Discrimination in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Discrimination in the Workplace - Essay Example Therefore being able to show the adverse impact plays a very vital role in discriminatory practice allegations. This adverse impact refers to the total employment process. Those result in a significantly higher percentage of a protected group in the population being rejected for employment, placement or promotion. Along with the above we also need to consider that unfair treatment does not necessarily equal illegal discrimination. If an individual is treated differently from the others than the EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity laws) are being violated. there can be a few specific kinds of discrimination taking place such as discrimination on the basis of cast color or creed , discrimination on the basis of age , sexual discrimination , disability discrimination etc It is quite obvious that if we have employees facing discrimination issues at work and we as management have been unable to recognize or rectify those we can expect the productivity to go down seriously. All of this affects the human mind which in turn affects the human behaviors and perception. Contributing further to the problem is the fact that most victims of discrimination do not sue or complain. Instead they quit or try to avoid situations wherein they would feel discriminated. The discriminators sometimes do not even realize that their behavior is offending others. So in this regard Workplace discrimination training and policies can reduce these problems. In order for us to be able to deal with discrimination effectively we need to follow the simple steps of: Initially becoming aware of the anti discrimination laws, also becoming aware of how you can identify such occurrences at your workplace and try a put an end to them. Secondly, paying very close attention to what exactly the environment is at your workplace then again it being vital that you are able to identify the discrimination occurring at your workplace. You as the management have to be very careful in assessing what is going on around you that are not too visible. In other words try reading between the lines. If you are deciding to give appraisals to a few employees in specific, make sure that all the employees get equal benefit out of your decision.

The New Deal & The Great Society Essay Example for Free

The New Deal The Great Society Essay As we look back in modern American history, there are three sizable reform periods from 1890 through the 1960s. These three periods were The Progressive Period, 1890 to 1914, The New Deal, 1933 to 1938, and The Great Society, 1964 to 1968. The ultimate goal of these reform periods was to improve the United States Economically, Socially, and Politically. The Progressive Period helped the nation economically by dislodging the monopolies that provided utilities to the urban areas. This formulated more affordable utilities to the everyday citizen. The New Deals prospective of helping with economics was by closing down all of the banks. Then FDR pushed the Emergency Banking Act through Congress, which gave the government to inspect the financial health of the banks. They also founded the FDIC, which insured all deposits $5,000 and under. The Great Society brought about a tax-cut to help stimulate business. Many people thought that this tax-cut would increase the deficit, surprisingly the deficit shrunk, and the GNP increased steadily year after year. This was due to the tax-cut in the 60s. The Progressive Period coined the welfare programs to help reform the nation socially. Welfare programs helped ensure a basic standard of living for Americans. Socially, The New Deal provided relief programs such as the CWA, which gave jobs to the unemployed to help with roads, parks, airports, and other facilities to benefit the future. Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society fabricated Medicare, which would provide health care to the elderly for the 1st time in history. Politically, The Progressive Period had the most significant reform of the three durations. During this period women finally gained suffrage, this is still making a large effect on America today. The New Deal helped safeguard the Constitution after the Great Crash by not going with a left or right wing dictatorship. Along with the Great Society came civil rights movements which banned discrimination in the public and gave blacks the right to vote. All three of these reform programs were flourishing until their begetter relinquished their control. The Progressive Period was thriving until 1914 when the Great War was approaching. The New Deal was ceased in 1938 when  many critics considered the deal to be too socialistic. Thirty years later The Great Society came to an abrupt end when Lyndon B. Johnson failed in his attempt of re-election as the president.

Savage Contradiction in Heterotopia :: Culture Cultural Essays

Savage Contradiction in Heterotopia During the 1930's, the myth of "the people" was born. This myth stressed the importance of unity, and glorified the notion of "average," as evidenced in a prize-winning essay describing "the typical American boy," written by an eighth grader named Alfred Roberts, Jr., for a contest sponsored by the 1939-40 Fair New York World's Fair. This document, which claims that a typical American boy should be courageous, dependable, and loyal to his beliefs, was "clearly reflective of the values the Fair held dear" (Susman, 1980, p. 22). Yet, for all the unity the Fair stressed, it was plagued by contradictions - Contradictions that can be closely associated with those found in the 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. To begin, I will provide a summary of this novel, as well as insights into the author's motivations for writing such a book. I will then discuss the contradictions found within the novel, and their relation to those found at the 1939-40 World's Fair and its streaml ined view of human nature. William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies following his experiences in World War II when, after witnessing countless acts of man's inhumanity to man, he became disenchanted with human nature. Golding believed that humans, including children, were inherently evil, and if left without guidance, would revert back to savage ways. This is the premise for his most famous novel which opens on a deserted island following the shooting down of a plane carrying a group of boys. All the boys and none of the adults survive the crash, leaving the boys on an island heterotopia - a physical locale set apart from traditional public life where rules and expectations are suspended. Although the first character, Ralph, is originally excited at the idea of "No grownups!," his counterpart, Piggy is focused on the need for guidance and rules. This is when the boys encounter the conch, which is a type of shell, which if blown into in a certain spot, creates a sound loud enough to signal all the boys scattered across the island to a central meeting spot. The conch comes to represent authority, as it is decided that anyone holding it must be listened to. As the boys gather, Ralph is chosen as their leader, much to the dismay off Jack, another main character, and his gang, who refuse to submit to his authority.

MBA Admissions Essays :: MBA College Admissions Essays

MBA Admissions Essays    Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following: PAST: What choices have you made that led you to your current position? PRESENT: Why is a Wharton MBA necessary at this point in your life? FUTURE: What is your desired position upon graduation from the Wharton School?    I like options, I like security, and I like power. With these wants, I knew at a very early age that I would enter business and thus I attended a college that specializes in the subject. In my first position out of school, I was hired by Dunhill Equities as a cold-caller. After several weeks of being hung up on by angry prospects, I decided that this career path would not lead me to success. I then moved within the firm to a position as sales assistant. While this was by no means my dream job, I learned a tremendous amount about business, and I gained useful exposure to the world of finance. Unfortunately, the company hit a period of instability, and after ten months I transferred with my boss to Coleman & Company. Thirteen months later, that company also began to fail, and I began to search for another path to advancement. With two strikes against me, I hit a home run and was hired by Sanford Bernstein into a challenging job with limitless opportunity for growth.    After almost three years at Bernstein, I am once again seeking career advancement. My education and work experience have provided me with an excellent introduction to business, and they have sparked my interest in finance. Taking into consideration my foundation and my interests, graduate business school is the next logical step. At this point in my life, I consider a Wharton MBA to be necessary since I need to gain a broader understanding of finance and to sharpen my analytical skills in order to be successful in corporate finance. Wharton's MBA program will allow me to concentrate in finance, strengthen my global business perspective, and provide me with the opportunity to study with and learn from people with varied backgrounds. The school's location in the financial capital of the world and in one of the most diverse cities in the world also suits me perfectly.    Aside from advancing my career, I would also like to develop personally. In college I did not join many clubs or organizations, and I did not participate in sports.

Discuss Andrew Jackson’s political, social, and economic beliefs

Andrew Jackson, a self-made man, frontiersman, and military hero, was the first President from west of the Appalachians. He was identified with a new kind of democracy—a democracy embracing the entire population rather than only those who were wealthy or owned property. Jackson was neither an original nor a profound thinker, and did not always follow or understand the principles of the â€Å"Jacksonian democracy† that bears his name.However, he did know to interpret the aspirations and viewpoints of the common people who were clamoring for a voice in government. Jackson was a skilled and astute politician, who molded a faction composed mostly of Southerners and Westerners into the Democratic Party. Although politically conservative and a believer in states’ rights, he expanded the powers of the Presidency and was fervently committed to the preservation of the Union.Jackson had a domineering personality. He was proud, ambitious, and aggressive. Throughout his life , his temper frequently caused him to act hastily or injudiciously, and he was often swayed by personal prejudices. However, his fearless, honesty, and loyalty endeared him to wide sections of populace. His influence was felt well beyond his two terms, and the period from his election of that of Abraham Lincoln is often referred to as the â€Å"Age of Jackson. †

Understanding Antonomasia

Understanding Antonomasia Antonomasia is a rhetorical term for the substitution of a title, epithet, or descriptive phrase for a proper name (or of a personal name for a common name) to designate a member of a group or class. It is a type of synecdoche. Roger Hornberry characterizes the figure as basically a nickname with knobs on (Sounds Good on Paper, 2010). Etymology From the Greek, instead of plus name (to name differently). Examples and Observations The character of James Sawyer Ford in the ABC television program Lost (2004-1010) regularly used antonomasia to annoy his companions. His nicknames for Hurley included Lardo, Kong, Pork Pie, Stay Puft, Rerun, Barbar, Pillsbury, Muttonchops, Mongo, Jabba, Deep Dish, Hoss, Jethro, Jumbotron, and International House of Pancakes.Calling a lover Casanova, an office worker Dilbert, Elvis Presley the King, Bill Clinton the Comeback Kid, or Horace Rumpoles wife She Who Must Be ObeyedWhen I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always.(Rita Rudner)If the waiter has a mortal enemy, it is the Primper. I hate the Primper. HATE THE PRIMPER! If theres a horrifying sound a waiter never wants to hear, its the THUMP of a purse on the counter. Then the digging sound of the Primpers claws trying to find makeup, hairbrushes, and perfume.(Laurie Notaro, The Idiot Girls Action-Adventure Club, 2002)Jerry: The guy who runs the place is a little temperamental, especially about the or dering procedure. Hes secretly referred to as the Soup Nazi.Elaine: Why? What happens if you dont order right?Jerry: He yells and you dont get your soup.(The Soup Nazi, Seinfeld, November 1995) I told you we could count on Mr. Old-Time Rock and Roll!(Murray referring to Arthur in Velvet Goldmine)Im a myth. Im Beowulf. Im Grendel.(Karl Rove) Metonymy This trope is of the same nature as metonymy, although it can not be said to exhibit the idea more vividly. It consists in putting in place of a proper name, another notion which may be either in apposition to it or predicated of it. Its principal use is to avoid the repetition of the same name, and the too frequent use of the pronoun. The most frequent forms of it are, naming a person from his parentage or country; as, Achilles is called Pelides; Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican: or naming him from some of his deeds; as, instead of Scipio, the destroyer of Carthage; instead of Wellington, the hero of Waterloo. In making use of this trope such designations should be selected as are well known, or can be easily understood from the connection, and free from ambiguitythat is, are not equally applicable to other well-known persons.(Andrew D. Hepburn, Manual of English Rhetoric, 1875)

