Program Details

East Meets West: How Ozu and Ray Reveal the Universal Within the Culture

Instructor
Shelly Isaacs
S144B
Video Catch-up
Available

Course Description

Both masters of their craft, Yosujiro Ozu and Satyajit Ray achieved international success with stories that reflected the many facets of each of their cultures and transcended them. In this session, through four films, we'll see how they reveal how their worlds are our worlds.

Lectures

  1. "Equinox Flower":  Japan,Yosujiro Ozu - A businessman is often approached by friends for advice and help regarding marriage as well as family and romantic relationships. However, when it comes time for him to be objective regarding his oldest daughter, he learns some lessons of his own.
  2. "Charluata": India, Satyajit Ray - Charu lives a lonely and idle life in 1870s India, with a husband more devoted to his work than his marriage. When a would-be writer comes home after college, they share a love for literature, that grows beyond the page.
  3. "Nayak": The Hero": India, Satyajit Ray - En route to Delhi to receive an award, a Bengali film star reevaluates his success through his fellow passengers, dreams, and past experiences.
  4. "The End of Summer": Japan, Yosujiro Ozu - The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery becomes concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.

About the Instructor

  • Shelly Isaacs, M.A. is founder and host for Café Cinematheque International, a foreign language film program presented in venues throughout South Florida. As a creative director/writer/producer and director in advertising, Isaacs specialized in promoting movies & entertainment. He earned a master's degree in media ecology studies from New York University, and taught graduate-level courses in cultural studies. In 2009 he launched Cinematheque at Sea, a film program available on luxury cruises throughout the world.