Masahiro Shinoda in person
“Few human beings possess the energy of a Masahiro Shinoda. Not only has he been producing feature films at a steady rate and with considerable success since 1960, but he has made numerous documentaries and dramatic reconstructions for television, researched and written on his idols Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi, and expounded at great length on everything from Japanese politics to archaeology to theater for many a captivated listener, including me.
“One may not agree with Shinoda's elaborate theories of violence, sex and masochism as constituting the essence of the Japanese character, but his boyish charm and chronic enthusiasm tend to overwhelm any counter arguments. Similarly in his films, these ideas may not be readily acceptable to all, but his ability to express them in a startlingly beautiful form never fails to impress. In his quest for the psychological constants of the Japanese character in the filmic medium, his insistence on his own personal, often eccentric, presentation makes him exemplify the great gains staked out for individualism by the New Wave generation of the 1960s.”--Audie Bock, "Japanese Film Directors"
