Considered by many film critics and scholars as a master of Japanese Cinema, director Ozu Yasujiro still inspires filmmakers both within and outside of Japan. This book presents new perspectives on Ozu's aesthetic sensibility and his influence on global art cinema directors. With twenty never before published chapters by contributors from the US, England, and Japan, The Cinema of Ozu explores the Japanese director's oeuvre and his lasting impact on global art cinema. Divided into three sections, this edited volume highlights several of the major theoretical frameworks that have come to characterize studies devoted to the director. In doing so, chapters consider the various cultural factors that influenced the director's cinematic output, such as the anxiety of middleclass Japan in the 1930s, the censorship imposed by the US-occupation after World War II, and women's rights in 1957's Tokyo Story. Ultimately, chapters illuminate Ozu's influence on the directors of Japan and beyond. With the recent restoration and re-release of Ozu's early and late work, this volume provides an opportunity to examine not only the auteur's major works but also the relationships-both cultural and aesthetic-that are forged among directors across the world.
