We are often asked by people interested in Japanese cinema what to make of Noel Burch's To the Distant Observer. This book marks an important break in the study of Japanese film, and initiated one of the more interesting debates in film studies. Anyone interested in learning about Japanese cinema has to make their way through Burch. However, his writing style is thick with jargon and detailed close analyses. Combined with its involved argument about the history of world cinema, it is a particularly perplexing read for anyone outside of film studies proper. One of our future projects for this space is a lengthy critique of Burch's book to be written by A.A. Gerow and Abé Mark Nornes. In addition to a chapter-by-chapter analysis of To the Distant Observer, we will summarize the debate the book sparked. This project will take some time, and will be posted gradually as it is written. For those who can't wait, press here for more compact reading notes prepared by Markus (warning: they are lengthy and may take a minute to download). These notes basically summarize the book, rather than concentrate on the critique it was greeted with.
Welcome to Kinema Club
Tables of Contents (in Japanese)
Holdings in North American Libraries
Japanese Cinema Bibliography (in
English)
Japanese Moving Image Internet Resources
Reading Burch