duel in the Sun (film) (1946) I1.M King Vidor 8 . 2 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) H1.M David Lean 9 . 3 Caligula (1979) Tinto Brass 0 .
    [Show full text]
  • KUROSAWA Player.Bfi.Org.Uk
    OVER 100 YEARS OF JAPANESE CINEMA Watch now on PART 1: KUROSAWA player.bfi.org.uk Watch now on 1 @BFI #BFIJapan OVER 100 YEARS OF JAPANESE CINEMA We have long carried a torch for Japanese film here at the BFI. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Since the first BFI London Film Festival opened with Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood in 1957, we’ve played a vital role in bringing the cinema of this culturally rich nation to UK audiences through our festivals, seasons, theatrical distribution, books and video publishing. In this major season we spotlight filmmakers who have inspired admiration and With special thanks to: fascination around the world. We begin our story with Akira Kurosawa, and over the coming months we’ll present films from the Golden Age, a focus on Yasujiro Ozu, new wave rebels, the visionary creations of anime, the netherworlds of J-horror, and so much more from archive rarities to contemporary works and cult classics. This landmark season will take place on BFI Player from 11 May onwards, With the kind support of: with new online collections released each month, and we expect to present it Janus Films/The Criterion Collection, Kadokawa Corporation, at BFI Southbank and cinemas nationwide later this year. Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, Kokusai Hoei Co., Ltd, The Japanese Cinema Book, published by BFI & Bloomsbury to coincide Nikkatsu Corporation, Toei Co., Ltd with the season, is out now. Cover artwork: TOKYO STORY ©1953/2011 Shochiku Co., Ltd., OUTRAGE 2010 Courtesy of STUDIOCANAL, AUDITION 1999 © Arrow Films, HARAKIRI ©1962 Shochiku Co., Ltd. Watch now on 2 @BFI #BFIJapan PART 1: KUROSAWA WATCH ON NOW This retrospective collection on BFI Player helps to confirm Kurosawa’s status as one of the small handful of Japanese directors who truly belong to world cinema, writes Alexander Jacoby If Yasujiro Ozu is often called ‘the most Japanese of Japanese directors’, then one could almost identify Akira Kurosawa as the least Japanese of Japanese directors.
    [Show full text]
  • ASIAN SYMPHONIES a Discography of Cds and Lps Prepared By
    ASIAN SYMPHONIES A Discography Of CDs And LPs Prepared by Michael Herman Edited by Stephen Ellis KOMEI ABE (1911-2006, JAPAN) Born in Hiroshima. He studied the cello with Heinrich Werkmeister at the Tokyo Music School and then studied German-style harmony and counterpoint with Klaus Pringsheim, a pupil of Gustav Mahler, as well as conducting with Joseph Rosenstock. Later, he was appointed music director of the Imperial Orchestra in Tokyo, and the musicians who played under him broadened his knowledge of traditional Japanese Music. He then taught at Kyoto's Elizabeth Music School and Municipal College of the Arts. He composed a significant body of orchestral, chamber and vocal music, including a Symphony No. 2 (1960) and Piccolo Sinfonia for String Orchestra (1984). Symphony No. 1 (1957) Dmitry Yablonsky/Russian National Philharmonic ( + Sinfonietta and Divertimento) NAXOS 8.557987 (2007) Sinfonietta for Orchestra (1964) Dmitry Yablonsky/Russian National Philharmonic ( + Sinfonietta and Divertimento) NAXOS 8.557987 (2007) NICANOR ABELARDO (1896-1934, PHILIPPINES) Born in San Miguel, Bulacan. He studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman Conservatory of Music, taking courses under Guy Fraser Harrison and Robert Schofield. He became head of the composition department of the conservatory in 1923. He later studied at the Chicago Musical College in 1931 under Wesley LaViolette. He composed orchestral and chamber works but is best-known for his songs. Sinfonietta for Strings (1932) Ramon Santos/Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES PRESS (2004) YASUSHI AKUTAGAWA (1925-1989, JAPAN) He was born in the Tabata section of Tokyo. He was taught composition by Kunihiko Hashimoto and Akira Ifukube at the Tokyo Conservatory of Music.
    [Show full text]
  • El Japonismo De Star Wars
    FILMHISTORIA Online Vol. 29, núms. 1-2 (2019) · ISSN: 2014-668X El japonismo de Star Wars ANTONIO MÍGUEZ SANTA CRUZ Universidad de Córdoba (España) Resumen El universo de Star Wars es tan popular que prácticamente se ha estudiado desde todas las perspectivas posibles. Sin embargo, la enorme cantidad de referencias visuales o filosóficas que conviven escondidas tras los atrezzos, los vestuarios, o el mismo guion de George Lucas, nos parece una asignatura pendiente a la hora de comprender completamente la profundidad de la afamada saga galáctica. En este caso, nosotros nos ocuparemos de comprobar hasta qué punto existe el japonismo en Star Wars, analizando las influencias o códigos procedentes del país del sol naciente más allá del obvio caso del yelmo de Darth Vader. Así pues, ¿tuvo tanta influencia La fortaleza escondida de Kurosawa en su concepción?; ¿son los jedi un trasunto de los guerreros samurái? O ¿son la Fuerza y el budismo más semejantes de lo que a priori podríamos creer? Sobre esas y otras muchas cuestiones girarán las siguientes páginas. Palabras clave: Influencia, Chambara, Samurái, Budismo, Asura. Star Wars Japonism Abstract Nowadays, The Star Wars saga is so popular that it has been studied from every possible perspective. However, the enormous amount of visual or philosophical references to be unraveled that coexist hidden behind the props, costumes, or the proper George Lucas script, it seems to us a pending subject if we want to fully understand the depth of the famous galactic saga. In this case, we will see how Japan is present in Star Wars analyzing the influences or codes coming from “the land of the Rising sun” beyond the obvious case of Darth Vader's helmet.
