| The thesis Nihon-Ga: The portrayal of Japan by non-Japanese filmmakers examines how non-Japanese filmmakers have conveyed the Japanese image ever since "Japan" appeared in non-Japanese films. This thesis is separated into three categories; (1) The Oriental and archetypical images in Hollywood films with historical background (the 1910's through the 1990's), (2) The realistic image in European films featuring Wim Wenders's "Tokyo-Ga", (3) The radical images in two contemporary Hollywood films, Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Volume 1" and Sofia Coppola's "Lost In Translation". Through these three categories, it considers the construction of a stereotypical "Oriental" image in Western film, as it relates to Japanese self-representation and the realities of life in Japan. As well, it also examines the impact of these dominant Western images upon the Japanese film industry itself, and the impact of Japanese film, culture and economics upon contemporary Hollywood. |
