Japanese Cinema: A Personal Journey

by Peter Cowie

This is a passionate, personal journey through one of the world's greatest national cinemas, beginning with the classic directors who came to the fore in the postwar period and became legendary names on the art house circuit: Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kobayashi, Naruse, and Oshima, among others. The book traces the common themes explored by these directors as well as the impact of important historical and cultural issues, including World War 2, the representation of women, and the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s. Finally, Peter Cowie surveys the state of contemporary Japanese film and its greatest living practitioners, Hirokazu Kore-eda among them, as well as the international face of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki. Cowie brings a lifetime's commitment to film to bear on the human relationships so well explored by these Japanese auteurs.

Genres: Japanese Literature

204 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2022

About the author

Peter Cowie is a film historian and author of more than thirty books on film. In 1963 he was the founder/publisher and general editor of the annual International Film Guide, a survey of worldwide film production.

Reviews

[Samuel Leary]

Loved this so much. Held back slightly by the fact that I’m not superhuman, and haven’t seen even 20% of the films discussed in the book. But, at its best, I don’t need to have seen the films it discusses because the way it analyses certain filmographies and movements is enticing and meaningful enough. A fantastic testament to the spirituality and appreciation of the every day inherent in Japanese cinema that doubles up as a history lesson. I love Japanese films, and this gave me so many more to add to the immediate watchlist.

[Dan]

My thank to both NetGalley and the publisher Stone Bridge Press for an advanced copy of this history and reflection on the Japanese film industry.

Films have a language all there own, one that crosses time, borders, and the imaginations of those watching. The same movie can be seen and understood differently by people, some might consider a movie a masterpiece, others might say the film is a rotten tomato raspberry debacle. A viewers life, mindset, mood, even the audience can effect the film going experience. Peter Cowie, historian and writer on film has written in his book Japanese Cinema: A Personal Journey both a history and an appreciation of Japanese films that he has enjoyed over the years, with many stories and bits of interviews from his involvement in the industry.

The book begins with a brief discussion on the author's introduction to Japanese films, and how hard it was at the time, due to post- war feelings how difficult it was to see them. Slowly as Japan re- entered the art world and began showing more at film festivals the art and skill began to be apparant in what was happening. There are discussions of the giants of course, Kursaaws, Ozu and others, even an essay on Miyazaki and his animation. The essays are focused on the creators and directors, there is not much about the actors, unless particular actors served as muses for their directors. Styles are compared, as well as camera tricks and cinematography.

The book is very well written and researched with plenty of stories about the directors, descriptions on the movies and how the movies were received. The book is not chronological. so there might be a little time jumping, but this is not a problem as everything is explained quite well. Mr. Cowie is familiar with both his films and their directors, and the summations are both interesting and educational. The book never drags not seem like a lecture, more a conversation with someone who knows quite a bit, and is very nice about sharing it. There are some omissions, but as this is more of personal history rather than a timetable or total history, I can understand why.

Recommended for film students both new to Japanese cinema, or for those familiar who would like a nice new take or just to be reminded about films that might have fallen to the wayside.

[AnnieM]

I have read other books on film by Peter Cowie and enjoyed them and this one does not disappoint! Near the beginning of the book, he describes being at the Indian Film Festival in New Delhi in 1977 and visiting the Taj Mahal with Akira Kurosowa, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Satyajit Ray -- how I wished I was there among these great directors! The book is structured around themes and then different directors are profiled with detailed description of their life as well as great summaries and insights of their filmography. As a reader, this format worked really well because we get both an in-depth look at each director as well as comparisons of how the directors approach different themes throughout. I am a huge film fan and am familiar with a few of the directors and have seem many of their films yet I am embarrassed to admit that there were many directors I had never heard of before. This book has expanded my knowledge and awareness of Japanese Cinema and I look forward to watching some of these great films! I recommend this book for readers who enjoy Film and/or Japanese culture. Thank you to Netgalley and Stone Bridge Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Cindy]

Of all the Goodreads reveiws I've written that included the phrase "this might not be for everyone", this may be the "this might not be for everyone"-ist.
I love many kinds of movies, but I have a recent appreciation for Japanese movies, as does this author. He talks about many of his favorite classic Japanese films and it was interesting to see his takes on my favorites ("Tokyo Story," "Early Summer," "Woman in the Dunes"); and others I like very much ("The Human Condition," "High and Low," "Late Spring," "Rashimon"). I also now have some new-to-me movies to be looking for.
Cowie focuses on the films themselves, but he also gives some biographical info on the directors, which was all completely new information to me.
If you love movies and have never tried Japanese Cinema, this book will give you some great places to start.