    [Show full text]
  • "YOJIMBO" -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY Directed by Akira Kurosawa © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd
    "YOJIMBO" -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY directed by Akira Kurosawa © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd. English subtitled version © 2006 Toho International Co., Ltd. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS [Transcribed from the movie by Tara Carreon] Toho Co., Ltd. A Toho-Kurosawa Production YOJIMBO Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Ryuzo Kikushima Screenplay by Ryuzo Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa Production Design by Yoshiro Muraki Music by Masaru Sato Assistant Director Shiro Moritani Production Manager Hiroshi Nezu Starring Toshiro Mifune Tatsuya Nakadai Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada Daisuke Kato, Seizaburo Kawazu Takashi Shimura Hiroshi Tachikawa Yosuke Natsuki Eijiro Tono, Kamatari Fujiwara Ikio Sawamura Atsushi Watanabe Susumu Fujita, Kyu Sazanka Ko Nishimura Takeshi Kato, Akira Tani Tsunagoro Rashomon Yoshio Tsuchiya Directed by Akira Kurosawa The time is 1860 ... the emergence of a middle class has brought about the end to power of the Tokugawa Dynasty ... A samurai, once a dedicated warrior in the employ of Royalty, now finds himself with no master to serve other than his own will to survive ... ... and no devices other than his wit and sword. [Father] Stop, you brat! [Son] Let me go, Father! This battle is the chance of a lifetime! [Father] Crazy fool! The chance to get killed! Why do you want to be a gambler? A farmer's place is in the fields.
    [Show full text]
  • The Politics and Aesthetics of Haunting in 1950S Japan
    The Politics and Aesthetics of Haunting in 1950s Japan by Darcy Gauthier A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Comparative Literature University of Toronto © Copyright by Darcy Gauthier, 2020 The Politics and Aesthetics of Haunting Darcy Gauthier Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Comparative Literature University of Toronto 2020 Abstract This thesis examines the politics and aesthetics of haunting in 1950s Japan. A distinct historical conjuncture separate from the social upheaval of the immediate postwar as well as the overt politicization of the 1960s, the 1950s is characterized by a narrative of national rebuilding and return that marginalized discrepant experiences of the present—producing a disjointedness that I articulate as a form of ‘haunting.’ In order to develop this, I turn to two triptychs of creators (two writers, two filmmakers, two composers) who collaborated to document the ‘haunted’ reality of 1950s Japan: Marguerite Duras, Alain Resnais, and Giovanni Fusco; and Abe Kōbō, Teshigahara Hiroshi, and Takemitsu Tōru. Collectively, these artists articulate a crisis where concrete lived experiences did not correspond with national narratives of recovery and the economic, social, and political modes of structuring that regulated people’s lives. Their fiction and theory attempted to bring this crisis into focus by representing the ghostly estrangement of modern subjects and also by theorizing alternative methods of historicization following a logic of ‘haunting,’ one that challenged the accepted reality—the taken-for-grantedness—of celebratory narratives of postwar life. ii Acknowledgments Without the support and inspiration from various individuals and institutions I would not have been able to complete this dissertation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Films of Kenji Mizoguchi: Authorship and Vernacular Style
    The Films of Kenji Mizoguchi: Authorship and Vernacular Style Paul Spicer This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Portsmouth October 2011 Contents Declaration i List of Figures ii Notes on Translation v Acknowledgements vii Dedication ix Introduction 1 Chapter One – Ideas of Language 34 Chapter Two – Ideas of Authorship 76 Chapter Three – Mizoguchi and Mise en Scène 119 Chapter Four – Ideas of Spectatorship 162 Chapter Five – Mizoguchi and Melodrama 195 Chapter Six – Mizoguchi and Theatre 247 Conclusion 288 Bibliography 308 Select Filmography 319 Mizoguchi Filmography 321 Appendix One: Interview with Oshima Kinue 328 Appendix Two: Interview with Sawato Midori 336 Appendix Three: Interview with Saso Tsutomu 349 Appendix Four: Omoukotonado: Edo Jocho no Eigaka Sonohoka: (My Thoughts: Creating Edo Culture in Film) by Director Kenji Mizoguchi. Nikkatsu Magazine June 1926 374 Appendix Five: Kanji Readings of Key Figures 378 Declaration Whilst registered as a candidate for the above degree, I have not been registered for any other research award. The results and conclusions embodied in this thesis are the work of the named candidate and have not been submitted for any other academic award. i List of Figures Chapter One Figure 1, p.56. Naniwa Ereji (1936). Mizoguchi's Fallen Women: Eclipse Series 13 (2008) [DVD]. New York: Criterion. Figure 2, p.57. Naniwa Ereji (1936). Mizoguchi's Fallen Women: Eclipse Series 13 (2008) [DVD]. New York: Criterion Figure 3, p.58. Naniwa Ereji (1936). Mizoguchi's Fallen Women: Eclipse Series 13 (2008) [DVD].
    [Show full text]