Cinema of Discontent: Representations of Japan's High-Speed Growth

Japan experienced unprecedented economic growth from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, transforming itself from a war-devastated country to a global economic power. Cinema of Discontent challenges this view and explores the tensions generated by capitalist development through analyses of popular cinema produced during this era. The films address problems immanent to Japan's postwar capitalism, including uneven development, increasing corporate control, precarious and contingent work, and militarized peace and prosperity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 286 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2022
Publisher: State University of New York Press

Japan experienced an unprecedented level of economic growth from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, transforming itself from a war-devastated country to a global economic power. This event has shaped our image of postwar Japan, often portrayed as a story of great national success. However, Cinema of Discontent challenges this view and explores the tensions generated by massive and intense capitalist development through analyses of popular cinema produced during the era of high-speed growth. The films discussed in this book, directed by Kawashima Yūzō, Masumura Yasuzō, Inoue Akira, Ezaki Mio, and Kumashiro Tatsumi, attracted broad audiences yet remain understudied. Cinema of Discontent contextualizes these films in relation to the politics, economy, intellectual discourse, and cultural texts of the time, demonstrating how they address problems immanent to Japan's postwar capitalism, including uneven development, increasing corporate control over individuals, precarious and contingent work, and militarized peace and prosperity.

Weight: 582g
Dimension: 158 x 237 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781438490991