I was very saddened to hear the news last week that Donald Richie passed away. He was an incredible writer that lived an extraordinary life. He’s also one of the main people who helped bring exposure for Japanese cinematic greats like Akira Kurosawa and Ozu. I wrote this tribute that’s also a review of his awesome Japan Journals, wonderfully edited by Leza Lowitz that is up at HTML Giant. The Journals are an amazing work that gives us glimpses into some of the most amazing figures in the Japanese arts scenes, from the above mentioned Kurosawa, to writers like Yukio Mishima. I loved his sketches, not just of these famous figures, but his life in Japan, the cultural idiosyncrasies, and his lovers. The journals feel like a conversation! Thank you so much Janice Lee for allowing me to share this tribute to him! You can check it out here:
Paul Schrader put it: “Whatever we in the West know about Japanese film, and how we know it, we most likely owe to Donald Richie.”
