Product Description
World Film Locations: Tokyo gives readers a kaleidoscopic view of one of the world’s most complex and exciting cities through the lens of world cinema. 50 scenes from classic and contemporary films explore how motion pictures have shaped the role of Tokyo in our collective consciousness, as well as how these cinematic moments reveal aspects of the life and culture of a city that are often hidden from view. Complimenting these scenes from such varied films as Tokyo Story, You Only Live Twice, Godzilla and Enter the Void are six spotlight essays that take us from the wooden streets of pre-19th century Edo to the sprawling “what-if” megalopolis of science fiction anime. Illustrated throughout with dynamic screen captures World Film Locations: Tokyo is at once a guided tour of Japan’s capital conducted by the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Samuel Fuller, Chris Marker and Sofia Coppola while also being an indispensible record of how Tokyo has fired both the imaginations of individuals working behind the camera and those of us sitting transfixed in movie theatres.
About the Author
Chris MaGee is one of today's key voices discussing and exploring Japanese film both online and onscreen. Not only is Chris the founder and editor of the Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow, the premiere Japanese film blog in Canada, but he is also the co-programmer and co-artistic director, along with film curator and scholar Jasper Sharp, of the Shinsedai Cinema Festival, a showcase of new and independent film from Japan that takes place annually at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Whether via the J-Film Pow-Wow or Shinsedai the main goal of Chris' work is to expand Western audiences' knowledge of the rich history of Japanese cinema.
