Description
Book SynopsisFirst book in English to explore Kobayashi’s entire career, from the early films he made at Shochiku studio, to internationally-acclaimed masterpieces like
The Human Condition, Harakiri, and
Samurai Rebellion, and on to his final work for NHK Television.
Trade Review"[A] meticulously researched new book,
A Dream of Resistance: The Cinema of Kobayashi Masaki,
is sensitive to many of these issues and refreshingly demonstrates the insights a scholar can arrive at by using rigorous auteurist analysis and concentrating on recurring stylistic and narrative devices."— New York Review of Books
“He was regarded as a ‘filmmaker of steel,’ But throughout his films you can see the figure of the director himself, drawn to beauty, friendly, easily moved to tears, prone to feeling lonely, straightforward, and possessing the heart of a youth…. It has been one hundred years since Kobayashi Masaki’s birth and twenty since his death. I sincerely hope that through Professor Prince’s book, the thoughts that director Kobayashi entrusted to his films will cross national borders and reach a new generation." — Kajiyama Koko, managing director, Geiyukai, Kobayashi Masaki archive
"Prince, already one of the field's greatest observers of film form, has moved beyond form to demonstrate Kobayashi's deep humanism, fierce political convictions, and religio-philosophical leanings within a career of rare depth and beauty. This is the definitive work."— David Desser, author of The Samurai Films of Akira Kurosawa
"Prince, an expert on Japanese cinema, offers a profound, passionate, and introspective account of another Japanese master."— Senses of Cinema
"Prince delves broadly and deeply into the world of Kobayashi’s films, providing an introduction to the international community. This will be a great boon to a new generation of audiences."— Ogasawara Kiyoshi, co-writer of the screenplay for Tokyo saiban
"Draws on previously untranslated material in a study of the Japanese filmmaker (1916-96), who is known for his critique of war and militarism."— Chronicle
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1
1 Conjoining Spirit and World 12
2 A Sharp and Piercing Thorn 70
3 The Logic of Negation 123
4 Guardians of the Gate 178
5 A Pilgrim on the Silk Road 240
Acknowledgments 297
Films by Kobayashi Masaki 299
Notes 301
Index 315
