Film and Literature Studies

Karate Kid and the True Story Behind Mr. Miyagi

June 18th, 2024

"Wax on, wax off." This classic line from The Karate Kid is ingrained in our minds as the epitome of cinematic martial arts lessons. It captures the elfin broken English of Mr. Miyagi in all his humble and quirky charm. Miyagi won our hearts as the kindly sensei, and the role earned Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (1932-2005) a nomination for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. But did you know that Mr. Miyagi was based on a real person? Actually, he was based on three people, all famous karate masters. Her...

Exploring the feud between John Huston and John Wayne

January 17th, 2023

(Credit: Far Out / Wikimedia) Exploring the feud between John Huston and John Wayne Wed 28th Dec 2022 18.30 GMT John Huston, the director of unforgettable masterpieces such as The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of Sierra Madre, has often been called Hollywood’s renaissance man and rightly so. One of the greatest pioneers of American cinema, Huston worked with the biggest icons of t...

Last Samurai Unread

November 22nd, 2022

My new book, The Last Samurai Reread should probably be called The Last Samurai Unread. After all, Helen DeWitt’s debut novel, The Last Samurai, which was published more than twenty years ago, has yet to be read for the first time by many readers, including many literary critics. When I mentioned I was writing about the novel, I found myself forced to explain, on more than one occasion, that the book has nothing to do with the 2003 Tom Cruise film of the same name. No actual samurai appear in...

The Lull

October 18th, 2022

"It’s a dead calm, isn’t it?" "It is, sir. But there’s something out of the common coming, for sure."—Joseph Conrad, Typhoon Nothing happens. A dull sea, the color of slate, mirrors the gray skies billowing above. The sun flickers through the mist, its pale disc begging for an appearance, like an old actor whose glory has passed. The wind has slackened. Any sense of direction and purpose has given way to aimless drift. Time seems to have come to a halt. Ennui builds—and yet, the stillness is ...

A Neon-Soaked City

August 15th, 2022

Ridley Scott’s film adaptation of Blade Runner came out in 1982. It’s since become the blueprint for high-tech, neon-soaked dystopia and cyberpunk aesthetics: cities emblazoned with colourful billboards and 24-hour artificial light. Six years prior to its release, Canadian photographer Greg Girard (b. 1955) arrived in Tokyo. "Blade Runner-esque" had yet to enter the lexicon, and he was soon entranced by this modern, futuristic city. Girard quickly turned his lens on the city’s people and glow...

aesthetic distance (idea) by ssjBulma - Everything2.com

March 28th, 2022

Near Matches Ignore ExactFull Text Everything2 aesthetic distance (idea) See all of aesthetic distance, no other writeups in this node. (idea) by ssjBulma Thu Aug 16 2001 at 12:47:52 A Western theory describing the aesthetics of drama in Japan. Japanese drama goes out of the way to inform the viewer that what he/she is watching is not real. Therefore, by insisting that what you're seeing is fictional, you are allowed to think more fully about what you're viewing. The Japanes...

Cups in Antiquity (Image Gallery) - Ancient History Encyclopedia

July 28th, 2020

Cups in Antiquity Fundraiser: Egypt Teaching Materials Please help us create teaching materials on Ancient Egypt (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. $3,167.63 of $3,000.00105.59% Funded Donate Now Image Gallery Cups were a part of everyday life in the ancient world, just as they are today but craftworkers and artists were often challenged to use their tal...

Barefoot Gen (thing) by e2reneta - Everything2.com

July 28th, 2020

Barefoot Gen (thing) by e2reneta - Everything2.comSourceURL: https://everything2.com/user/e2reneta/writeups/Barefoot+Gen Near Matches Ignore ExactFull Text Everything2 Barefoot Gen (thing) See all of Barefoot Gen, there is 1 more in this node. (thing) by e2reneta Wed Sep 27 2000 at 21:22:43 Keiji Nakazawa's semi-autobiographical account of the bombing of Hiroshima, which depicts a second grader, Gen, surviving the bombing in 1945. Barefoot Gen (Hadashi no Gen ...

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