Support NeoGAF

[mattx5]

Ok, here's the deal -

For my last year of high school, I'm taking an Independant Studies class. My project is going to be a half hour to an hour documentary on Asian cinema. Let me give you a short outline -

This project will take a look at how Asian cinema (specifically China and Japan) over the past hundred years has influenced American filmmakers. It will take an in-depth look at how Asian filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Ryuhei Kitamura, Yimou Zhang and Kinji Fukasaku have influenced their Western counterparts (i.e. Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, etc). It will also take a look at prominent Asian actors, and any work they may have done at home or overseas (i.e. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kitano). Also covered will be the difference in style, genre and structure between Western and Asian films.

Part of the reason I chose to do this project is because Asian cinema is a topic I'm interested in, know a bit about, but would like to know A LOT more.

So does anyone have any suggestions for me?

i.e. Directors or actors I should focus on? Time periods? Specific films?

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Sounds like a fun project. You sir, are cool.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

I know a lot more about Korean cinema then any others, but they haven't exactly influenced American cinema since it's only really taken off since about '99, but I'll try to help out nontheless.

Obviously, Kurosawa's gonna be a biggie. Arguably, he single-handedly introduced the action-adventure genre with his films in terms of pacing and editing without ever sacrificing artistic integrity. You look at Seven Samurai, a film that is exciting from start to end with a hint of artistic subtletly, then you look at Rashomon or Madadayo which is prove to be extremely innovative. Hell, you could do your half-hour doc. on Kurosawa.

Another to look at is Yasujiro Ozu who's dramas reflect the mood and societal outlook of post-war Japan being westernized. Some of his like "Tokyo Story" and "Good Morning" are good starting places to look at this.

In terms of Hong Kong cinema, Shaw Brothers were huge. You've also hit on some current directors who've been pretty influential, Zhang with "Raise the Red Lantern" and I'd also hit up Wong Kar Wai who's one of the best directors working today.

If you're more interested in the action themes in Japan and China, research Musashi Miyamoto who's story is known as the "Gone with the Wind" of Japan and has at least been made into one trilogy by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune. China's version of this is all those "Wong Fei-Hung" stories.

Actor-wise, hit up Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura.

If you're gonna hit up anime too, I'm probably not the best to recommend that stuff.

To be honest, you're gonna have to be more focused then "Asian cinema" if you're gonna bare it down to an hour.

Hope that helps.

 

[SolidSnakex]

"Directors or actors I should focus on? Time periods? Specific films?"

Some other directors would be, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Shunji Iwai, and Hiroyuki Nakano. Films, Stereo Future (Nakano), All About Lily Chou-Chou (Iwai), Love Letter (Iwai), Kairo (Kurosawa). Iwai is especially good, anything by him is basically top notch as long as you don't mind sadder stuff. So if you're just going to focus on a few directors, pick him over the other 2 I mentioned.

 

[Sinatar]

Yuen Woo Ping. Director. Watch everything he has ever done. Rejoice.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

Sergio Leone was Italian, not American.

 

[norinrad21]

Sergio Leone was Italian, not American.

hehehe i was about to tell him that.

Sergio rocks.

I think he also did a fist full of dynamite with James Coburn

 

[Gantz]

Check out http://www.midnighteye.com

 

[mattx5]

Sergio Leone was Italian, not American.

I'm a dumbass. I added him into the description because I was thinking of directors who have been influenced by Asian cinema. I failed to see the 'American' in front of the brackets. I should've said 'Western'. And by Western, I mean 'Western Hemisphere'

I've disgraced my idol

 

[Stele]

You should just say East Asia then. Otherwise, you can't do a project on Asian cinema without India.

 

[sprsk]

Ozu, kurosawa, anno, miyazaki --- 4 badasses of japanese cinema

Dont bother with HK cinema.

 

[fart]

seriously, if you say you're covering asian cinema then ignore south asia you're seriously mischaracterizing your work

 

[mattx5]

This project will take a look at how Asian cinema (specifically China and Japan)

I'm not going to focus on Korea, India or any of that, just Japan and China (Which is mainly Hong Kong of course).