Life of Pi Essays

Life of Pi Essays Life of Pi Essay Life of Pi Essay Essay Topic: Life Of Pi Here in Life of Pi the protagonist’s battle for endurance in the center of an unheedful ocean is done in a tone that echoes the sound of a well-written work of fiction being read out aloud. Life of Pi is a narrative about fighting to last through apparently unsurmountable odds. The shipwrecked dwellers of the small lifeboat don’t merely profess to their destiny: they actively fight against it. The human head is an astonishing instrument. In the face of the horrors of life. it creates a charming narrative that allows it to go on populating with truths otherwise might non be able to accept. The battle for being. the battle for endurance. and the interior strength we have to happen and chasten before we can go maestro of our being. are all worlds which we have trouble acknowledging. The battle is with a immature male that is vegetarian and Richard Parker is the capitalist within himself that he must fight to get the better of so he can be free to populate the manner he wants to. as a wholly tolerant of all things vegetarian in Canada. While Pi has been hungering. and the fish offer a sudden copiousness of nutrient. Pi–being a vegetarian–won’t eat the fish because it violates his beliefs. but his battle to dominate Richard Parker is the dominating of his appetencies. The nutrient Pi has been eating from the lifeboat supply is destroyed by the tail of the giant. showing the importance of nutrient in the movie. and how Pi learns he can’t survive on merely earthly nutrient. or merely heavenly nutrient. but that he needs both. Pi abandons his womb-to-tomb vegetarianism and eats the fish to prolong himself. Summarizing up the emotion behind the battle Pi encountered. while he was on the boat. Pi provinces. My face set to a inexorable and determined look. I speak in all modestness as I say this. but I discovered at that minute that I have a fierce will to populate. It’s non something apparent. in my experience. Some of us give up on life with merely a resigned suspiration. Others fight a small. so lose hope. Still others–and I am one of those–never give up. We fight and battle and battle. We fight no affair the cost of conflict. the losingss we take the improbableness of success. We fight to the really terminal. It’s non a inquiry of bravery. It’s something constitutional. an inability to allow travel. ( Martel 164 ) This quotation mark is inspirational and relates to Pi’s personality. Despite the fact that he faced many battles throughout the novel ( majorly portion 2 ) . he managed to stay optimistic and determined to happen a manner to get away. In most instances. a individual would hold merely given up under the fortunes he fell under. but Pi had faith in acquiring off the ship and determination land. He neer gave up despite the fact that he knew that he’d neer see his household once more. and he had to last for 227 yearss with a fierce tiger. and small nutrient. The odds against his endurance were conspicuously against his favour. but that didn’t stop him. He had to get the better of his fright of killing animate beings in his battle for endurance. Pi went from wavering to kill a fish. to going comparable to a professional fisherman. Although there were many ideas traveling through his caput to merely leap off the boat and put an terminal to everything. his doggedness overcame his uncertainty and he did anything possible to last. Personally I can see myself stating what Pi stated. I’m a determined person. and if I truly want something. I will travel to great lengths to acquire what I want. Life of Pi Essays Life of Pi Essay Life of Pi Essay Essay Topic: Life Of Pi The Life of Pi is an adventure Drama film directed and produced by Ang Lee, the movie is based on the Novel Life of Pi in 2001 by Yann Martel. The film was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and it won at least The Golden Globe Award for the best original Score. The release was in September 2012 and the worldwide earning is already over 600 million Dollar. The principal actor is Pi acted mainly by Suraj Sharma, and from other actors in different Situations. The movie starts that an Author ask Pi about his Life story for his book, the Author has the Name Yann Martel ( the same as the Author from the Novell the Life of Pi).Pi Patel tells him his story, in a flashback it begins with Pi as a child in India. His family owns a Zoo, also with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The main plot begins when they have to move, because the Zoo is too expensive. They move by ship. Pi watches helplessly as the ship with his family and the crew sinks in front of him, but he survives the shipwr eck in the Lifeboat. He is the only Person in the Boat just with a Bengal tiger, a zebra, a monkey and a hyena in the middle of the Ocean. At the end Pi survives unexpected 227 days with a Bengal tiger and finally stranded on the coast of Mexico.The Life of Pi is a computer animated film, it is also available in 3D. It won many awards for example best special effects or best camera. The critics are mainly positive, good dramatically movie with realistic effects and an exciting story, a negative critic says that the german name for the movie â€Å"Life of Pi: Shipwreck with a tiger† is a perfect description, because the whole film only seems to act about a shipwreck with a tiger and is therefore rather boring. In my opinion it’s a good dramatically movie, mixed with a sad touch and animated special effects. Computer animated movies are perfect to watch in 3D.

Relative Clause ESL Lesson for Specific Purposes

Relative Clause ESL Lesson for Specific Purposes Relative clauses are used to describe the noun naming the process or position when discussing tasks that need to be completed, or explaining how certain things work. The ability to use relative clauses easily is important to all English learners, but perhaps even more important to those wanting to use English in their workplaces. For example, salespeople need to explain and define anything relating to the use of the goods or services being sold. The Instaplug is a device that allows you to use any type of outlet throughout the world.Our Ontime Service is a type of consulting which allows you to access consulting services 24/7.The Sansolat Tile is a roofing tile which reflects sunlight in order to keep air conditioning costs down. Another example would be of the use of relative clauses to describe people at work: Youll need to speak to Mr. Adams who is ​in  charge of vacation and sick leave requests.Jack Wanders is the union organizer who represents this region.We need consultants who can travel anywhere on 24-hour notice. This lesson plan focuses on helping students learn to use relative clauses to discuss important issues at work such as who works with them, various types of work and workplaces, as well as describing goods or services manufactured or provided by their employer. Aim Building confidence in using relative clauses to describe goods, services, personnel and other related workplace situations. Activity Sentence matching, followed by guided writing exercise Level Intermediate to advanced English for Specific Purposes learners Outline Introduce students to the topic of using relative clauses by asking a few questions such as:How would you describe a blue collar worker?Whats full time work?Who is a consultant?What is a computer lab?These questions should elicit a number of responses, hopefully a few with competent use of relative clauses. Make sure to rephrase student answers throughout using relative clauses to help inductively introduce the idea of relative clause use. For example:Oh, full time work is a type of work which takes place for at least 40 hours a week.Good, yes, a consultant is someone who provides services and advice to a company on a contractual basis. etc.Once you have completed this warm-up, write four sentences on the board. Use one sentence with a relative clause referring a person with that and one with who. The other two sentences should refer to things; one beginning with that and the other with which. Ask students to point out these differences and explain why which or who is used, as well a s what. As far as is possible, try to coax the students into inductively stating the rules for relative clause use. Ask students to complete the sentences in the exercise below by choosing the two halves that go together and connecting each with a relative pronoun (who, which or that).Check answers as a class.Ask students to imagine ten items or people that are important to them in day-to-day work. Students should first write a list of the ten items / people. On another sheet of paper, ask students to write explanatory sentences using relative clauses.Have students exchange their ten item lists with a partner. Students should then practice explaining these items to each other using relative clauses. Students should not simply read what they have written, but try to use their examples as a starting point. Encourage students to ask probing questions based on the information they hear.Circulate about the room and help students. Once the exercise is finished, go over common mistakes youve heard while listening to student pair work. Matching Halves Match the first half of the sentence in A with the appropriate phrase in B to complete the definition. Use an appropriate relative pronoun (who, which or that) to connect the two sentences. A A supervisor is a personI have difficulties with bossesOffice Suite is a group of programsSuccess on the road can be assisted by the cloudThe human resources director is the liaisonUse the ratchet as a toolInternal office communications are handled by our company forumYoull find that Anita is a personI couldnt get my work done without DarenTaplist is an app B you can contact to resolve contract issues.can tighten a wide variety of nuts and bolts.provides a friendly place to post questions, make comments and discuss issues.I use to keep track of all my mileage, meals and other work expenses.allows me to access documents and other data from a wide range of devices.do not take my point of view into consideration.is willing to help with any problem you may have.assists me with day-to-day tasks.directs employees working in a team.is used for word processing, creating spreadsheets and presentations.

Digital Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example Gloria Jeans offers the market with the highest quality of Arabica beans of coffee species. The organization gets its coffee roasted with modern technological equipment in Australia. The organization objective is to capture some of the Malaysian coffee market specialty through targeting of thirty outlets thus creating a strong presence in the market lifestyle and retailing of coffee in Malaysia. The company can improve its presence online because it has adequate resources helping increase its presence physically and thus further expand itself both online and offline. Currently, Gloria Jean’s promotes itself offline and online. Its in-store does not give any link to its presence online thus its digital marketing profile seems to be very low. The organization has online intermediaries in existence such as Google, Malaysian directory and Yahoo that helps it expanding its market share and selling capacity to the online consumers (Myfranchise 2009). Google sites in Malaysia have been ranked as the most popular seven million visitors in the month of June in the year 2009 in Malaysia. This accounted for approximately y seventy-six percent of the total local population who get online. Research indicates a slight increment in the population of Malaysia who use the internet from eight thousand six hundred and eighty to nine thousand four hundred and one (Digital Media across Asia 2010, March 22). Approximately nine point three million people in Malaysia who are aged fifteen years and above do access internet from workplaces and homes, with each of them spending approximately fourteen hours online. New opportunities to capture the attention of the targeted market are offered by such growth of online users. Therefore, Malaysia bears the potential to increasing its population-accessing internet. In Asia region, Malaysia emerged the strongest country with strong penetration of social networking and nearly three point eight hours engagement per visitor. Many

Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Group Dynamics - Essay Example Additionally, particular reference will be paid to the Rofle reflection model theory. Within a group, the individual members always interact and continuously communicate to achieve a particular objective. The members of a group are connected by universal harmony and combined forces. Plasters, Sagull and Xiao (2003) cite that in most cases, the members of a particular group have matching abilities and rely on each other in a robust power-sharing and accountability framework. According to Duffy (2010), there are different domains in a group dynamic that emphasize on different types of teamwork skills. For example, the group dynamics in an operating room is different in some ways from that of the intensive care unit team due to the nature of work performance in the two areas. The two areas have different role team structures, time pressure, criticality, as well patient volume. Weaver et.al (2010) observes that medical care and practice is undeniably a team effort. Weaver et.al (2010) elaborates that different types of groups are important to all organizations; however, these groups should observe high standards of communication, cooperation and coordination. Well-coordinated teamwork especially in complex service areas such as the operation theater is associated with crucial patient outcomes like increased patient satisfaction while reducing nursing turnover (Machary et.al 2006). Furthermore, Weaver et.al (2010) asserts that effective teamwork is also linked with other positive outcomes such as job satisfaction and reduced stress level. Mosser and Begun (2013) are of the opinion that teamwork in the operating theater makes task performance faster because of the rapid interaction of individuals in the working the team. Subsequently, teams also enable the OR personnel to learn to provide high quality health care by working closely with each other. Within the healthcare set up, there exist four main types of

RECONSTRUCTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RECONSTRUCTION - Essay Example ecause the radical Republicans did not agree with President Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson on softer terms of bringing back the South to the Union. The Liberal Republicans were of the opinion that those whites who had not held onto the ideologies of the union should not have had their rights restored. It was still during the civil war that President Abraham Lincoln made plans to reconstruct the Union. The president first made sure that the union armies conquered the large sections of Tennessee and that this state was under the control of the national government. After this is when he moved to put his plan into action. From his second inaugural address, it was clear that Abraham Lincoln thought it better to approach the matter soberly and not punish the south. His plan focused on all including the South that had born the battle. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln appointed Andrew Johnson to govern the state of Tennessee to serve as a model state for the south. The president then asked the voters of Tennessee to at least have 10% of them taking an oath to uphold the constitution. When this oath was taken, all persons save for the highest officers in the confederate army would be pardoned for their contribution to the war. The rights of the citizens would also be restored except for the slaves. The president also required that the states that would be reconstructed to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment. This amendment abolished slavery. This, the president called it the ‘new birth of freedom.’ He was however worried that this would not be received well by the whites in the south. He was of the opinion that, just like the white people, the black people were American citizens (Murrin 463) Due to the differences in ideology between Lincoln and the congress, in July 1864, there was the first direct clash. The congress passed the Wade-Davis bill and adjourned shortly after passing the bill. For Lincoln to continue with his reconstruction plan, he vetoed it by failing to

Impact Of Minimalism Art Movement Has On Art Community During 1960s Research Paper

Impact Of Minimalism Art Movement Has On Art Community During 1960s -1970s - Research Paper Example There cannot be any design without a designer; the individuals who trail blazed in this field or whose works, in the strict sense of the word, can be termed as minimalistic art are people like Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Robert Morris, Sol Lewitt and Dan Flavin (Marzona p7). What then is minimalism? Strickland, 2000, 7 defines minimalism as a movement, primarily in post war America towards an art-visual, musical, literary or otherwise- that makes its statements with limited if not the fewest possible resources. Though as Marzona argues, the term minimalism is confined to the visual arts with a major focus on painting. The movement did make a profound a impression on art that was to be seen years later. In artistic sense, it implies using limited materials to create a desired effect, which is, pure and simple. This is created by eliminating the non-essentials features, firms or concepts. In general, minimalism art movement does include synopsis, key ideas, artworks, artist about resource s. This study therefore focuses on how the minimalists, even though they did not want to be labeled as such, impacted on art and the art community with their minimalistic art activities. The minimalism movement did start in the 1960s, as earlier stated, in the United States and the process influenced the modern art as exemplified in such works as painting, sculpture and installation. During the time of its inception, minimal artists desired to have their respective artworks to be enjoyed without disruptions of the conventional aesthetic field. They focused on descriptions like color, and geometric structures and shapes. It is worth noting that the work of the minimalists did transform not only the way art was being viewed but it also elevated the social status of the discipline in the society. A look at each of the minimalists’ works confirms and sheds more light into the elements and purpose of the minimalism art movement. Donald Clarence Judd is one among the leading artist s who contributed immensely to this field. Scheldahi et al p 212 confirms that Judd is the renowned figure behind minimalism, even though he renounced the label and preferred to be known as the ‘maker of objects’ The man credited for having revolutionized art during his time especially in the 1960s and left an impression which was to stay long after he had gone. A Masters Degree graduate in Art History from the University of Columbia, Judde’s work of art has been described as one which is unique and as Scheldahi et al puts it, his work is unfailing elegance even lapidary in a grandiose sort of a way. The major contributions of Jude, notes Arts Foundation, were in the forms of ‘stacks’, ‘boxes’ and ‘progressions’. One such work is untitled, which Arts Connected 2012 confirms became Jude’s trademark. It was simple and austere. Through this, he challenges the viewer to consider the concepts of boredom, monotony and repet ition. He used an artistic style that moved away from illusionism but focused on constructions in which materiality is a key central part to the owners work. Thus Jude’s work of art would be described as one which was created using real materials in real space (Arts Connected 2012). His works bring closer home the understanding of the relationship between art and space. Marzoma notes, as does other writers in this field, the transition of Jude from being a painter to a sculptor. Concrete, plywood, galvanized steel and aluminum are some of the key ingredients in Jude’s recipe in articulating an effective minimalist sculptor. The Green Gallery exhibitions of Jude’s pieces of art work in 1963 appear to have catapulted him to the limelight of the international scene as a renowned minimalist. 12th of February 1994

Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Abortion - Essay Example This topic lies within the â€Å"gray areas† of human rights and impedes on religious moralities. Abortion was practiced way back in Ancient times. It was always considered as an option when the child would endanger the life of the mother. It was only in 1869 that the Catholic church considered abortion as† a sin punishable by excommunication† ( Trupin, 2009). Other than this law, abortion was not considered illegal until the 19th century, not because of its moral implications but because there were no laws that existed contradicting abortion. It was then normal for a woman to seek even medical help whenever she wanted to terminate her pregnancy. There were no abortion laws before the 19th century. In 1829, laws restricting abortions began to spread across the United States. In 1965, there were over 250 deaths caused by women who tried to abort their babies Illegally ( civilliberty,about.com) .In the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, bans on abortion were deemed as unconstitutional and were lifted. The lift on bans brought negative tension towards the government. However, things changed drastically after the 1973 US Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. In addition to this the highly controversial case, the Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade left a deep imprint in the legal history of abortion in the United States. Nevertheless, the incidence of abortion has declined as reported by the study made by Sedgh ( 2007 )which revealed that the† incidence of abortion in the United States decreased by 8% from 1996 to 2003†. Such decline can be attributed to greater access to contraceptives ( pills, condoms) and better orientation on family planning even to grade-school children. There are two types of abortion; surgical and medical. The different forms of abortion differentiate, reliant on the amount of time that has passed since

Impact Of Minimalism Art Movement Has On Art Community During 1960s Research Paper

Impact Of Minimalism Art Movement Has On Art Community During 1960s -1970s - Research Paper Example There cannot be any design without a designer; the individuals who trail blazed in this field or whose works, in the strict sense of the word, can be termed as minimalistic art are people like Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Robert Morris, Sol Lewitt and Dan Flavin (Marzona p7). What then is minimalism? Strickland, 2000, 7 defines minimalism as a movement, primarily in post war America towards an art-visual, musical, literary or otherwise- that makes its statements with limited if not the fewest possible resources. Though as Marzona argues, the term minimalism is confined to the visual arts with a major focus on painting. The movement did make a profound a impression on art that was to be seen years later. In artistic sense, it implies using limited materials to create a desired effect, which is, pure and simple. This is created by eliminating the non-essentials features, firms or concepts. In general, minimalism art movement does include synopsis, key ideas, artworks, artist about resource s. This study therefore focuses on how the minimalists, even though they did not want to be labeled as such, impacted on art and the art community with their minimalistic art activities. The minimalism movement did start in the 1960s, as earlier stated, in the United States and the process influenced the modern art as exemplified in such works as painting, sculpture and installation. During the time of its inception, minimal artists desired to have their respective artworks to be enjoyed without disruptions of the conventional aesthetic field. They focused on descriptions like color, and geometric structures and shapes. It is worth noting that the work of the minimalists did transform not only the way art was being viewed but it also elevated the social status of the discipline in the society. A look at each of the minimalists’ works confirms and sheds more light into the elements and purpose of the minimalism art movement. Donald Clarence Judd is one among the leading artist s who contributed immensely to this field. Scheldahi et al p 212 confirms that Judd is the renowned figure behind minimalism, even though he renounced the label and preferred to be known as the ‘maker of objects’ The man credited for having revolutionized art during his time especially in the 1960s and left an impression which was to stay long after he had gone. A Masters Degree graduate in Art History from the University of Columbia, Judde’s work of art has been described as one which is unique and as Scheldahi et al puts it, his work is unfailing elegance even lapidary in a grandiose sort of a way. The major contributions of Jude, notes Arts Foundation, were in the forms of ‘stacks’, ‘boxes’ and ‘progressions’. One such work is untitled, which Arts Connected 2012 confirms became Jude’s trademark. It was simple and austere. Through this, he challenges the viewer to consider the concepts of boredom, monotony and repet ition. He used an artistic style that moved away from illusionism but focused on constructions in which materiality is a key central part to the owners work. Thus Jude’s work of art would be described as one which was created using real materials in real space (Arts Connected 2012). His works bring closer home the understanding of the relationship between art and space. Marzoma notes, as does other writers in this field, the transition of Jude from being a painter to a sculptor. Concrete, plywood, galvanized steel and aluminum are some of the key ingredients in Jude’s recipe in articulating an effective minimalist sculptor. The Green Gallery exhibitions of Jude’s pieces of art work in 1963 appear to have catapulted him to the limelight of the international scene as a renowned minimalist. 12th of February 1994

