Overview

This study argues that in Japanese popular cinema the 'tragic hero' narrative is an archetypal plot-structure upon which male genres, such as the war-retro and yakuza films are based. Two central questions in relation to these post-war Japanese film genres and historical consciousness are addressed: What is the relationship between history, myth and memory? And how are individual subjectivities defined in relation to the past? The book examines the role of the 'tragic hero' narrative as a figurative structure through which the Japanese people could interpret the events of World War II and defeat, offering spectators an avenue of exculpation from a foreign-imposed sense of guilt. Also considered is the fantasy world of the nagare-mono (drifter) or yakuza film. It is suggested that one of the reasons for the great popularity of these films in the 1960s and 1970s lay in their ability to offer men meanings that could help them understand the contradictions between the reality of their everyday experiences and the ideological construction of masculinity.

Full Product Details

Author:   Isolde Standish
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.362kg
ISBN:  

9781138863231

ISBN 10:   1138863238
Pages:   242
Publication Date:   04 March 2015
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter 1 Backgrounds; Chapter 2 The Kamikaze Film and the Politics of the Collective; Chapter 3 Uniformed Politicians: The Enemy Within; Chapter 4 Facts, Fictions and Fantasy; Chapter 5 Conclusions;

Reviews

'I hope that her future work will build on the implications of this significant project.' - Monumenta Niponica

Author Information

Standish, Isolde

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