Cinematic Influence

Peter C. Pugsley is Associate Professor in Media/Film Studies at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His research and teaching focus on Asian film and screenwriting. Ben McCann is Associate Professor of French Studies at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His most recent book is L’Auberge espagnole: European Youth on Film (2018).

• Acknowledgements List of figures Preface Introduction Two cinematic ecosystems: France and Japan History Reception Chapter structure PART A: History and Style 1. Historicising French and Japanese cinemas Before the nouvelle vague…and after The impact of Japan’s Nuberu bagu The rise of the female auteur: Naomi Kawase and Claire Denis Conclusion 2. Cinematic engagement between France and JapanKurosawa connectionsFormalising co-productionsConclusion3. Directorial styles, influence and exchange Styles and Technologies Theatrical antecedents Monochrome Conclusion 4. Tora-san and the Monsieur Hulot influence Tati: choreographing meaning through movementIcons from another era Ambivalence to modernity (and love)Conclusion PART B: Themes, Ideas and Approaches 5. Unemployment and the isolating selfThe Personal Toll of UnemploymentUnemployment in France Isolation Conclusion 6. Location and the sense of place Imagining the nation through rural/urban divides Country living in French cinema French Colonialism Reflections of Japan as Coloniser Absences Conclusion 7. Confrontational cinema Eroticism and sexploitation Violence Conclusion 8. Life, death and states of being Hirokazu Kore-eda: Contemplations on Life The Connectivity and Disconnectivity of Family in French Cinema Conclusion 9. Adapting literary and visual texts Fantasy Drama Conclusion Conclusion: Where to next for the cinematic influence? Audience and Reception Films Cited Bibliography Index

France and Japan offer two of the world’s most vibrant and fascinating film cultures. This lively introductory survey maps out some of the major thematic and contextual contours of the dynamic inter-relationship between these two regions.