Film enjoys great popularity in America and Japan, and impressions of each culture are often based on viewing movies. While action adventure, historical romance, and science fiction dominate popular taste in both America and Japan, such films seldom provide realistic pictures of ordinary people and daily life in either culture. This class will concentrate on informed discussion of films made in America and Japan which seek to provide more realistic views of the cultures and the joys and problems of ordinary people in daily life.
In class, you will watch American and Japanese films portraying 'ordinary' life, write an analysis in English (based on questions provided by the instructor), and discuss in English similarities and differences in Japanese and American culture based on film portrayals. Examples of American films for discussion include: 'Steel Magnolias', 'Smoke',“Driving Miss Daisy”、and 'Ordinary People'. Examples of Japanese films include: 'Ikiru', 'Bounce Kogals' and 'Moe no Suzaku'.
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