A critical handbook of Japanese film directors : from the silent era to the present day /

This useful volume offers a critical overview and filmography of over 150 Japanese directors from the silent era to the present, excluding anime. An introduction provides a brief survey of Japanese cinema history, and the book concludes with a rich bibliography. De facto appendixes include a glossary, notes on major Japanese production companies, and notes on periods of Japanese history. Jacoby (freelance writer and researcher) obviously privileges scope over depth and mainstream accessibility over academic detail. The end result, however, ought to please both scholars in search of a handy (and unique) reference title, and more casual Japanese film enthusiasts seeking information. On the one hand, the volume offers a more comprehensive picture than recent specialized titles--be they scholarly or popular--like Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp's The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (CH, May'05, 42-5155) or Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano's Nippon Modern (CH, Oct'08, 46-0786). On the other, Jacoby's account updates and complements surveys such as Isolde Standish's A New History of Japanese Cinema (CH, Dec'05, 43-2089) and Donald Richie's A Hundred Years of Japanese Film (CH, May'02, 39-5096). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. N. A. Baker Earlham College