Public Relation Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public Relation Research - Essay Example Consequently, the basis of defining media issues should and will always revolve around conveyance of vital, lifesaving information to the general populace in a responsible, fact-based manner which is not just strong enough but also convincing enough to motivate them to take appropriate action without subjecting them to risks. Way back in in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew paid a visit to south Florida, the residents in awe as miles and miles of traffic evacuated the people. Nonetheless, persons who missed the media report, had no information as to who was evacuating who and where. Such underlies the importance of the media and highlights what constitutes a media issue. The article â€Å"Boral demolishes another 700 jobs† highlights a major societal issues and as qualifies as a media issue. It looks at two major public interest areas hit by crisis, thanks to economic recession. These include the employment and the housing development sector. More often than not, every member of the public has interest in knowing the changing employment trends as well as the changes affecting the housing sector. These are both areas which directly touch on the day to day life of the citizens. What makes these issues of interests to the media is the public interest they elicit. The report for the case witnessed in Boral and the possibility of job losses, it is indicative of the hard economic times and spells a possibility of other related or even unrelated industries follow trend to salvage themselves. It reveals information which could have a rippling effect across the local divide. In a related piece, Wheeldon (2012) highlights not just Boral but also brings in Fletcher, both of which are construction related industry. This is a warning to the public of negative effects within the industry and the need to take contingency measures. Public relations have a lot to do with communication of occurrence to the general public. It helps the public get a clear picture of some special o ccurrence within an organization and in most cases attempt to justify the actions. This is summarized in the statement, â€Å"When a company spends hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to sponsor an event, it seems rather foolish to me not to spend the additional relatively small amount required to tell people you're doing so. Public relations are the final ingredient required to ensure the success of the buy; to fail to use PR seems kind of like buying a car without the engine; it still looks pretty but it won't go very far (Cox & Avila, 2008).† In general, it focuses on justifying an action taken by an organization more especially if the action taken touches on the lives of the public. In this case, the reported incident reports loss of employment to hundreds of employs and probably other many who directly relay on the ones who lose their employment. Other than the loss of employment, it justifies its position and explains that the cut will not affect its produ ction as it will focus on areas where redundancy has been recorded in the past (Kylie, 2013). This is what makes it public relations. It explains a situation, justifies the situation and explains the possible impact of the situation. A number of public concern issues are raised in the article. Primary ‘publics’ concerned with the issue A number of stakeholders are will find interest in the communications made in the article. The first groups of interested parties are the employees. The employees are

Communicating change Essay Example for Free

Communicating change Essay When an organization is undergoing changes, the management must communicate to employees to ensure they support the decision. Changes in an organization may cause conflicts especially when all stakeholders are not aware the new aspects to be adopted. To communicate to employees about the changes when an organization is relocating to another state requires the managers to provide the strategies being adopted to safeguard the interests of employees. The management should consider the welfare of the employees by maintaining the employees while the organization is undergoing change. When an organization relocates its operations from one region to another, the management should support the employees to understand the new systems. Management strategies should be changed to match the current needs of the employees (Burke, 2002). When changes are communicated to employees, they may react to support or reject the new policies. When employees accept change, the management should change its management style by adding more opportunities to improve their morale. When employees reject change, the management should adopt a persuasive strategy where they will influence them to adopt the new policies. Some changes may be compulsory for the management to implement and in such cases, there is no option but to influence employees accept the new strategies. Managers should interact with employees to determine their needs so as to implement acceptable strategies. Teams within the organization should be created to create synergies among the employees during the change process. Team leaders should be elected to support other employees. All members of the organization should hold a general staff meeting to discuss about the new systems to be adopted. The organization should be prepared to provide resources to employees to relocate to the new offices. For example, the costs of carrying out the entire process can be covered by the management (Burke, 2002). Reference Burke, W. W. (2002). Organization change: theory and practice. ISBN 0761914838, Sage.

