"Using extensive examples of films and filmmakers from French and Japanese cinemas, this book tracks the longstanding and multiple cultural, aesthetic and stylistic links that are found in films from the two countries"--

AcknowledgementsList of figuresPrefaceIntroductionTwo cinematic ecosystems: France and JapanHistoryReceptionChapter structurePART A: History and Style1. Historicising French and Japanese cinemasBefore the nouvelle vague.and afterThe impact of Japan's Nuberu baguThe rise of the female auteur: Naomi Kawase and Claire DenisConclusion2. Cinematic engagement between France and JapanKurosawa connectionsFormalising co-productionsConclusion3. Directorial styles, influence and exchangeStyles and TechnologiesTheatrical antecedentsMonochromeConclusion4. Tora-san and the Monsieur Hulot influenceTati: choreographing meaning through movementIcons from another eraAmbivalence to modernity (and love)ConclusionPART B: Themes, Ideas and Approaches5. Unemployment and the isolating selfThe Personal Toll of UnemploymentUnemployment in FranceIsolationConclusion6. Location and the sense of placeImagining the nation through rural/urban dividesCountry living in French cinemaFrench ColonialismReflections of Japan as ColoniserAbsencesConclusion7. Confrontational cinemaEroticism and sexploitationViolenceConclusion8. Life, death and states of beingHirokazu Kore-eda: Contemplations on LifeThe Connectivity and Disconnectivity of Family in French CinemaConclusion9. Adapting literary and visual textsFantasyDramaConclusionConclusion: Where to next for the cinematic influence?Audience and ReceptionFilms CitedBibliographyIndex