Asian Cinema

This is a concise historical overview and guide to Asian cinema for the general reader and film enthusiast alike. Asian cinema has never been more popular than it is now. In recent years, films such as "Spirited Away", "Hero", and "Kung Fu Hustle", have made surprising inroads into the American box [...]
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This is a concise historical overview and guide to Asian cinema for the general reader and film enthusiast alike. Asian cinema has never been more popular than it is now. In recent years, films such as "Spirited Away", "Hero", and "Kung Fu Hustle", have made surprising inroads into the American box office. Directors like Jim Jarmusch, with "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai", and Quentin Tarantino, with "Kill Bill 1 and 2", have paid unabashed tribute to the Asian directors who influenced them. Two recent Hollywood hits, "The Ring" and "The Grudge", are remakes of Japanese horror films, and more are in the pipeline, including a high-profile reworking of the Hong Kong blockbuster "Infernal Affairs" by Martin Scorsese.On the world festival circuit, Asian films regularly win prestigious awards, and this year the historically America-centric Sundance Film Festival expanded its world cinema offerings, in part to take advantage of the tremendous creative energy coming from the other side of the globe. Whereas local art house cinema in the 1960s or 70s, was traditionally from France, Italy or Germany. Today it's more likely to be something from Iran, Korea or Hong Kong.Interest in Asian films is at an all time high, and, thanks to the internet and the multi region DVD players, those films are easier than ever to see. "Asian Cinema" provides a concise, engaging overview of the past, present, and future of the world's most dynamic and influential filmmaking region, including historical backgrounds on the countries discussed, and a guide for further research.