I. Contents and organization.

This unit will focus on Japanese film and photography between the Meiji Restoration (1868) and World War II. In particular, we will consider the relationship between different forms of representation during this period of rapid social, political, and cultural change. We will start from the premise that was considered a fitting object of representation in one genre was often adopted for representation in other genres. For example, geisha, who had been depicted repeatedly in photographs and postcards for domestic and international consumption, subsequently became the subject of some of the first motion pictures in Japan. The reception of the first motion pictures in Japan was also determined by film's association with previous displays of Western image-making technology going back to the Edo period (see Edo (3) Vision, technology, and the West.). Lectures, readings, and discussions will be organized as follows:

1. Tourist photographs and other photo genres. We will consider the economy of images in Japan and the West at the turn of the century, and discuss the origins and persistence of stereotypes of Japanese identity. (Gallery one).

2. After an introduction to early film history, we will discuss the work of director Yasujirô Ozu, and view the film I Was Born, But. . . (1932).

3. Next, we will study the work of director Mizoguchi Kenji and view the film The Story of The Last Chrysanthemum (1939).

II. Film Screening Schedule

All screenings will take place at 1:15 PM in Dana Auditorium.

Monday. 1/17 Ozu Yasujirô, I was Born, But. . . (1932)

Tuesday, 1/18 Mizoguchi Kenji, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)

Wednesday, 1/19 Kurosawa Akira, Stray Dog (1949)

Wednesday, 1/26 Oishii Mamoru, Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Films will be placed on reserve; students unable to attend screenings are expected to screen the films on their own. Stray Dog will only be on reserve within twenty-four hours of the sceening. At other times, it can be rented from Waterfront Videos.