Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema [Paperback]

David Bordwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1988

Over the last two decades, Yasujiro Ozu has won international recognition as a major filmmaker. Combining biographical information with discussions of the films' aesthetic strategies and cultural significance, David Bordwell questions the popular image of Ozu as the traditional Japanese artisan and examines the aesthetic nature and functions of his cinema.Over the last two decades, Yasujiro Ozu has won international recognition as a major filmmaker. Combining biographical information with discussions of the films' aesthetic strategies and cultural significance, David Bordwell questions the popular image of Ozu as the traditional Japanese artisan and examines the aesthetic nature and functions of his cinema.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu is not as well known as Akira Kurosawa, but his films are as extraordinary and original as those of his more famous counterpart. David Bordwell has divided this thorough introduction to Ozu's life and work into two sections. The first offers a theory of themes, ideas, and obsessions that run through Ozu's large body of films. The second treats each of Ozu's movies in turn, closely examining their individual particularities. Ozu's films are quiet and methodically paced, but richly rewarding and deeply moving. Rent any one or two of them and then settle down with this book. You won't be sorry. Ozu and Bordwell will introduce you to a new world of human interaction and cinematic storytelling.

From Library Journal

Yasujiro Ozu (1903-63) was one of the masters of modern Japanese cinema, yet his work is hardly known to most Western filmgoers. His spare studies of family life don't "translate" well for audiences used to the melodrama of Terms of Endearment . Nevertheless, several American studies have been published on Ozu, one by director Paul Shrader ( Transcendental Style in Film, 1972. o.p.). Now comes the last word in Ozu scholarship: an account of the director's life and career, analysis of the social context behind his work, and individual critiques of all 55 Ozu films. Bordwell is exceptionally thorough, and his writing isn't marred by film jargon. A very worthy addition. Thomas Wiener, formerly with "American Film," Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: BFI Publishing (August 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691008221
• ISBN-13: 978-0691008226
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a master's degree and a doctorate in film from the University of Iowa. His books include The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer (University of California Press, 1981), Narration in the Fiction Film (University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Princeton University Press, 1988), Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Cinema of Eisenstein (Harvard University Press, 1993), On the History of Film Style (Harvard University Press, 1997), Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Harvard University Press, 2000), Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging (University of California Press, 2005), The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies (University of California Press, 2006), and The Poetics of Cinema (Routledge, 2008). He has won a University Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Copenhagen. His web site is www.davidbordwell.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Japanese Master, September 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Paperback)

David Bordwell's extraordinarily detailed and painstaking analysis of the entire oevre of Ozu Yasujiro is one of the best studies of Japanese cinema written in English language. Bordwell does a brillian t job of demolishing the mythical image of Ozu as the "most (traditional) Japanese filmmaker," illustrating through numerous case studies that Ozu, rather than challenging the Western norms of narrative strageties in the manner of a Zen master , developed his own stylistics which is rigorous, refined and distinctively "modern." By no means the last word on Ozu scholarship, the book is nonetheless highly recommended to any serious student of Japanese cinema.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penetrating analysis, November 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Paperback)

David Bordwell has prodused one of the most detailed analyses of Ozu's work available in English. Beginning with short sections on his background and career, several essays offer key advice on key motifs in the director's work.

The heart of OZU, however, lies in the comprehensive film reviews (not critiques) that take up the second half of the book. Beginning with some lost silents and continuing throught he director's early efforts, we get a comprehensive view of all Ozu's films.in the context of his developing talent. Some may complain that there's too much detail -- even to the point of outlining camera setups, or correcting other critics -- but the diligent reader will find a goldmine of information that they otherwise might have missed. Bordwell. Until the definitive Ozu study is avalable, this is essential..

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Response to Mr. Kincaid's Review, February 17, 2006

By 

J. Wagner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Paperback)

I have had a couple classes with David Bordwell and I noticed that what you sighted as weaknesses is his approach. He sets out to analyze the films exactly as you have mentioned. So maybe you need to write a book on Ozu that suits your angle.

I also think your comments on Welles and "Last Year at Marienbad" are a bit empty themselves. They seem to be more in line with opinion rather than astute rebuttal of a given piece of analysis. For instance, your comment "...from emptyheaded formalist garbage like "Last Year at Marienbad" or Welles' endlessly awful "Touch of Evil."; what makes these films empty-headed and formalist garbage? What is your definition of "empty-headed"? What is your definition of "formalist garbage"? One can state negative comments but to dissect the "why" in your comments is key, in my opinion, to delve into serious criticism. You sound like you like certain films (in my opinion you seem to like films that tread closer to realism such as "Yi-Yi", which you reviewed and gave five stars) and you do not like other films (such as "Touch of Evil" and "Last Year at Marienbad" which seem to be set in unrealistic realms). I think that sums up every film-goer. I do appreciate your comments though.