Hasumi in Paris

[stephen sarrazin]

attn.Julie Davis

Shigehiko Hasumi's book on Ozu was originally published in Japan in the
early eigthies, and was translated this year in french, and published by
les Cahiers du Cinema (who've just reedited Godard's first volume of
writings and added a second volume, covering the late eighties and
nineties; in addition, the book version of his essays on 
Film His(Stories)/ Histoires du Cinema, was just published by Gallimard.
4 books, and they're splendid!).

Hasumi, who is now president of Tokyo U. (Todai), was a leading
theoritical figure in the eighties, both in the fields of film and
litterature.
Shinji Aoyama, director of Helpless, Chinpira, etc. told me he had him
as a professor.

His book on Ozu is particularly hostile to Ritchie and Schrader (no
mention of Bordwell; his book hadn't been published at that time, I
believe). Then goes on to point all that is actually going on in an Ozu
shot (which close observers would have picked up). Much of Hasumi's
interesting and very subjective argument lies on the meal/eating scenes
in Ozu. he goes on for some time on the difference between eating tofu
and tonkatsu (fried pork).

Of course, papers such as Le Monde, Liberation, and most film magazines
reviewed the book. And there'd be much to say about those reactions.

Stephen S.