Reading a Japanese film cinema in context Keiko I. McDonald.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-292) and index.

Synergy of theme, style, and dialogue : Mizoguchi's Sisters of the Gion (1936) -- More about dream, song, and symbol : Kurosawa's The drunken angel (1948) -- A Meiji novel for the screen : Toyoda's The mistress (1954) -- Period film par excellence : Inagaki's samurai trilogy (Musashi Miyamoto, 1954-56) -- Master of simplicity moving hearts to pity : Ozu's Drifting weeds (1959) -- Eros, politics, and folk religion : Shindo's Onibaba (1963) -- The age-old paradox of innocence and experience : Oguri's Muddy river (1981) -- Satire on the family and education in postwar Japan : Morita's The family game (1983) -- Defeat revisited : Shinoda's MacArthur's children (1984) -- Satire on contemporary Japan : Itami's A taxing woman (1987) -- Seminal animation film : Miyazaki's My neighbor Totoro (1988) -- Cultural responses to simplicity : Kurosawa's Madadayo (1993) -- The danger and allure of phantom light : Koreeda's Mabaroshi (1995) -- Stressed-out nineties youth in laid-back sixties dress : Kitano's Kids return (1995) -- Bitter sweet childhood : Yoichi Higashi's Village of dreams (1996) -- A woman director's approach to the country family : Kawase's Suzaku (1997).