[Michael Hassel Shearer]

Japanese Cinema by Peter Cowie This is an excellent book for non-Japanese who are interested in Japanese movies and cultural or who wish to begin to understand the Japanese Cinema. For me, the cover alone is almost enough as I am not only a fan of Ozu’s movies but this cover Is from Late Spring (1949) with one of my favorite actresses no matter the country Setuko Hara. She was in six Ozu films and this one is my favorite and not Tokyo Story which is also very good. It is impossible for me to review this book properly as I am not a long enough student of Japanese films but I would say this will become my “school book” to learn and follow before watching more of the Japanese classics.

[Hikari]

As a newbie to Japanese cinema, this book provided with a great orientation as to some of the key directors as well as their key works. The focus is on the 1950s and 1960s with a couple of chapters to bring us up to present day. There's also an index to films mentioned so if you're after a "watching list", here's one ready made.

There are some technical film terms so be prepared to look them up. It would have been nice to have some stills from some of the films mentioned to bring out the points made.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara Aoyama]

A thorough and well-researched volume on Japanese Cinema, i.e. the title does not disappoint. If you are a film buff or interested in Japanese culture, this is a book that you'd want on your reference shelf since it is likely the reader will turn to it to create a watch list.
Nicely presented in historical context, it's everything you need on this topic.

[Michael Lieto]

This is a good summary of the greats and some lesser knowns of Japanese cinema. I wish there was more mention of animated directors besides Miyazaki at the end (Isao Takahata and Satoshi Kon are HUGE and need inclusion) but this is a good overview of many directors, their styles and films! I added a whole bunch of new movies to my watchlist

[Ira Smith]

I have loved Japanese films for many years, and rank Kurosawa and Ozu among my favorite directors. So I was overjoyed to see that Peter Cowie wrote a book on Japanese cinema. And what a book it is.

An exhaustive look at the history of Japanese film, he devotes a lot of time to the major directors - Kurosawa, Ozu, Naruse, Ichikawa - but spends time on lesser known directors. He briefly reviews multiple films by each director, which at times makes the book drag in my opinion. Japanese Cinema is still a fascinating look at one of my favorite genres of international film, and gave me fresh perspectives on some of my favorite films. For lovers of anime, the book falls short as the author only really looks at Miyazaki, but he does admit that anime would require a whole separate book.

Very enjoyable, and for those interested in Japanese film, an indispensable volume.

Many thanks to Stone Bridge Press and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.

[brightredglow]

As someone who enjoys Japanese movies, books, etc., I was immediately drawn to Peter Cowie's "Japanese Cinema: A Personal Journey" when I saw it available to read on NetGalley. I was not disappointed (except for one chapter).

What I enjoyed most is that he genuinely enjoys and appreciates the art form that the Japanese master directors. Of course, he starts with Akira Kurosawa as most books on this topic should. I enjoyed that he didn't just stick with the samurai classics, but expanded to his other films.

There are some directors he spent more time on that I was interested (see Mikio Naruse) but again, his genuineness and knowledge about the films carried me through and it was a very fast read. I started yesterday afternoon and was finished today.

If there is an area that I felt he was a bit lazy on was the last chapter of "The Animator as Auteur" as he focuses only on Hayao Miyazaki. I wouldn't call Miyazaki an 'auteur'. He's as safe as Pixar is safe. That said, it is about cinema and Miyazaki has had success outside of Japan.

Otherwise, it was a wonderful read that I enjoyed a lot.