Japan Synopsis
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
The 1991–1993 Japan Window
109 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. Visions of Light sits at position #42.
#1Slam Dunk
★ 8.6 · 1993
#2Yu Yu Hakusho
★ 8.6 · 1992
#3Tokyo Love Story
★ 8.6 · 1991
#4Sailor Moon
★ 8.4 · 1992
#5Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War
★ 8.3 · 1993
#6Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai
★ 8.2 · 1991
#7Ranma ½: The Movie 2 — The Battle of Togenkyo: Rescue the Brides!
★ 8.1 · 1992
#8Ziggy: Soreyuke! R&R Band
★ 8.1 · 1991
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1990s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Visions of Light premiered. 447 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,163 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (53rd percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Documentary productions specifically: #29 of 50 (top 58%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | Japan, United States of America |
| Original Language | En |
| Production Companies | American Film Institute (AFI), NHK |
| Runtime | 1h 32m |
| Release Date | September 17, 1992 |
| IMDb | tt0105764 |