Japanese Cinema
Japanese cinema flourished early on and silent films were being made right through the 1930s. Most were accompanied by a 'benshi' or live narrator telling the story as well as live music. Very little survives from this era however; the 1923 earthquake, the bombings of WW2 and the country's high humidity destroyed many of these historical works. Of those that survive, the early works of Kenji Mizoguchi are highly regarded and he went on to make the classic 'The Life of Oharu' in 1952. Of course no discussion on Japanese cinema is possible without mention of their best known son, Akira Kurosawa. With a career spanning 60 years Kurosawa's ground-breaking films (e.g. 'Seven Samurai', 'Kagemusha', 'Ran') influenced film makers around the world. Most recently Japanese cinema hero 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano revitalised the Yakuza genre; and young mavericks like Takashi Miike ('Audition', 'Ichi the Killer) and Hideo Nakata ('Ring', 'Dark Water') have breathed new life into the horror flick, their films often (and promptly!) remade by US production houses.
For Japanime, use the animation link to the left.
Pictured: Kurosawa teamed once more with the incomparable Toshiro Mifune for 'Seven Samurai'
Tokyo Story (1953)
8.2/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara
Aka "Tokyo Monogatari". One of the legendary classics of humanist cinema tells the simple, sad story of an elderly couple who travel to Tokyo to visit... Read more
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
8.5/10
Director: Isao Takahata
In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sist... Read more
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
8.2/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Voices Of, Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Blythe Danner, Billy Cr...
With its otherworldly beauty and charm Miyazaki's magical tale of adventure and self-discovery is testament to his limiltiless imagination. 18-year-ol... Read more
In The Realm Of The Senses (1976)
6.6/10
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Starring: Aio Nakajima, Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
Tells of the bizarre true-to-life love affair between a gangster and a prostitute in 1930s Japan. Highlighted by lush visuals and graphic sex, as well... Read more
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
8/10
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Written and produced by Manga maestro Hayao Miyazaki this classic anime sees young bookworm Shizuku spending her summer reading and translating popula... Read more
Rashomon (1950)
8.3/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori
Akira Kurosawa's first huge international success is this superlative study of truth and human nature; four people involved in a rape-murder tell vary... Read more
Arrietty (2010)
7.6/10
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Aka "The Secret World of Arrietty". Mary Norton's novel "The Borrowers" gets an anime updating in this fun family tale co-written by Hayao Miyazaki. A... Read more
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
From legendary Manga director Hayao Miyazaki comes that rare delight - a family film that really appeals to all ages. While their mother is in hospit... Read more
Ichi the Killer (2001)
7.1/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, Shinya Tsukamoto
Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and depravity is a way of life. This is the underside of Shinjuku, and the home of Kakihara, a sadistic... Read more
Ikiru (1952)
8.3/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Kyoko Seki
A brilliant study of a man who finds he is dying of cancer and determines to spend his final months giving meaning to his life by constructing a child... Read more