Russell (film studies, Concordia U.) focuses on Japanese films made between 1930 and 1960, the classical period. She argues that for a long time, to outsiders, classical Japanese cinema seemed to represent a homogenous and traditional imaginary, when in fact the cinematic form lent itself to exploring and sometimes critiquing issues of family, sexuality, subjectivity and nationality. Four of the chapters focus on films made by the "big four" directors of classical Japanese cinema -- Ozo, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa and Naruse. She opens with a chapter about rethinking classical cinema as a form of "vernacular modernism" and Japanese cinema as international cinema. A chapter about films remembering World War II and the post-War period is also included. Russell notes that she watched all the films discussed on DVDs, making further research more accessible. The lack of an index is regrettable, but there are ample bibliographic citations and even a glossary. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)