In fact, I may just focus the film on someone like Kurosawa, because Hong Kong and Japanese cinema is such a big subject to cover. I have to get the okay from my teacher, but he seemed like a pretty big AK fan though....

 

[GG-Duo]

You need to be careful to seperate "cult status" and "artistic merit", even though these are very subjective.

Ozu, kurosawa, anno, miyazaki --- 4 badasses of japanese cinema

Dont bother with HK cinema.

IMO, he could talk about Wong Kar-Wai.

 

[sprsk]

I'm not going to focus on Korea, India or any of that, just Japan and China (Which is mainly Hong Kong of course).

In fact, I may just focus the film on someone like Kurosawa, because Hong Kong and Japanese cinema is such a big subject to cover. I have to get the okay from my teacher, but he seemed like a pretty big AK fan though....

Japan and hk cinema are like apples and oranges. uncomparable. Skip kurosawa and go straight to Ozu.

 

[3rdman]

Skip kurosawa and go straight to Ozu.

Um...No. Kurosawa is a perfect example of the "merging" of eastern and western styles. George Lucas heavily "borrowed" from "The Hidden Fortress" when he sat down to write "Star Wars." The "Seven Samurai" was quickly copied into "The Magnificent Seven. " "Rashoman" has been copied so many times that a whole book could be written about it and "Yojimbo" was later remade into "A Fistful of Dollars"

But with Kurosawa, it went both ways, in that although he influenced many, it was first american cinema that influenced him. It's this Amercian influence that gives his films a kind of "universal" language that he is able to convey on the screen that others find difficult. Take "Dances with Japs"...Uh, I mean "The Last Samurai". In it, Japanese customs and beliefs are clumsily handled. Of course, since the film is seen through the eyes of an American in Japan, it makes sense that there is a sense that you are seeing things from the outside looking in. But in the end, you don't feel any closer to understanding Japanese cutoms or beliefs. Kurosawa, on the other hand, handles all the customs and traditions of historical and modern Japan with ease and mastery. Take a sene from "Ran" as an example. There is a scene in which a once proud man is forced to sit at a postion physically lower to his son who is now the master of all the lands. There is no great monologue or exanded expostion to explain the shame and anger of the old man. Its done cinematically and with perfect ease.

Sorry, I've drifted a bit from the thread's premise. I just really like the director. But back on topic...Kurosawa also has another western connection...Shadespeare. Kurosawa borrowed heavily from the master in creating works like "Ran" (King Lear) and "Throne of Blood" (Macbeth). Both films are absolutely "must see" if you are any fan of cinema whatsoever!

 

[Dan]

Unless you're going to do an extremely cursory look into all those topics, there's no possible way you can do any form of justice to anything you mentioned in a mere 30-60 minutes. You really have three topics in there, and I'd highly suggest you pick one.

1: It will take an in-depth look at how Asian filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Ryuhei Kitamura, Yimou Zhang and Kinji Fukasaku have influenced their Western counterparts (i.e. Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, etc).

2: It will also take a look at prominent Asian actors, and any work they may have done at home or overseas (i.e. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kitano).

3: Also covered will be the difference in style, genre and structure between Western and Asian films.

Those are really three different topics, and cramming them all into a 30-60 minute documentary is only going to result in a rather useless cursory glance at each piece, except for those with absolutely no knowledge of the subject going in.

 

[nitewulf]

Sorry, I've drifted a bit from the thread's premise. I just really like the director. But back on topic...Kurosawa also has another western connection...Shadespeare. Kurosawa borrowed heavily from the master in creating works like "Ran" (King Lear) and "Throne of Blood" (Macbeth). Both films are absolutely "must see" if you are any fan of cinema whatsoever!

dont forget,

high and low = from an ed mcbain novel.
yojimbo = dashiell hammett's "red harvest"

now, on topic, are you sure scorsese was influenced by eastern directors? sergio leone and lucas are the ones i can think of. and tarantino/rodriguez in the recent years.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

I wouldn't say Scorsese was influenced by eastern directors, but he sure as hell respected Kurosawa enough to show up as Van Gogh in Kurosawa's "Dreams." Lucas, Coppola and Spielberg on the other hand definitely were influenced to a certain extent, even having the Lucas/Coppola started American Zoetrope production fund Kurosawa's "Kagemusha."