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"This collection, sponsored by the Asian office of the International Catholic Organization for Cinema (OCIC), provides an overview for the study of cinema in Asia. It consists of articles, more or less arranged in concentric circles, addressing cinema in general, Asian cinema, and the cinema of part ... icular countries. Authors include film critics, scholars, and film makers. The first and most general section asks how the cinema teaches values, examining the process of the construction of meaning. Jacob Srampickal, one of the volume's editors, sees the cinema as a mirror of social values while Peter Malone, the international president of OCIC and a film critic from Australia, examines the hopes and failures of cinema in teaching family values. He highlights in particular questions of patriarchy, commitment, cohabitation, separation and divorce, single parenting, careerism, rebellion, peer pressure, and sexual abuse as they appear in films. Virgilio Fantuzzi, a Rome-based film educator, provides a theoretical piece on transcendence in film and introduces a number of film makers known for their transcendental style. Jose Palakeel, the dean of studies at Ruhalaya in Central India, argues that audiovisual expression is particularly apt for the construction of meanings and values. Rooting his analysis in Jungian psychology, he notes that the individual constructs meaning and values through association of images, feelings, relationships, and intuitions. The section also includes Pope John Paul II's World Communication Day message of 1995, the centenary of the cinema. Because of its general character, this first section proves less helpful than the others in the book. Several of the writers correctly remark that their topics need more space for development. They do, however, raise key issues, particularly regarding the mechanisms through which cinema influences culture and society. The second section, on Asian cinema, returns to these themes. Gaston Roberge, the founder of Chitrabani in Calcutta, specifically investigates the film as a cultural object and tries to identify how people interact with it in the context of Asian cultures and values. Aruna Vasudev, the editor of Cinemaya, an Asian cinema magazine, argues that even in the face of Hollywood blockbusters an Asian cinema has emerged with an emphasis on "the continuity of certain traditions--the family, the community, honour, emotionalism" (p. 52). He illustrates these themes and concerns with examples of film from Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, India, and Iran. The Sri Lankan film critic Tissa Abeyasekara raises a challenge to this view, acknowledging that, while there is cinema in Asia, it may not have developed a specifically Asian aesthetic or idiom. Noting cultural differences across Asia, he admits that Asian cinema does share at least two common elements--a lack of support for the medium and a lack of integration with the rich traditions of the plastic arts across the region. The book's third section, consisting of examples and studies from the various countries of Asia, proves the richest by far, particularly for a reader less familiar with Asian cinema. Satish Bahadur, a retired member of the Film and Television Institute of India, contributes a study of the cultural and historical factors that have shaped cinema in India, discussing themes, directors, styles, and audiences. For example, Indian life has made cinema an urban phenomenon, but one rooted in the culture of the village, with city dwellers still clinging to village values. This juxtaposition also helps to explain the side-by-side existence of the Bollywood film and the socially conscious film. Roberge adds another essay here that explores some specific films and their relationship to the Indian family. Rounding out the examination of India is Manjunath Pendakur, a professor of international communication at Northwestern University (USA). His essay on Indian documentary film traces the rise of an independent film industry, competing with official government documentary production. The cinema of other Asian countries receives briefer treatment. Tadao Sato, a Japanese film critic, penetratingly explores Japanese cinema by asking whether there is something "typically Japanese." His historical overview explains the rise of certain themes and approaches to acting and film making while relating these to the history of Japan in the twentieth century. Lawrence Saldanha, a film educator in Pakistan, surveys a young Pakistani industry, noting its mixed fortunes in the face of shifting government regulation. Nicasio Cruz, a film critic, traces the rise in Filipino cinema of the action spectacle and the teen heart-throb movie. Both connect to the immense popularity (and political success) of movie stars in Filipino culture. James Reuter, a film educator on the staff of the Catholic Church communication office, asks whether there is place for God in the midst of such spectacle and vulgar romance films. Finally, William Biernatzki, the editor of Communication Research Trends, and Taewon Suh, a university lecturer, provide an overview of cinema in the Republic of Korea. They look both at the state of the industry (affected by government quotas, censorship, and the threat of piracy) and at the development of a Korean aesthetic. The editors close the volume with reprinted "testimonies" from two great Indian directors: Satyajit Ray ("Why Do I Make Films?") and Shyam Benegal ("Values Are of Primary Importance to Me")." (https://www.thefreelibrary.com) more

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