Foreword / Paul Schrader
A concise history of Japanese
Beginnings and the Benshi
Film, theater, and actors
Realism and reality
Western influences
Shingeki and new narrative tactics
The gendaigeki
Taisho democracy and Shochiku
The new gendaigeki: Shimazu, Gosho, Shimizu, Ozu, and Naruse
The new jidaigeki: Itami, Inagaki, Ito, and Yamanaka Sadao
Nikkatsu and the shimpa: Mizoguchi Kenji
Expressionism, Kinugasa Teinosuke, and the Leftist film
Criticism and crackdown: World War II
The occupation of Japan
Postwar developments
Ozu and Naruse
Mizoguchi and the period-film == New means: jun-bungaku, comedy, and social issues
The advent of television and the film's defenses: Suzuki, Nakahira, Kawashima, and Imamura
The early independents: Hani and Teshigahara
The "New Wave": Oshima, Yoshida, and Shinoda
After the Wave
Making audiences
Japanese sources of videos and DVDs
Japanese historical periods.