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'
After the Storm (2016)
7.4/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Taiyo Yoshizawa, Yoko Maki
Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota wastes the money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely pay child supp... Read more
Akira (1988)
8.1/10
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Starring: Voices Of, Lewis Lemay, Jimmy Flanders, Drew Thomas
Groundbreaking Japanese animated epic set in the post-WWIII metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. The labyrinthine plot revolves around a battle between oppressive... Read more
Akira ( Blu-ray ) (1988)
8.1/10
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Groundbreaking Japanese animated epic set in the post-WWIII metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. The labyrinthine plot revolves around a battle between oppressive... Read more
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Akira Terao, Mieko Harada, Mitsuko Baisho
Eight mesmerising tableaus explore the subconscious at various stages of an elderly mans life in this visually stunning work from the master Japanese... Read more
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (Blu-ray) (1990)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Akira Terao, Mieko Harada, Mitsuko Baisho
Eight mesmerising tableaus explore the subconscious at various stages of an elderly mans life in this visually stunning work from the master Japanese... Read more
All About Lily Chou Chou (2001)
7.7/10
Director: Shunji Iwai
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Shugo Oshinari, Yu Aoi, Ayumi Ito
Hugely successful Japanese filmmaker Shunji Iwai wrote and directed this sweeping tale of adolescence, bullying and fame. Teenager Yuichi feels alone... Read more
Alone Across the Pacific (1963)
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Starring: Yujiro Ishihara
Director Kon Ichikawa's ('An Actor's Revenge', 'The Burmese Harp') incredible real-life tale of one man's epic journey across the Pacific Ocean is bas... Read more
Always - Sunset On Third Street (2005)
7.8/10
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Maki Horikita, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki , Hiroko Yakushimaru...
Beautifully recreating the post-war Tokyo landscape of the 1950s, this ensemble story is based on a popular manga and is an intimate look into the liv... Read more
An Actor's Revenge (1963)
7.6/10
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Starring: Kazuo Hasegawa, Fujiko Yamamoto, Ayako Wakao
Legendary Japanese actor Kazuo Hasegawa plays Yukinojo Nakamura, a kabuki actor who - like Hasegawa himself - was renowned for being an onnagata, or f... Read more
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
8.2/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Chishu Ryu, Mariko Okada, Shima Iwashita, Shin-Ichiro Mikami, Keiji Sada
One of the world's most celebrated filmmakers, Yasujiro Ozu, observes the tangled relationships of Japanese families with an amazing blend of intimacy... Read more