Books by Donald Richie

This definitive new collection of essays by the writer Time calls "e;the dean of arts critics in Japan"e; ranges from Kyogen drama to the sex shows of Shinjuku, from film and Buddhism to Butoh and retro rock 'n' roll, from wasei eigo (Japanese/English) to mizushobai, the fine art of pleasing. Spanning some fifty years, these thirty-seven essaysmost never anthologized beforeoffer cross-sections of Japan's enormous cultural power. They reflect the unique perspective of a man attempting to understand his adopted home.The writings of Donald Richiefilm critic, reviewer, novelist, and essayisthave influenced generations of Japan observers around the world.

This study examines the work of Akira Kurosawa, one of the century's greatest film directors. It discusses his choice of themes, story-telling technique, camera work and directorial style. New to this edition are a revised introduction and filmography, and some additional chapters.

Yasujiro Ozu, the man whom his kinsmen consider the most Japanese for all film directors, had but one major subject, the Japanese family, and but one major theme, its dissolution. The Japanese family in dissolution figures in every one of his fifty-three films.