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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'

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960)

8.2/10
Director: Mikio Naruse
Starring: Hideko Takamine

A delicate, devastating study of a woman's life, a Ginza barmaid who fears that, as she faces her 30th birthday and the loss of her job, she will have... Read more

When Marnie Was There (2014)

7.7/10
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Twelve-year-old Anna believes she sits outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong, and shuts herself off from everyone around her.... Read more

When Marnie Was There ( Blu-ray ) (2014)

7.7/10
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Twelve-year-old Anna believes she sits outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong, and shuts herself off from everyone around her.... 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

Why Don't You Play in Hell? (2013)

7.2/10
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Jun Kunimura, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Fumi Nikaido

There's a war going on, but that won't stop the inexperienced but eager wannabe film crew The Fuck Bombers from following their dreams of making the u... Read more

Wild Zero (2000)

6.6/10
Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi
Starring: Guitar Wolf, Drum Wolf, Bass Wolf, Masashi Endo, Kwancharu Shitichai

When aliens start turning the population into flesh-eating zombies, only rock fan Ace and his favourite band, Guitar Wolf (and they're a real band!) h... Read more

Wolf Children (2012)

8.2/10
Director: Mamoru Hosoda

From award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda ("Summer Wars", "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time"), an elegiac animated fantasy which follows the growth and... Read more

Woman of the Dunes (1964)

Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara
Starring: Eiji Okuda, Kyoko Kishida, Koji Mitsui, Hiroko Ito

When teacher Junpei Niki misses his last bus home after a day out collecting insects on a remote stretch of coast, he is invited by a local villager t... Read more

Yakuza Apocalypse (2015)

5.5/10
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Hayato Ichihara, Yayan Ruhian

From acclaimed cult director Takashi Miike (13 Assassins, Ichi The Killer, Audition). In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more... Read more

Yakuza Deka 1: Secret Police (1970)

Director: Yukio Noda
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Tetsuro Tanpa

Sonny Chiba plays a hard-bitten undercover cop trying to win the confidence of two rival yakuza gangs in order to bust their illegal drugs operations.... Read more