Causes for Japanese Film Remakes

Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Introduction Since the beginning of the 21st Century a new trend has become commonplace within the Hollywood horror genre, Japanese horror films are being purchased and remade for a new audience, removing the traditional underlying history and Americanising them for western viewers waiting for their next dose of fear and terror. In this dissertation I will explore the reasoning behind this influx of remakes, looking at the important roles people like Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment have played in their acceptance and successes. To do this I feel it is important to look at the state Hollywood horror was in before, and how films such as The Ring (2002) and The Grudge (2004) have changed things. As well as this I will look at the differences between J-Horror and its American counterpart, and how these have made them an appealing prospect for remaking. It will also be important for me to look at the academic theories behind remakes, and the different types of remake there are, using the work of Druxman, Leitch and Greenberg to try and help identify the different approaches used by Hollywood directors whilst tackling these projects. As well as investigating into why this has become so popular recently, and what examples there are in the past of similar situations arising, I’ll be attempting to predict how long this will last for, and the problems studios may encounter by doing it on a large scale. I will begin in Chapter One by introducing the work of Michael Druxman, Thomas Leitch and Harvey Roy Greenberg, summarising their writings on the topic of remakes and looking at how they each have different categories of them, depending on the new films style and the way it is released. I will look at Leitch’s theory of the â€Å"triangular relationship† (1990: 139) which helps to explain how remakes differ so much from other versions of adaptation. Along with these categories of remake I will attempt to give examples of different films which fit into the criteria, as well as relating them to the current trend of remaking J-Horror. In Chapter Two I will talk about the differences between Hollywood and Japanese horror styles, looking at both countries long histories in the genre, focussing on things such as folklore and local tradition, trying to discover why the two styles are so different. I will look at the origins and formation of the J-Horror style, along with the key films and directors associated with the movement. Before focussing on Hollywood’s history of remaking, and some of the reasons and thinking behind doing it, looking at films such as Yojimbo (1961) and Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954) as examples of this happening in the past. Chapter Three will be a case study based around Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002), pointing out the differences and similarities between the two films. Through the use of illustrations I will identify important scenes where Gore Verbinski has either almost copied exactly or drastically altered the shot from Hideo Nakata’s original. I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other contemporary cases of J-Horror remakes, again talking about the cultural differences between the two countries and how in turn that has affected the look and feel of the two films. Finally I will conclude by looking at the future of remaking J-Horror, highlighting future films in development and how Hollywood is now exploiting new markets. I will summarise my findings from previous chapters and use them to try and predict how long this spell of remaking will last for and if it will continue to be as financially successful as it has been so far. Chapter One Categories of Remake Ever since the early days of Hollywood cinema films have been remade, reimagined and adapted for new, ever changing audiences. In most cases it has proven that if a film was successful the first time round a remake will be equally so. The producer or studio make the decision that the original story is still viable (Druxman: 1975: 13) and can once again make big money at the box office. This has led to this trend increasing rapidly over the last few decades, with fresh new material becoming harder to come by. Before I go into detail on the types of remakes and how they relate to the current trend of remaking Asian horror, I must clearly define what a remake actually is. A remake is much more than a film based on an earlier screenplay (Verevis: 2006: 1), as it can be broken down into even more definitions. The sequel/prequel, adaptation, homage, reimagining, film series and the retour aux sourced are all a type of remake (Delaney Potamitis: 2004: 1), with films falling under one of them. Leitch states that the reason remakes differ so much from other adaptations to a new media is due to the â€Å"triangular relationship† (Leitch: 1990: 139) they establish among themselves, the original film and the property in which both are based on. This has come about because typically producers of a remake pay no adaptation fees to the makers of the original film, but instead purchase adaptation rights from the authors of the based on property (Leitch: 1990: 139). This seems strange as it is the two films which will be competing against each other, often being found side by side on store shelves, and not the original property and the remade film (Leitch: 1990: 139). It is often the case that the original film benefits from the release of a remake, as it brings in a fresh audience who are often interested in watching the original film as well. In the case of Ringu, you can clearly see that the theatrical release of its remake caused its popularity to soar higher than ever before [fig 1.1] (pro.imdb.com). Many texts have been written regarding the subject of remaking film, and in particular looking at breaking the remake down into smaller more specific categories. The writings of Robert Eberwein, Michael Druxman, Harvey Roy Greenberg and Thomas Leitch, have defined multiple different types of remade film between them, from the wide and vague to the extremely specific. These books and essays can prove very helpful when comparing remade cinema, especially in trying to identify why the film in question has been remade, and the thinking behind it. I hope to use these definitions to help answer my own question of why there is such a high demand for westernising Japanese horror. In one of the first texts dedicated solely to the subject of the movie remake, Make It Again, Sam, Druxman sets out to answer three questions through the analysis of thirty three films and their remakes (1975: 9). These questions are â€Å"Why was the picture remade?†, â€Å"How was the remake different from the original as far as important story changes were concerned?† and â€Å"What was the critical reaction to the remake?† (Druxman: 1975: 9). When searching for a definition of a â€Å"remakeâ€Å" for his work Druxman decided that he would not take into account obvious sequels to films, and instead focus mainly on those that were based on a â€Å"common literary source† (1975: 9), such as an existing screenplay, novel, play, etc. Three major factors are described as driving â€Å"industry pragmatism† (Verevis: 2006: 5) in regards to Hollywood’s practice of remaking. Druxman argues that the first of these factors is that the studios’ decision to remake is a â€Å"voluntary one† (1975: 13) based on the fact that the script is still relevant today and could prove successful. However during the 1930s and 1940s, in the studio dominated era, they were forced to produce a certain amount of films every year (Druxman: 1975: 13). Producers found themselves with no alternative than to start using previously filmed movies as sources for new â€Å"B† and sometimes top-of-the-bill productions (Verevis: 2006: 6). These updated plots were essentially the same as their predecessor, with just the settings and characters being changed slightly. Druxman’s second point is that it was common practice for studios to purchase rights to plays, novels and stories, so that they could then produce multiple versions of these without giving the copyright holder additional payments (Verevis: 2006: 6). As Literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Three Musketeers where in the public domain, it meant that no initial payment would have to be paid for their dramatic rights (Verevis: 2006: 6). The final factor is simple economics; established films can be redone in order to exploit the ever changing production techniques and movie stars. That is why these old stories were, and will continue to be, constantly resurrected. If a studio has purchased the rights to something they will want to redo and release it as many times as possible in order to maximise their gain. Through Druxman’s definitions and in depth analysis of Hollywood remakes he comes up with three categories which he feels they can fall under; the direct, disguised and the non-remake (Druxman: 1975: 15). The direct remake category contains films that do not even attempt to hide the fact that they are based on earlier productions (Druxman: 1975: 15). Such productions may adopt a new title and make some changes to the narrative image (Verevis: 2006: 7), but it is basically the same film being remade, with not even the publicity campaigns hiding this fact (Druxman: 1975: 15). The main objective of these direct remakes is to draw in two types of cinema viewers. Those who have seen and enjoyed the original, and are curious about this new remake, and those who have heard good things about the original so want to view this version as the older is no longer in circulation (Druxman: 1975: 18). His second category, the disguised remake is a film which is either updated with little change, or completely retitled and then disguised, with the help of a new setting and original characters. (Verevis: 2006: 7). In either case though, the disguised remake doesn’t wish to draw attention to the fact that it’s not an original piece, instead just promoting itself as a normal film. Finally Druxman says there are non-remakes, films retaining the title of a well known story (Druxman: 1975: 15), as well as possibly referring to the name of a well known author, strictly for commercial purposes. Basically all the remake and the original share in common is the title, but the content is extremely different in each case (Verevis: 2006: 7). A perfect example of Druxman’s non-remake would be The Ring Two (2005) as the film shares the same name as its original (in its American release title at least), but that it pretty much where the similarities end. It is interesting to point out that the film is remade by Hideo Nakata, the director behind the original, clearly placing this remake within Robert Stams category of autocitation, in which a film maker remakes his/her own film (Verevis: 2006: 21). A further relevant example of this is Takashi Shimizu’s American film The Grudge a remake of his earlier Japanese language Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). In Harvey Roy Greenberg’s article â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Text: Remaking as Contested Homage in Always†he expands upon Druxman’s â€Å"commercially grounded† (Verevis: 2006: 8) groups and comes up with three categories which instead focus on the directors reasons for remaking a film. His categories center around the example of the romantic war fantasy A Guy Named Joe (1943) and its Steven Spielberg remake, Always (1989). Using this as an example of what Verevis translates as a â€Å"acknowledged, transformed remake† (2006: 9), with the film having huge changes made to the characters, location and general story telling. But still making sure to acknowledge the original, like in the case of Always a small mention is given in the credits. Much like Druxman he also names two other categories in which he feels remakes fall under. The acknowledged, close remake much like Druxman’s direct (1975:15) category, is when a remake completely replicates the original, with little to no change made to its narrative structure (Verevis: 2006: 9), and the unacknowledged, disguised remake is when both minor and major changes are made to the time, settings and characters. But the original version is not referred to and the audience are not informed of there even being one (Verevis: 2006: 9), similar to Druxman’s category of disguised remake. Thomas M. Leitch gives a much â€Å"more developed† (Verevis: 2006: 11) taxonomy of remakes. He claims that remakes seek to define themselves through either primary reference to the original film, or to the material both are adapted from, and there are four possible stances of remake that a film can fall under (Leitch: 1990: 142). The readaptation is the simplest of these stances, ignoring earlier cinematic adaptations in order to readapt an original literary property as faithfully as possible (Verevis: 2006: 12). The readaptations goal is â€Å"fidelity to the original text† (Leitch: 1990: 142), which it aims to translate as thoroughly as possible into the new film medium. Unlike the readaptation, the update competes directly with its literacy source, instead of seeking to subordinate itself to the essence of a literacy classic (Verevis: 2006: 12). They transform the original text through such ways as transposing it to a new setting, changing its values, or making the original seem dated, outmoded or irrelevant (Leitch: 1990: 143). Films such as these updates often display their â€Å"contradictory attitude towards the material† (Leitch: 1990: 143) through their titles and marketing, sometimes even using a tone which verges on parody. For perfect example of this would be Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), a film which takes an established screenplay and changes its meaning, updating it for a new generation. The homage is a type of remake whose primary objective is not to disrespect and put down the original film, but celebrate and pay tribute to it (Leitch: 1990: 144). Much like the readaptation which seeks to direct the audience’s attention to its literacy source (Verevis: 2006: 13), the homage situates itself as a secondary text, with its only value depending on its relation to the original text they pay tribute to (Leitch: 1990: 144). Therefore the homage renounces any claims that it is better than its original and attempts to reintroduce films that are in danger of being lost and forgotten (Leitch: 1990: 144). Leitch’s final category, the true remake is the complete opposite to the homage, claiming that it is better than its original (Verevis: 2006: 13). It focuses on a cinematic original with an accommodating stance and seeks to update the original, making its more relevant to a new modern audience (Leitch: 1990: 145). More than any of the other categories it borrows largely from the unacknowledged film, instead of being a reinvisioning of a literacy text (Leitch: 1990: 145). As well as these three major taxonomies on remakes from Leitch, Druxman and Greenberg, Robert Eberwein has published an elaborate list, proposing fifteen individual categories, each with many subdivisions (Verevis: 2006: 11). Ranging from the obvious such as a silent film remade as a sound film (Eberwein: 1998: 28) to the much more specific, â€Å"A remake that changes the race of the main characters† (Eberwein: 1998: 30). His taxonomy doesn’t address the issue of film adaptations, (Eberwein: 1998: 31) but regardless is a comprehensive and extremely specific list of categories which film can easily be slotted into. Chapter Two Different Styles of Horror It’s fairly clear to see, even to the most casual of audiences that Hollywood and Asia have extremely different styles of horror cinema, focussing on very different aspects