This is the first comprehensive history of a nation's cinema which has had an extraordinary international influence. In this major new study of a century of Japanese narrative film-making, Isolde Standish provides an in-depth chronological survey of a huge range of films. The book draws upon a great deal of Japanese film scholarship that has never been published outside of Japan, and sheds light on films and directors that are not so famous on the international stage, as well as on those who are (Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa). The book also features extensive appendices, including a full filmography and biographical information on prominent people in the Japanese film industry.