Suzuki Seijun and Postwar Japanese Cinema

Suzuki Seijun, a low-budget genre filmmaker, was fired by Nikkatsu Studios in 1968, leading to a cause for leftist student protestors and cinephiles to rally around. William Carroll's book explores the intersections of film theory, production, cinephile culture, and politics in 1960s Japan, highlighting the distinctive qualities of Suzukis films and offering a new lens on postwar Japanese film culture and industry.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 05 July 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In 1968, Suzuki Seijun, a renowned low-budget genre filmmaker known for his films such as Branded to Kill, Tokyo Drifter, and Youth of the Beast, faced an unexpected termination from Nikkatsu Studios. This event, later known as the "Suzuki Seijun Incident," sparked a significant response from leftist student protestors and a growing group of cinephiles who rallied behind him. Suzuki's films quickly gained prominence in debates surrounding politics and aesthetics in Japanese cinema.

William Carroll presents a fresh perspective on Suzuki's career, exploring the intricate intersections of film theory, film production, cinephile culture, and politics in 1960s Japan. Carroll situates Suzuki's work within two distinct factions that claimed him as one of their own following his dismissal in 1968: the New Left and its politicized theoretical practice on one hand, and the seemingly apolitical cinephiles and their formalist criticism on the other. He delves into how these two strands of film theory shed light on the unique qualities of Suzuki's films, while also examining how Suzuki's works and lesser-known Japanese film theorists offer fresh insights into the world of cinema.

This book not only offers a significant reinterpretation of Suzuki's work, which has had a profound influence on directors like John Woo, Jim Jarmusch, and Quentin Tarantino, but also provides a new lens through which to understand postwar Japanese film culture and industry. Additionally, Suzuki Seijun and Postwar Japanese Cinema includes a comprehensive production history of Suzuki's filmography, along with previously unpublished information about his unfinished film projects.

In conclusion, Suzuki Seijun's dismissal in 1968 marked a turning point in his career and in the broader landscape of Japanese cinema. Through the lens of William Carroll's book, we gain a deeper understanding of Suzuki's work, its impact on Japanese cinema, and its relevance to global film culture. This book is a valuable contribution to the study of Japanese cinema and a must-read for enthusiasts and scholars alike.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231204378