and using different techniques to produce an element of fear. The west has a long history of horror cinema, starting with the early gothic in films such as Todd Browning’s Dracula (1931) and James Whales’ Frankenstein (1931), before going through a more paranoid stage focussing on unease and a sense that things are not right in the world, such as John Carpenters Science Fiction horror The Thing (1982). In recent times though â€Å"horror has become the domain of the slasher movie† (Maher: 2005: 14), with the likes of Friday the 13th(1980), Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) giving rise to a new genre, one which would reshape the future of horror for almost 20 years. Towards the end of the 20th century it had become the norm for horror cinema to be all about multiple grotesque killings, limited back-story and a very formulaic approach to making the films. With the audience expecting certain key things when watching a horror film, such as, big jumpy moments, psycho-killers who never quite die and conventions such as the â€Å"Final Girl†. As Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring puts it â€Å"slasher films contextualise the horror so you watch it, eat your popcorn, go through a few jumps, and then go out for dinner† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), it was no longer fresh and exciting in the way it was in the early 1980s. Wes Craven changed all this in 1996 with the first of his Scream trilogy, the ironic slasher movie has run out of â€Å"nudge-nudge and wink wink† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) and it was now time for a smarter type of horror, one which was very aware of its audience knowing the key conventions, and which would use this to its advantage. The Scream films make use of the previously subtle and covert intertextual references and transform them into a very overt, discursive act. The movie characters knowledge of the horror genre rivals that of this new very aware target audience, and no longer tries to patronise them and act oblivious, with even the rules of horror sequels being discussed in detail in the following Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The dismantling and parody riddled approach to the slasher genre continued with the Scary Movie (2000) franchise, this time not just giving a smart alternative to current horror cinema but completely mocking every aspect of it. Although these films and there sequels did very well at the box office, they had done serious damage to the American horror genre (Braundu: 2005: 118), the age of the slasher genre was over and Hollywood studios needed to find a way to invent horror for a new audience. In 1998 â€Å"Japanese suspense maestro† (Maher: 2005: 14) Hideo Nakata’s small budget Japanese horror film Ringu had revived a stagnant genre for the country, and had become a â€Å"cinematic phenomenon† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) across Asia, quickly becoming the most successful horror film franchise in Japan’s history. (Arnold: 2002:16) The story of a mysterious video tape which kills everyone who watches it exactly one week later became an underground cult classic within the west (Maher: 2005: 14), providing a kind of deep unsettling horror which had never been seen before. The film is based largely on the book of the same name by Koji Suzuki, who has been dubbed â€Å"the Stephen King of Japan† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), which was published in 1991. Suzuki’s downbeat, everyday settings have proven to translate well into film, (Donald: 2005: 9) with another one of his books, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water, 2002) from 1996 also being adapted and remade for an American audience. Roy Lee, arguably the best known go-between in the world of remakes (Frater Kay: 2003: 10) and one half of the new Vertigo Entertainment, was one of the first big name American film producer to watch Ringu and it was this viewing that triggered the start of the Asian remake boom. On Lee’s recommendation the film was watched by Dreamworks Production Executive Walter Parkes and by 7pm that same day they had â€Å"paid $1m for the remake† rights (Frater Kay: 2003: 10). The history of the Japanese horror film is arguably as big as that of Hollywood and the West’s. With its roots firmly set in folklore, myth and urban legend (Langford: 2005: 175) it has progressed from woodblock carvings, to Kabuki theatre and finally to motion picture cinema. The main premise of the horror is based around the ghost story, at least up until the late 20th century. Story’s known as Kaidan (literally translated to â€Å"tail of a strange apparition†) originating from the Edo and Meiji period where passed down from generation to generation, retold in an ever changing medium (Stamou: 2007). The average Japanese person is more inclined to believe in ghosts than not, due to the culture and the way they are constantly exposed to these tales of terror. They believe that spirits inhabit absolutely everything (Rucka: 2005) and because of this don’t regard them as enemies, but as just another thing which co-exists within their world (Kermode: 2005). As Walter Salles, director of Dark Water (2005) puts it, â€Å"they don’t question it the way we question it, it’s much more a part of their world† (Kermode: 2005). Due to the unquestioning of the paranormal and the Buddhist and ShintÃ…Â  religious followings they are much more acceptant to the idea of life after death. This view of life, death and the afterlife is the fundamental difference between Japanese horror and its western counterpart, and where all the other differences stem from (Rucka: 2005). As Hideo Nakata says, â€Å"when making horror films, the methods of describing the spirit world and the expression of horror are totally different between Japan and the West† (Kermode: 2005). As is common within the Japanese language there are names for multiple different types of ghost and spirit. The ghosts and demons of the ancient period tales where known as the Yurei (lean ghost), the Zashiki-warashi is a dead child’s ghost, like the character of Toshio in Ju-on: The Grudge. One of the most common kinds of ghost though is the OnryÃ…Â  (resentful spirit), a spirit trapped at Yomi (Japanese purgatory) who comes back to earth looking for revenge (Stamou: 2007). Although not limited to being female, such as Rentaro Mikuni’s husband character in Kwaidan (1964) for example, the majority of them are (Wilks: 2006). It is this image of the OnryÃ…Â  which comes to mind when you think of Japanese horror, the female spirit gowned in snow-white, with its long black hair obscuring its face. This is mainly due to the new wave of Japanese directors such as, Takashi Miike (Ôdishon, 1999), Hideo Nakata (Ringu), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on: The Grudge) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kairo, 2001) using it at every opportunity, making it as â€Å"iconic in horror cinema as the projectile-vomiting, spinning head† (Wilks: 2006). 1964 saw the release of what many regard as one of Japans greatest horrors, Kaidan (Kwaidan, 1964). Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on four short stories by author Lafcadio Hearn, it uses abstract use of lighting and sound, creatively staged and shot in vibrant colours (Rucka: 2005). Keiko Kishi’s performance as Yuki The Ice Maiden sparked such terror within the Japanese population, that now only the passing glimpse of the likes of Sadako in Ringu and Kayako in Ju-on: The Grudge ignite utmost fright, due to the accumulated cultural knowledge of this character (Wilks: 2006). After years of Japanese horror plodding along in a stale state, influenced more by American slashers than its own rich heritage, a young director called Norio Tsurta decided he had had enough and it was time for a change. Japan was no longer the fantastically safe country it once was, and the Japanese people were starting to feel the ills of the outside world encroaching on them (Lovgren: 2004), and this was starting to be shown through their cinema. Tsurta’s Honto ni atta kowai hanashi (Scary True Stories, 1991) was the first of these, providing through low budget production, the look, mood and style which would later be known as J-Horror (Rucka: 2005). The term J-Horror was originally coined as a cult fan term (Rucka: 2005) for the post Ringu horror cinema which was coming out of Japan, although now it is often wrongly used to define Japanese horror as a whole. This revitalised horror scene fronted largely by Hideo Nakata after the phenomenal success of his film Ringu, completely revived the Japanese horror scene and caught the eye of film fans and studios all around the world. The common theme within J-Horror is once again ghosts, OnryÃ…Â  and the supernatural, but other more violent torture based films can also be included under the banner, for example Takashi Miike’s Ôdishon (Audition). For the most part though the films were very similar in style and overall theme to each other, with the following being the most notable examples; Nakata’s Ringu, Kaosu (Chaos, 1999), Ringu 2 (1999) and Honogurai mizu no soko kara. Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on: The Curse (2000), Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000), Ju-on: The Grudge, Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003), Marebito (2004) and Rinne (Reincarnation, 2005). Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kyua (Cure, 1997), Kairo (Pulse, 2001) and Sakebi (Retribution, 2006), and Takashi Miike’s Chakushin ari (One Missed Call, 2004). The Japanese horror style has an â€Å"eerie ambient quality† (Maher: 14: 2005) about it which differs largely from its western counterpart. As noted previously, in the traditional Japanese horror movie the â€Å"past haunts the present, invariably taking the form of the supernatural† (Schneider and Williams: 6: 2005). Where, as director Rob Zombie (Halloween, 2007) points out, in American horror â€Å"you’ve gotta kill someone in the first five seconds† (Chaffin: 2005). J-Horror takes a very different approach to this, focussing on delivering heavy â€Å"atmosphere, nuance and ambiguity† (Chaffin: 2005), instead of raw grotesque gore, mainly due to the fact that the Japanese audience is much more tolerant of it (Phelan: 10: 2005). In Japanese horror films there’s much more of an acceptance towards the irrational and the unexplained (Lovgren: 2004). Nakata says that the ghost need do nothing more than â€Å"stand behind and stare at the main character† (Davies: 2005) to create fear amongst the audience, it all comes from sounds, shadows and suggestions, you don’t need â€Å"a 3D creature lopping people’s heads off† (Lovgren: 2004). Takashi Shimizu compares the current J-Horror style to films by American director John Carpenter, such as The Thing (1982) and Halloween. Saying that â€Å"just the suggestion of the presence of a ghost is frightening† (Dixon: 7: 2005), whereas Sarah Michelle-Gellar, star of The Grudge, describes Asian horror as being â€Å"much more beautiful, more poetic, leaving much more to the imagination† (Baughan: 78: 2005), a view which seems to be shared by many. Western horror plots normally evolve around the idea that the characters discover the cause of the horror and then destroy it, but J-Horror works very differently to this. As Stephen Susco, the writer in charge of translating Ju-on: The Grudge for the remake puts it, Asian horror is more â€Å"like a haunted house that follows you† (Kay: 7: 2004), there’s no limits or barriers to the horror. For example in Ringu where Sadako Yamamura climbs out of the television set, breaching any line which might keep you safe. In the west a ghost is often required to want something much more meaningful and have a deeper back-story, whereas â€Å"in Japan a ghost may simply want to terrify and destroy† (Phelan: 10: 2005). It’s the little differences like this which make these variations on the horror genre so different, where Hollywood mostly relies on over the top multiple sequences of death, Japan still has its roots firmly placed amongst the aesthetics of folklore, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre (McRoy: 214: 2006). Although history would suggest that Europe was the first stop of film makers and studio’s looking to remake a movie for a world audience, Japan has long been a â€Å"happy hunting ground for Hollywood remakers† (Shackleton Schilling: 2003: 17). First beginning in 1960 with The Magnificent Seven, John Sturges’ classic remake of the cult hit Shichinin no samurai, and then followed by Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a remake of the Japanese film Yojimbo. In fact Yojimbo was remade once again in 1996 in the Bruce Willis lead crime drama Last Man Standing, a tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s screenplay that it was still deemed worthy of a remake over 30 years later. Literally the largest example of Hollywood remaking a Japanese movie though is Godzilla (1998), Roland Emmerich’s re-envisioning of the then twenty two film monster series, beginning in 1954 with Goijira (Godzilla). It was this film which became one of the first early examples of a foreign film becoming â€Å"Americanised†, even though it was given a (very limited) subtitled theatrical run it was still remade two years later as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), with numerous new scenes shot and inserted into the original Japanese film, completely changing the plot and removing any real trace that it was a foreign made production (godzylla.com). As Mike Macari, Fine Line’s Creative Executive and avid Asian film fanatic, states Hollywood has always had the ability to â€Å"import foreign ideas and re-export them to a world market† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9), remakes have always been a very important part of American film making, but in the last ten years this is becoming even more so. As the mainstream Hollywood audiences’ become bored and overexposed to the current market the studios are forced to look elsewhere for inspiration, Walter Parkes says that Hollywood’s â€Å"voracious appetite† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) will look wherever it can for new material and inspiration. American children have been â€Å"growing up on Pokemon, Japanese anime and manga† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) for the past ten years, which has meant that as they become adults they’ve become more accustomed to the Japanese style, whereas fifteen years ago they wouldn’t be so open to it. Roy Lee states that he looks for â€Å"something new and fresh in the story that will appeal to a wider audience† (Paquet: 2003: 15), as long as it has an original concept and several strong scenes Hollywood can see potential in it for a remake. â€Å"Hollywood is a machine† (Maher: 2005: 14) and has proven that it can translate even the most cultural specific film into a box office success. Chapter Three Case Study As previously mentioned Hideo Nakata’s Ringu became the first film associated with the style of movie which would later be described as J-Horror. It came up with a fresh and exciting approach to its genre which would not only be used as a template for its western remakes, but the stream of replicas which would follow it in Japan. In this chapter I will be looking at the film in much more detail, comparing and contrasting it to Gore Verbinski’s Hollywood remake The Ring, in an attempt to identify how truthful it stays to the original, which parts are changed and westernised, and why this is the case. Although I am using Ringu/The Ring as my main example, mainly due to the fact that it was the first contemporary case of remaking Japanese horror, I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other