Promiscuous Media

Film and Visual Culture in Imperial Japan, 1926-1945

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Promiscuous Media by Hikari Hori, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hikari Hori ISBN: 9781501712166
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: January 15, 2018
Imprint: Cornell University Press Language: English
Author: Hikari Hori
ISBN: 9781501712166
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: January 15, 2018
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Language: English

In Promiscuous Media, Hikari Hori makes a compelling case that the visual culture of Showa-era Japan articulated urgent issues of modernity rather than serving as a simple expression of nationalism. Hori makes clear that the Japanese cinema of the time was in fact almost wholly built on a foundation of Russian and British film theory as well as American film genres and techniques. Hori provides a range of examples that illustrate how maternal melodrama and animated features, akin to those popularized by Disney, were adopted wholesale by Japanese filmmakers.

Emperor Hirohito's image, Hori argues, was inseparable from the development of mass media; he was the first emperor whose public appearances were covered by media ranging from postcards to radio broadcasts. Worship of the emperor through viewing his image, Hori shows, taught the Japanese people how to look at images and primed their enjoyment of early animation and documentary films alike. Promiscuous Media links the political and the cultural closely in a way that illuminates the nature of twentieth-century Japanese society.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Promiscuous Media, Hikari Hori makes a compelling case that the visual culture of Showa-era Japan articulated urgent issues of modernity rather than serving as a simple expression of nationalism. Hori makes clear that the Japanese cinema of the time was in fact almost wholly built on a foundation of Russian and British film theory as well as American film genres and techniques. Hori provides a range of examples that illustrate how maternal melodrama and animated features, akin to those popularized by Disney, were adopted wholesale by Japanese filmmakers.

Emperor Hirohito's image, Hori argues, was inseparable from the development of mass media; he was the first emperor whose public appearances were covered by media ranging from postcards to radio broadcasts. Worship of the emperor through viewing his image, Hori shows, taught the Japanese people how to look at images and primed their enjoyment of early animation and documentary films alike. Promiscuous Media links the political and the cultural closely in a way that illuminates the nature of twentieth-century Japanese society.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Hirelings by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Forgotten Men and Fallen Women by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book New Policies for New Residents by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book The Poison Plot by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Retracing a Winter's Journey by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book The Soul of Armies by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book The Triumph of Improvisation by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book The Politics of Voter Suppression by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Frontiers of Fear by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book The UAW and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945–1968 by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Phantom Formations by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Unfinished Business by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Dialogues between Faith and Reason by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Informal Governance in the European Union by Hikari Hori
Cover of the book Divided Highways by Hikari Hori
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy