Reply to Lorenzo

[J Rand]

Gosh, my email has never been so busy.  My minor subject in my degree was IT and one of the papers I wrote for that was on the difference between computer mediated communication and written/spoken communication.  We set up a conference and then had to observe the results etc.  At that time I had not had much experience on the net or with emails and was slightly cautious about the technology.  However, since starting research for this dissertation as I am now on line at home I am finding it really helpful and interesting.  I have found a few web pages for various people (relating to other assignments) and am amazed how willing people are to respond so am beginning to see that there are some really excellent ways of making use of the technology.

But I digress - to get back to Ozu.  I have to say that I have really started my enquiry into Japanese cinema generally from a place of very limited knowledge and am always rather cautious as to how - what is effectively a subjective response by myself. is received - especially in academic circles as it is easy to say things that can be misinterpreted by scholars who like a tight focus.  At the moment I am still trying to build a broad picture in order to feel that I have a slightly more solid basis on which to express an opinion.

I do certainly feel that Ozu's films contain an essence of what I understand as being Zen although, I believe Ozu himself was rather dismissive of the West's interpretation of Zen in his films  ("The Noriko Trilogy" by Robin Wood in Cine-Action no. 26/27 Winter 1992).  I confess this is one of the articles waiting for my attention so I am not sure what he says in it but there is a quote by Ozu on the front page that says "They don't understand - that's why they say its Zen or something like that"  .  However, it seems to me that despite this protestation the attitude or 'essence' of the Zen philosophy is in all of his films.  And for myself I find that the pacing and 'empty scenes' (as described by Ritchie definitely imbue the narrative with meaning.  I haven't watched enough films from other directors (with the exception of Kurosawa) in sufficient depth to comment yet as to whether this essence is still there.  For example, in western films generally the individual is privileged whereas landscape and environment are given a much greater role in Japanese films.  Perhaps that is why Kurosawa liked westerns as they also allow the landscape to play an important role.  As I think I mentioned in my earlier e-mail the first Japanese film I saw was Shindo's Onibaba and that was precisely the thing that stayed in my mind - the power contained within those incessantly moving reeds to shape the lives of the two women in the story.  I was therefore, interested to read in Joan Mellen's interview with Shindo that he wanted the reeds to symbolically represent the world - the society that surrounded the women.  I think it is to his great credit that he was able to communicate this idea visually to (at the time) a young girl who really knew nothing about Japan or indeed about films.  Its now 20 years later and I still remember how that film made me feel in this respect.  I therefore think that this does demonstrate that the essence of a philosophy that accepts the multiplicity of life and the oneness within nature is inherent in these films.  What I hope to explore in the future is whether this has continued in more modern Japanese films. Personally, I did feel that it was there in Kurosawa's film "Rhapsody in August".

I take your point about Kurosawa and Ozu using a form closer to classic cinema although I think the content and the way in which Ozu uses simple dialogue and yet tells a much wider story is in a way in opposition to the dramatic narratives of Hollywood. As I have only occasionally seen other Japanese films I don't feel that I can make a comparison at this stage.  I am not quite sure what you mean by the last mythic and symbolic example of our civilisation.  Could you expand a bit on that for me please?

Anyway, thanks for replying.  Its very good to have input from other people especially when you are studying something that most people I know have very little awareness of.  You said you were looking at Zen and psychology in Ozu's films for your doctorate.  Are you having success finding material?

Janet


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