films and Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Introduction Since the beginning of the 21st Century a new trend has become commonplace within the Hollywood horror genre, Japanese horror films are being purchased and remade for a new audience, removing the traditional underlying history and Americanising them for western viewers waiting for their next dose of fear and terror. In this dissertation I will explore the reasoning behind this influx of remakes, looking at the important roles people like Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment have played in their acceptance and successes. To do this I feel it is important to look at the state Hollywood horror was in before, and how films such as The Ring (2002) and The Grudge (2004) have changed things. As well as this I will look at the differences between J-Horror and its American counterpart, and how these have made them an appealing prospect for remaking. It will also be important for me to look at the academic theories behind remakes, and the different types of remake there are, using the work of Druxman, Leitch and Greenberg to try and help identify the different approaches used by Hollywood directors whilst tackling these projects. As well as investigating into why this has become so popular recently, and what examples there are in the past of similar situations arising, I’ll be attempting to predict how long this will last for, and the problems studios may encounter by doing it on a large scale. I will begin in Chapter One by introducing the work of Michael Druxman, Thomas Leitch and Harvey Roy Greenberg, summarising their writings on the topic of remakes and looking at how they each have different categories of them, depending on the new films style and the way it is released. I will look at Leitch’s theory of the â€Å"triangular relationship† (1990: 139) which helps to explain how remakes differ so much from other versions of adaptation. Along with these categories of remake I will attempt to give examples of different films which fit into the criteria, as well as relating them to the current trend of remaking J-Horror. In Chapter Two I will talk about the differences between Hollywood and Japanese horror styles, looking at both countries long histories in the genre, focussing on things such as folklore and local tradition, trying to discover why the two styles are so different. I will look at the origins and formation of the J-Horror style, along with the key films and directors associated with the movement. Before focussing on Hollywood’s history of remaking, and some of the reasons and thinking behind doing it, looking at films such as Yojimbo (1961) and Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954) as examples of this happening in the past. Chapter Three will be a case study based around Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002), pointing out the differences and similarities between the two films. Through the use of illustrations I will identify important scenes where Gore Verbinski has either almost copied exactly or drastically altered the shot from Hideo Nakata’s original. I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other contemporary cases of J-Horror remakes, again talking about the cultural differences between the two countries and how in turn that has affected the look and feel of the two films. Finally I will conclude by looking at the future of remaking J-Horror, highlighting future films in development and how Hollywood is now exploiting new markets. I will summarise my findings from previous chapters and use them to try and predict how long this spell of remaking will last for and if it will continue to be as financially successful as it has been so far. Chapter One Categories of Remake Ever since the early days of Hollywood cinema films have been remade, reimagined and adapted for new, ever changing audiences. In most cases it has proven that if a film was successful the first time round a remake will be equally so. The producer or studio make the decision that the original story is still viable (Druxman: 1975: 13) and can once again make big money at the box office. This has led to this trend increasing rapidly over the last few decades, with fresh new material becoming harder to come by. Before I go into detail on the types of remakes and how they relate to the current trend of remaking Asian horror, I must clearly define what a remake actually is. A remake is much more than a film based on an earlier screenplay (Verevis: 2006: 1), as it can be broken down into even more definitions. The sequel/prequel, adaptation, homage, reimagining, film series and the retour aux sourced are all a type of remake (Delaney Potamitis: 2004: 1), with films falling under one of them. Leitch states that the reason remakes differ so much from other adaptations to a new media is due to the â€Å"triangular relationship† (Leitch: 1990: 139) they establish among themselves, the original film and the property in which both are based on. This has come about because typically producers of a remake pay no adaptation fees to the makers of the original film, but instead purchase adaptation rights from the authors of the based on property (Leitch: 1990: 139). This seems strange as it is the two films which will be competing against each other, often being found side by side on store shelves, and not the original property and the remade film (Leitch: 1990: 139). It is often the case that the original film benefits from the release of a remake, as it brings in a fresh audience who are often interested in watching the original film as well. In the case of Ringu, you can clearly see that the theatrical release of its remake caused its popularity to soar higher than ever before [fig 1.1] (pro.imdb.com). Many texts have been written regarding the subject of remaking film, and in particular looking at breaking the remake down into smaller more specific categories. The writings of Robert Eberwein, Michael Druxman, Harvey Roy Greenberg and Thomas Leitch, have defined multiple different types of remade film between them, from the wide and vague to the extremely specific. These books and essays can prove very helpful when comparing remade cinema, especially in trying to identify why the film in question has been remade, and the thinking behind it. I hope to use these definitions to help answer my own question of why there is such a high demand for westernising Japanese horror. In one of the first texts dedicated solely to the subject of the movie remake, Make It Again, Sam, Druxman sets out to answer three questions through the analysis of thirty three films and their remakes (1975: 9). These questions are â€Å"Why was the picture remade?†, â€Å"How was the remake different from the original as far as important story changes were concerned?† and â€Å"What was the critical reaction to the remake?† (Druxman: 1975: 9). When searching for a definition of a â€Å"remakeâ€Å" for his work Druxman decided that he would not take into account obvious sequels to films, and instead focus mainly on those that were based on a â€Å"common literary source† (1975: 9), such as an existing screenplay, novel, play, etc. Three major factors are described as driving â€Å"industry pragmatism† (Verevis: 2006: 5) in regards to Hollywood’s practice of remaking. Druxman argues that the first of these factors is that the studios’ decision to remake is a â€Å"voluntary one† (1975: 13) based on the fact that the script is still relevant today and could prove successful. However during the 1930s and 1940s, in the studio dominated era, they were forced to produce a certain amount of films every year (Druxman: 1975: 13). Producers found themselves with no alternative than to start using previously filmed movies as sources for new â€Å"B† and sometimes top-of-the-bill productions (Verevis: 2006: 6). These updated plots were essentially the same as their predecessor, with just the settings and characters being changed slightly. Druxman’s second point is that it was common practice for studios to purchase rights to plays, novels and stories, so that they could then produce multiple versions of these without giving the copyright holder additional payments (Verevis: 2006: 6). As Literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Three Musketeers where in the public domain, it meant that no initial payment would have to be paid for their dramatic rights (Verevis: 2006: 6). The final factor is simple economics; established films can be redone in order to exploit the ever changing production techniques and movie stars. That is why these old stories were, and will continue to be, constantly resurrected. If a studio has purchased the rights to something they will want to redo and release it as many times as possible in order to maximise their gain. Through Druxman’s definitions and in depth analysis of Hollywood remakes he comes up with three categories which he feels they can fall under; the direct, disguised and the non-remake (Druxman: 1975: 15). The direct remake category contains films that do not even attempt to hide the fact that they are based on earlier productions (Druxman: 1975: 15). Such productions may adopt a new title and make some changes to the narrative image (Verevis: 2006: 7), but it is basically the same film being remade, with not even the publicity campaigns hiding this fact (Druxman: 1975: 15). The main objective of these direct remakes is to draw in two types of cinema viewers. Those who have seen and enjoyed the original, and are curious about this new remake, and those who have heard good things about the original so want to view this version as the older is no longer in circulation (Druxman: 1975: 18). His second category, the disguised remake is a film which is either updated with little change, or completely retitled and then disguised, with the help of a new setting and original characters. (Verevis: 2006: 7). In either case though, the disguised remake doesn’t wish to draw attention to the fact that it’s not an original piece, instead just promoting itself as a normal film. Finally Druxman says there are non-remakes, films retaining the title of a well known story (Druxman: 1975: 15), as well as possibly referring to the name of a well known author, strictly for commercial purposes. Basically all the remake and the original share in common is the title, but the content is extremely different in each case (Verevis: 2006: 7). A perfect example of Druxman’s non-remake would be The Ring Two (2005) as the film shares the same name as its original (in its American release title at least), but that it pretty much where the similarities end. It is interesting to point out that the film is remade by Hideo Nakata, the director behind the original, clearly placing this remake within Robert Stams category of autocitation, in which a film maker remakes his/her own film (Verevis: 2006: 21). A further relevant example of this is Takashi Shimizu’s American film The Grudge a remake of his earlier Japanese language Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). In Harvey Roy Greenberg’s article â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Text: Remaking as Contested Homage in Always†he expands upon Druxman’s â€Å"commercially grounded† (Verevis: 2006: 8) groups and comes up with three categories which instead focus on the directors reasons for remaking a film. His categories center around the example of the romantic war fantasy A Guy Named Joe (1943) and its Steven Spielberg remake, Always (1989). Using this as an example of what Verevis translates as a â€Å"acknowledged, transformed remake† (2006: 9), with the film having huge changes made to the characters, location and general story telling. But still making sure to acknowledge the original, like in the case of Always a small mention is given in the credits. Much like Druxman he also names two other categories in which he feels remakes fall under. The acknowledged, close remake much like Druxman’s direct (1975:15) category, is when a remake completely replicates the original, with little to no change made to its narrative structure (Verevis: 2006: 9), and the unacknowledged, disguised remake is when both minor and major changes are made to the time, settings and characters. But the original version is not referred to and the audience are not informed of there even being one (Verevis: 2006: 9), similar to Druxman’s category of disguised remake. Thomas M. Leitch gives a much â€Å"more developed† (Verevis: 2006: 11) taxonomy of remakes. He claims that remakes seek to define themselves through either primary reference to the original film, or to the material both are adapted from, and there are four possible stances of remake that a film can fall under (Leitch: 1990: 142). The readaptation is the simplest of these stances, ignoring earlier cinematic adaptations in order to readapt an original literary property as faithfully as possible (Verevis: 2006: 12). The readaptations goal is â€Å"fidelity to the original text† (Leitch: 1990: 142), which it aims to translate as thoroughly as possible into the new film medium. Unlike the readaptation, the update competes directly with its literacy source, instead of seeking to subordinate itself to the essence of a literacy classic (Verevis: 2006: 12). They transform the original text through such ways as transposing it to a new setting, changing its values, or making the original seem dated, outmoded or irrelevant (Leitch: 1990: 143). Films such as these updates often display their â€Å"contradictory attitude towards the material† (Leitch: 1990: 143) through their titles and marketing, sometimes even using a tone which verges on parody. For perfect example of this would be Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), a film which takes an established screenplay and changes its meaning, updating it for a new generation. The homage is a type of remake whose primary objective is not to disrespect and put down the original film, but celebrate and pay tribute to it (Leitch: 1990: 144). Much like the readaptation which seeks to direct the audience’s attention to its literacy source (Verevis: 2006: 13), the homage situates itself as a secondary text, with its only value depending on its relation to the original text they pay tribute to (Leitch: 1990: 144). Therefore the homage renounces any claims that it is better than its original and attempts to reintroduce films that are in danger of being lost and forgotten (Leitch: 1990: 144). Leitch’s final category, the true remake is the complete opposite to the homage, claiming that it is better than its original (Verevis: 2006: 13). It focuses on a cinematic original with an accommodating stance and seeks to update the original, making its more relevant to a new modern audience (Leitch: 1990: 145). More than any of the other categories it borrows largely from the unacknowledged film, instead of being a reinvisioning of a literacy text (Leitch: 1990: 145). As well as these three major taxonomies on remakes from Leitch, Druxman and Greenberg, Robert Eberwein has published an elaborate list, proposing fifteen individual categories, each with many subdivisions (Verevis: 2006: 11). Ranging from the obvious such as a silent film remade as a sound film (Eberwein: 1998: 28) to the much more specific, â€Å"A remake that changes the race of the main characters† (Eberwein: 1998: 30). His taxonomy doesn’t address the issue of film adaptations, (Eberwein: 1998: 31) but regardless is a comprehensive and extremely specific list of categories which film can easily be slotted into. Chapter Two Different Styles of Horror It’s fairly clear to see, even to the most casual of audiences that Hollywood and Asia have extremely different styles of horror cinema, focussing on very different aspects and using