In 1951, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, introducing Japanese film to the world. Soon other Japanese filmmakers would receive critical acclaim. But Japan had been producing films of artistic merit since the silent era. This four-session course will focus on the holy trinity of Japanese film: Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Yasujiro Ozu. We will view classics from the 1930s through the 1950s, and discuss their cinematic, thematic, and cultural perspectives. Kurosawa, best known in the West for epic samurai films like Seven Samurai, was equally famed in Japan for contemporary stories, pitting soul searching individuals against society. His virtuoso editing and cinematography invigorated both.
Reed Hessler, recently retired after thirty-nine years as classical music host and producer at WBJC-FM, has a degree in English from Washington College, with further studies in music and film at Towson University. Reed Hessler has studied Japanese film for forty years, and has taught and lectured frequently on this, one of his lifelong passions.
912.579.01 Homewood Campus
$105 (6 hours) 4 sessions
Mon., Oct. 7-28, 6:45–8:15 p.m.
JHU full-time faculty/staff are eligible for 80% tuition remission; spouse-50%. Unfortunately, you are unable to register online and receive the discount. Contact, 410-516-8516, for more details.
