Directed by Yasujiro Ozu

"Shiguéhiko Hasumi is, quite simply, the greatest film critic in the world. We are finally able to savor his magisterial classic on Ozu, in a superb English translation. Subtle, provocative, forensic, philosophical: this is a film book for all time."—Adrian Martin, author of Mysteries of Cinema: Reflections on Film Theory, History and Culture 1982–2016 " Directed by Yasujirō Ozu is the most important book in my life. When I first encountered it in my early twenties, it taught me how difficult the simple undertaking of seeing a film actually is—and how pleasurable it can be as a result. This book thoroughly changed my way of looking at films, and also formed my filmmaking practice. The same can happen for readers today, who will come to realize that they had not really seen Ozu's films—or cinema itself, for that matter. I cannot help thinking that Ozu made the kinds of films he did just so that such a book would be written, believing that one day audiences would attempt to really see his films. What else could have inspired his unique approach? I know of no other film reading experience as devastating and alluring as this one."—Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Academy Award–nominated director of Drive My Car "A definitive classic by a master in the field."—Paul Schrader, Academy Award–nominated screenwriter of Taxi Driver and author of Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer " Directed by Yasujirō Ozu is an original and essential contribution to the already-extensive bibliography about the great Japanese master. Hasumi intelligently challenges many of the conventional interpretations of Ozu's work with his unusual critical insight. Quite a discovery."—Víctor Erice, director of Close Your Eyes "This is much more than a monograph for erudite cinephiles: it is a book of combat…