different techniques to produce an element of fear. The west has a long history of horror cinema, starting with the early gothic in films such as Todd Browning’s Dracula (1931) and James Whales’ Frankenstein (1931), before going through a more paranoid stage focussing on unease and a sense that things are not right in the world, such as John Carpenters Science Fiction horror The Thing (1982). In recent times though â€Å"horror has become the domain of the slasher movie† (Maher: 2005: 14), with the likes of Friday the 13th(1980), Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) giving rise to a new genre, one which would reshape the future of horror for almost 20 years. Towards the end of the 20th century it had become the norm for horror cinema to be all about multiple grotesque killings, limited back-story and a very formulaic approach to making the films. With the audience expecting certain key things when watching a horror film, such as, big jumpy moments, psycho-killers who never quite die and conventions such as the â€Å"Final Girl†. As Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring puts it â€Å"slasher films contextualise the horror so you watch it, eat your popcorn, go through a few jumps, and then go out for dinner† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), it was no longer fresh and exciting in the way it was in the early 1980s. Wes Craven changed all this in 1996 with the first of his Scream trilogy, the ironic slasher movie has run out of â€Å"nudge-nudge and wink wink† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) and it was now time for a smarter type of horror, one which was very aware of its audience knowing the key conventions, and which would use this to its advantage. The Scream films make use of the previously subtle and covert intertextual references and transform them into a very overt, discursive act. The movie characters knowledge of the horror genre rivals that of this new very aware target audience, and no longer tries to patronise them and act oblivious, with even the rules of horror sequels being discussed in detail in the following Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The dismantling and parody riddled approach to the slasher genre continued with the Scary Movie (2000) franchise, this time not just giving a smart alternative to current horror cinema but completely mocking every aspect of it. Although these films and there sequels did very well at the box office, they had done serious damage to the American horror genre (Braundu: 2005: 118), the age of the slasher genre was over and Hollywood studios needed to find a way to invent horror for a new audience. In 1998 â€Å"Japanese suspense maestro† (Maher: 2005: 14) Hideo Nakata’s small budget Japanese horror film Ringu had revived a stagnant genre for the country, and had become a â€Å"cinematic phenomenon† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) across Asia, quickly becoming the most successful horror film franchise in Japan’s history. (Arnold: 2002:16) The story of a mysterious video tape which kills everyone who watches it exactly one week later became an underground cult classic within the west (Maher: 2005: 14), providing a kind of deep unsettling horror which had never been seen before. The film is based largely on the book of the same name by Koji Suzuki, who has been dubbed â€Å"the Stephen King of Japan† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), which was published in 1991. Suzuki’s downbeat, everyday settings have proven to translate well into film, (Donald: 2005: 9) with another one of his books, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water, 2002) from 1996 also being adapted and remade for an American audience. Roy Lee, arguably the best known go-between in the world of remakes (Frater Kay: 2003: 10) and one half of the new Vertigo Entertainment, was one of the first big name American film producer to watch Ringu and it was this viewing that triggered the start of the Asian remake boom. On Lee’s recommendation the film was watched by Dreamworks Production Executive Walter Parkes and by 7pm that same day they had â€Å"paid $1m for the remake† rights (Frater Kay: 2003: 10). The history of the Japanese horror film is arguably as big as that of Hollywood and the West’s. With its roots firmly set in folklore, myth and urban legend (Langford: 2005: 175) it has progressed from woodblock carvings, to Kabuki theatre and finally to motion picture cinema. The main premise of the horror is based around the ghost story, at least up until the late 20th century. Story’s known as Kaidan (literally translated to â€Å"tail of a strange apparition†) originating from the Edo and Meiji period where passed down from generation to generation, retold in an ever changing medium (Stamou: 2007). The average Japanese person is more inclined to believe in ghosts than not, due to the culture and the way they are constantly exposed to these tales of terror. They believe that spirits inhabit absolutely everything (Rucka: 2005) and because of this don’t regard them as enemies, but as just another thing which co-exists within their world (Kermode: 2005). As Walter Salles, director of Dark Water (2005) puts it, â€Å"they don’t question it the way we question it, it’s much more a part of their world† (Kermode: 2005). Due to the unquestioning of the paranormal and the Buddhist and ShintÃ…Â  religious followings they are much more acceptant to the idea of life after death. This view of life, death and the afterlife is the fundamental difference between Japanese horror and its western counterpart, and where all the other differences stem from (Rucka: 2005). As Hideo Nakata says, â€Å"when making horror films, the methods of describing the spirit world and the expression of horror are totally different between Japan and the West† (Kermode: 2005). As is common within the Japanese language there are names for multiple different types of ghost and spirit. The ghosts and demons of the ancient period tales where known as the Yurei (lean ghost), the Zashiki-warashi is a dead child’s ghost, like the character of Toshio in Ju-on: The Grudge. One of the most common kinds of ghost though is the OnryÃ…Â  (resentful spirit), a spirit trapped at Yomi (Japanese purgatory) who comes back to earth looking for revenge (Stamou: 2007). Although not limited to being female, such as Rentaro Mikuni’s husband character in Kwaidan (1964) for example, the majority of them are (Wilks: 2006). It is this image of the OnryÃ…Â  which comes to mind when you think of Japanese horror, the female spirit gowned in snow-white, with its long black hair obscuring its face. This is mainly due to the new wave of Japanese directors such as, Takashi Miike (Ôdishon, 1999), Hideo Nakata (Ringu), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on: The Grudge) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kairo, 2001) using it at every opportunity, making it as â€Å"iconic in horror cinema as the projectile-vomiting, spinning head† (Wilks: 2006). 1964 saw the release of what many regard as one of Japans greatest horrors, Kaidan (Kwaidan, 1964). Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on four short stories by author Lafcadio Hearn, it uses abstract use of lighting and sound, creatively staged and shot in vibrant colours (Rucka: 2005). Keiko Kishi’s performance as Yuki The Ice Maiden sparked such terror within the Japanese population, that now only the passing glimpse of the likes of Sadako in Ringu and Kayako in Ju-on: The Grudge ignite utmost fright, due to the accumulated cultural knowledge of this character (Wilks: 2006). After years of Japanese horror plodding along in a stale state, influenced more by American slashers than its own rich heritage, a young director called Norio Tsurta decided he had had enough and it was time for a change. Japan was no longer the fantastically safe country it once was, and the Japanese people were starting to feel the ills of the outside world encroaching on them (Lovgren: 2004), and this was starting to be shown through their cinema. Tsurta’s Honto ni atta kowai hanashi (Scary True Stories, 1991) was the first of these, providing through low budget production, the look, mood and style which would later be known as J-Horror (Rucka: 2005). The term J-Horror was originally coined as a cult fan term (Rucka: 2005) for the post Ringu horror cinema which was coming out of Japan, although now it is often wrongly used to define Japanese horror as a whole. This revitalised horror scene fronted largely by Hideo Nakata after the phenomenal success of his film Ringu, completely revived the Japanese horror scene and caught the eye of film fans and studios all around the world. The common theme within J-Horror is once again ghosts, OnryÃ…Â  and the supernatural, but other more violent torture based films can also be included under the banner, for example Takashi Miike’s Ôdishon (Audition). For the most part though the films were very similar in style and overall theme to each other, with the following being the most notable examples; Nakata’s Ringu, Kaosu (Chaos, 1999), Ringu 2 (1999) and Honogurai mizu no soko kara. Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on: The Curse (2000), Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000), Ju-on: The Grudge, Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003), Marebito (2004) and Rinne (Reincarnation, 2005). Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kyua (Cure, 1997), Kairo (Pulse, 2001) and Sakebi (Retribution, 2006), and Takashi Miike’s Chakushin ari (One Missed Call, 2004). The Japanese horror style has an â€Å"eerie ambient quality† (Maher: 14: 2005) about it which differs largely from its western counterpart. As noted previously, in the traditional Japanese horror movie the â€Å"past haunts the present, invariably taking the form of the supernatural† (Schneider and Williams: 6: 2005). Where, as director Rob Zombie (Halloween, 2007) points out, in American horror â€Å"you’ve gotta kill someone in the first five seconds† (Chaffin: 2005). J-Horror takes a very different approach to this, focussing on delivering heavy â€Å"atmosphere, nuance and ambiguity† (Chaffin: 2005), instead of raw grotesque gore, mainly due to the fact that the Japanese audience is much more tolerant of it (Phelan: 10: 2005). In Japanese horror films there’s much more of an acceptance towards the irrational and the unexplained (Lovgren: 2004). Nakata says that the ghost need do nothing more than â€Å"stand behind and stare at the main character† (Davies: 2005) to create fear amongst the audience, it all comes from sounds, shadows and suggestions, you don’t need â€Å"a 3D creature lopping people’s heads off† (Lovgren: 2004). Takashi Shimizu compares the current J-Horror style to films by American director John Carpenter, such as The Thing (1982) and Halloween. Saying that â€Å"just the suggestion of the presence of a ghost is frightening† (Dixon: 7: 2005), whereas Sarah Michelle-Gellar, star of The Grudge, describes Asian horror as being â€Å"much more beautiful, more poetic, leaving much more to the imagination† (Baughan: 78: 2005), a view which seems to be shared by many. Western horror plots normally evolve around the idea that the characters discover the cause of the horror and then destroy it, but J-Horror works very differently to this. As Stephen Susco, the writer in charge of translating Ju-on: The Grudge for the remake puts it, Asian horror is more â€Å"like a haunted house that follows you† (Kay: 7: 2004), there’s no limits or barriers to the horror. For example in Ringu where Sadako Yamamura climbs out of the television set, breaching any line which might keep you safe. In the west a ghost is often required to want something much more meaningful and have a deeper back-story, whereas â€Å"in Japan a ghost may simply want to terrify and destroy† (Phelan: 10: 2005). It’s the little differences like this which make these variations on the horror genre so different, where Hollywood mostly relies on over the top multiple sequences of death, Japan still has its roots firmly placed amongst the aesthetics of folklore, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre (McRoy: 214: 2006). Although history would suggest that Europe was the first stop of film makers and studio’s looking to remake a movie for a world audience, Japan has long been a â€Å"happy hunting ground for Hollywood remakers† (Shackleton Schilling: 2003: 17). First beginning in 1960 with The Magnificent Seven, John Sturges’ classic remake of the cult hit Shichinin no samurai, and then followed by Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a remake of the Japanese film Yojimbo. In fact Yojimbo was remade once again in 1996 in the Bruce Willis lead crime drama Last Man Standing, a tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s screenplay that it was still deemed worthy of a remake over 30 years later. Literally the largest example of Hollywood remaking a Japanese movie though is Godzilla (1998), Roland Emmerich’s re-envisioning of the then twenty two film monster series, beginning in 1954 with Goijira (Godzilla). It was this film which became one of the first early examples of a foreign film becoming â€Å"Americanised†, even though it was given a (very limited) subtitled theatrical run it was still remade two years later as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), with numerous new scenes shot and inserted into the original Japanese film, completely changing the plot and removing any real trace that it was a foreign made production (godzylla.com). As Mike Macari, Fine Line’s Creative Executive and avid Asian film fanatic, states Hollywood has always had the ability to â€Å"import foreign ideas and re-export them to a world market† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9), remakes have always been a very important part of American film making, but in the last ten years this is becoming even more so. As the mainstream Hollywood audiences’ become bored and overexposed to the current market the studios are forced to look elsewhere for inspiration, Walter Parkes says that Hollywood’s â€Å"voracious appetite† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) will look wherever it can for new material and inspiration. American children have been â€Å"growing up on Pokemon, Japanese anime and manga† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) for the past ten years, which has meant that as they become adults they’ve become more accustomed to the Japanese style, whereas fifteen years ago they wouldn’t be so open to it. Roy Lee states that he looks for â€Å"something new and fresh in the story that will appeal to a wider audience† (Paquet: 2003: 15), as long as it has an original concept and several strong scenes Hollywood can see potential in it for a remake. â€Å"Hollywood is a machine† (Maher: 2005: 14) and has proven that it can translate even the most cultural specific film into a box office success. Chapter Three Case Study As previously mentioned Hideo Nakata’s Ringu became the first film associated with the style of movie which would later be described as J-Horror. It came up with a fresh and exciting approach to its genre which would not only be used as a template for its western remakes, but the stream of replicas which would follow it in Japan. In this chapter I will be looking at the film in much more detail, comparing and contrasting it to Gore Verbinski’s Hollywood remake The Ring, in an attempt to identify how truthful it stays to the original, which parts are changed and westernised, and why this is the case. Although I am using Ringu/The Ring as my main example, mainly due to the fact that it was the first contemporary case of remaking Japanese horror, I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other films and