Re-Viewing the Past

Reviews / Votes

"O'Reilly re-views the films produced in transwar Japan through a unique analytical lens. The result is brisk and brilliant; he deciphers an intricate process whereby popular attitudes toward historicity were formulated by filmmakers, filmgoers, politicians, and foreigners-an unparalleled contribution to the scholarship on the history of Japan." * Dr. Tomoko L. Kitagawa, author of The Creation of Intelligence: A History of Passion without Borders (2015), The Visions (2013) and Japanese History Abroad (2012) * In Re-Viewing the Past, Sean O'Reilly lucidly introduces us to the barely discussed but deeply formative popular cinema of interwar and wartime Japan. Not content with simply mapping an immensely influential body of film, the book expertly re-directs us towards the complex encounters these films offered to audiences at the times. From the bloody tales of assassination, the parodies of patriotism and the adventures of masked heroes emerges a kaleidoscope of possible viewing positions that provides us with a rich view of how film in Japan functioned in negotiating the wrenching present through a specific framing of the tumultuous past. * Alexander Zahlten, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, USA * Re-Viewing the Past makes a long-awaited contribution to the scholarship on Japanese period cinema, and Bakumatsu films in particular. Taking a Cultural Studies approach, Sean O'Reilly brilliantly conjures the multifaceted experiences of contemporary audiences, showing us that interwar/wartime Japan was not, in fact, a gloomy, 'dark valley' as is often claimed. O'Reilly's analysis is witty and elegantly sharp. With its innovative 'revisionist' approach, the book makes a major contribution to both the study of Japanese cinema and audience studies. * Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano, Professor of Film Studies, Kyoto University, Graduate School of Letters, Japan * Our image of a monolithic, fascist Japan during WWII was partly the product of propaganda cinema from both Japan and the West; the reality was far more complex. Sean O'Reilly uncovers this complexity by looking at interwar and wartime films representing the Bakumatsu period, the 19th century transition from feudalism to the nation state system. His compelling analyses reveal the wide spectrum of relationships spectators held toward tradition, nation and war. Bakumatsu has recently made a comeback in film and television. O'Reilly invites us to use the insights of his study to understand how present-day audiences are also re-viewing their collective past. * Markus Nornes, Professor of Asian Cinema, University of Michigan, USA *