Film History:
Place the author in Japanese or Asian film history. Did he/she belong to a certain school of directors? Be sure to list key scholar works (university presses) that have researched this author.
Significance:
According to your own estimation and opinion, why do you consider this director or film to be significant? How does the particular story or work you read fit into the overall context of his/her total work?
Film Studies:
Research the author or the work(s) or issues, such as gender, the Samurai film, fascism, etc. within academic books or journal, i.e. university presses and critique the topic and film you have chosen. Since this is a film studies course, be sure to include at least one significant filmic analysis of a scene, camerawork, etc. into your paper.
Related Topics:
If you wish to research the film in terms of its historical or theoretical content, the following links study Japanese society across various disciplines
http://japanfocus.org/
https://www.loc.gov/item/76a3ad6c8bd09929e588a9aede43126f/
http://brightlightsfilm.com/about/history/
Alternatively: you can choose to research a topic, such as the
changing roles for women in immediate postwar Japan, then using films more as an illustration of a social science-based paper. Or, you may research a film topic, such as the relationship between the samurai film and the Western genres. Or more specifically research the interplay between Star Wars and Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress. Be sure to support your analysis with a visual, as well as thematic analysis.
