Ozu: His Life and Films [Paperback]

Donald Richie (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 2nd edition (March 15, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520032772
• ISBN-13: 978-0520032774
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of three-legged girlfriends, February 16, 2008

By 

Daremo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ozu: His Life and Films (Paperback)

Well there doesn't seem to be much info about this book here so for those of you who are wondering what s going on, I'll list the table of contents.
1 - Introduction
18 - Script
105 - Shooting
159 - Editing
186 - Conclusion
193 - Bibliographical filmography (to 253)
Those of you who are familiar with Richie's other stuff such as the Inland Sea will be happy to hear that in this book he combines his critical and writing gifts with a fairly pragmatic approach to his task.
Don't be overly wary of ramblings about transcendental this and that - certainly such notions do rear up but only in the context of technical discussion - e.g. in a discussion of the cut away shots to the vase at a crucial moment in Late Spring. Which isn't to say that Richie doesn't consider the social & moral aspects of Ozu's work at some length. This is obviously necessary for such a morally concerned artist as Ozu, and such topics highlight Richie's greatest strengths as a writer.
This book includes numerous excerpts and stills from production materials, shot sequences etc, which are mostly interesting and relevant; in fact if I had a criticism, I wouldn't mind a few more explicit examples (and counter examples from the work of other directors) especially in the discussion of composition. The Biographical Filmography section briefly covers all his films, mixed in with a fairly straightforward biography. Also recommended on the biographical front would be the docos included on the Criterion DVDs. Especially, "I lived, but..." which comes with the 2DVD Tokyo Story set .
In other words, for the English speaking reader, it would be hard to imagine a better match between subject and author. Highly recommended for any Ozu fans.
The back cover shows a youthful, exuberant Richie animatedly chatting with Ozu during the filming of Late Autumn in 1960. Ozu sits quietly, holding a cigarette...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, June 30, 2009

By 

Tabihaku (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ozu: His Life and Films (Paperback)

Richie is perhaps the foremost authority on Japanese film, and I'm always impressed with how he tempers his expansive enthusiasm with remarkably insightful criticism; he's very willing to acknowledge the weaknesses as well as the strengths within a director's work. This book has a very good layout/approach to digging into Ozu's body of work and is very readable, and Richie continues to offer great insights into this director.

28 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars orientialism?, February 23, 2000

By 

Tom Shi (Taiwan R.O.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ozu: His Life and Films (Paperback)

I saw this book (chinese edition)several years ago when I was almost 35 years old. It really shocked me!The author is so remarkable in understanding and interpreating the family in OZU films which is so real and convincing.Following the Mr.D. Richie, I, as a chinese, began to try to undersatnd the root of chinese family through a series of the OZU's films. I agree with author that the transcentalism for traditional Japanese and Chinese which the author express in the final charpter lies in the "everyday life world"and that I believe is quite different from western transcentalistic approach.This book is excellent....