{"title":"Joan Mellen","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoan Mellen's works delve into the rich tapestry of global cinema, offering insightful analysis and critique that appeal to both enthusiasts and scholars of film. Her writing often explores iconic movies and directors with a focus on cultural context and cinematic artistry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders drawn to \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e will appreciate Mellen’s capacity to illuminate the deeper themes within film, blending historical perspective with sharp, engaging commentary. Her examinations provide a thoughtful lens through which to appreciate the enduring impact of influential cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"seven-samurai-by-joan-mellen-9781839024771","title":"Seven Samurai","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e (1954) a whole society is on the verge of irrevocable change. Akira Kurosawa’s celebrated film, regarded by many to be the major achievement of Japanese cinema, is an epic that evokes the cultural upheaval brought on by the collapse of Japanese militarism in the 16th century, but at the same time also echoes the sweeping cultural changes occurring in the aftermath of the American Occupation that followed Japan's defeat in the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe plot is deceptively simple. A village of farmers is beleaguered by a horde of bandits. In desperation, the farmers decide to hire itinerant samurai to protect their crops and people and defeat the bandits. There had never been a Japanese film in which peasants hired samurai, or an evocation of the social transformation that made such an idea credible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are six samurai and one who is accepted as such. Together they reflect the ideals and values of a noble class near the point of extinction. \u003ci\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e may be the greatest action film, a technical masterpiece unmatched in its depiction of movement and violence, but running beneath the sound and fury is a lament for a lost nobility, \u003ci\u003e‘a dirge for the spirit of Japan,’\u003c\/i\u003e writes Joan Mellen, ‘which will never again be so strong.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMellen's study contextualises \u003ci\u003eSeven Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e, marking its place in Japanese cinema and in Kurosawa’s film-making career. She explores the film’s roots in medieval history and, above all, the astonishing visual language in which Kurosawa created his elegiac epic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PTY Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47455687868652,"sku":"9781839024771","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/91_qi0EJ9LL._SL1500.jpg?v=1774794036"},{"product_id":"in-the-realm-of-the-senses-by-joan-mellen-9781844570348","title":"In the Realm of the Senses","description":"Declared obscene in Japan, where it has never been shown in its entirety, Oshima Nagisa's In the Realm of the Senses, was shown uncut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976: thirteen screenings were required to satisfy audience demand. The unprecedented explicitness with which the film presented sexual acts inevitably caused widespread controversy. But this is not a film which sets out simply to shock. Oshima's account of a couple whose sexual obsession finds its ultimate expression in murder (based on a notorious true-life incident in 1936 Tokyo) was animated by deep political convictions. As Joan Mellen explains, Oshima wished to break with social conventions as well as the film-making culture of the past. He took a revolutionary position. Refusing to follow the lead of the masters who had gone before him (Mizoguchi, Ozu, Naruse, Kurosawa), disdaining costume drama and poignant family portraits, Oshima attacked the sense of victimhood he saw everywhere in his country's psychic make-up. In the Realm of the Senses is the fullest expression of this political intent. Oshima's lovers seek to combat social repression through sexual transgression - but they fail. 'In what may be the most b","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PTY Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47461068570860,"sku":"9781844570348","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781844570348-in-the-realm-of-the-senses.jpg?v=1774957295"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/joan-mellen.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}