This course takes as its object of analysis the themes, stylistics, and genres of Japanese cinema through work of classic directors (Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu) and more recent filmmakers. Discussions will cover such issues as the rise of the “pure film” movement in the early twentieth century, the impact of the postwar relationship between Hollywood and the Japanese film industry on the development of the discipline of film studies, the functions of film genre, and the globalization of Japanese cinema.