5. Simple Means for Complex Ends: Yasujirö Ozu’s Floating Weeds (1959)

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. Acknowledgments ix
5. Introduction 1
6. 1. Synergy of Theme, Style, and Dialogue: Kenji Mizoguchi’s Sisters of the Gion (1936) 17
7. 3. A Meiji Novel for the Screen: Shirö Toyoda’s The Mistress (1954) 49
8. 4. Period Film Par Excellence: Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai Trilogy (1954–1956) 66
9. 5. Simple Means for Complex Ends: Yasujirö Ozu’s Floating Weeds (1959) 93
10. 6. Eros, Politics, and Folk Religion: Kaneto Shindö’s Onibaba (1963 108
11. 7. The Age-Old Paradox of Innocence and Experience: Köhei Oguri’s Muddy River (1981 122
12. 8. Satire on the Family and Education in Postwar Japan: Yoshimitsu Morita’s The Family Game (1983) 136
13. 9. Defeat Revisited: Masahiro Shinoda’s MacArthur’s Children (1984) 152
14. 10. Satire on Contemporary Japan: Jüzö Itami’s A Taxing Woman (1987) 165
15. 11. Animation Seminal and Influential: Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro (1988) 176
16. 12. Cultural Responses to Simplicity: Akira Kurosawa’s Madadayo (1993) 187
17. 13. The Danger and Allure of Phantom Light: Hirokazu Koreeda’s Maboroshi (1995) 198
18. 14. Stressed-Out Nineties Youth in Laid-Back Sixties Dress: Takeshi Kitano’s Kids Return (1995) 219
19. 15. Bittersweet Childhood: Yöichi Higashi’s Village of Dreams (1996) 232
20. 16. A Woman Director’s Approach to the Country Family: Naomi Kawase’s Suzaku (1997) 244
21. Notes 259
22. Selected Bibliography 277
23. Index 283
24. About the Author 293