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'
Drunken Angel (1948)
7.8/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura
Takashi Shimura plays an alcoholic doctor trying to bring about both spiritual and physical recovery of the human debris living in the yakuza-infested... Read more
Early Spring (1956)
7.8/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Chikage Awashima, Teiji Takahashi, Keiko Kishi, Chishu Ryu
A young man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital romance. Read more
Early Summer (1951)
8.2/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Chishu Ryu, Setsuko Hara, Ichiro Sugai, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake
Setsuko Hara has been promised an arranged marriage in post-war Japan, but too much in the world has changed for her not to challenge this tradition.... Read more
Eden of the East: Series Collection (2009)
7.8/10
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Akira Takizawa wakes up naked outside the White House with no memories. He's got a gun in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and doesn't know if he'... Read more
Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (1996)
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Kimika Yoshino, Wataru Shihodo, Chieko Shiratori, Akira Otani, Eisei Amamoto, Ak...
In this prequel to the first film an evil spirit has massacred a village of witches and wizards in ancient Japan. Skip to present day and an archaeol... Read more
Eko Eko Azarak III: Misa The Dark Angel (1998)
Director: Katsuhito Ueno
Starring: Hinako Saeki, Ayaka Nanami, Bang-ho Cho
Teenage witch Misa follows some disturbing clues to a private girl's school where she joins a drama group staging a play that involves Black Magic. Bu... Read more
Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995)
6/10
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Kimika Yoshino, Miho Kanno, Naozumi Takahashi, Mio Takaki
Misa has just transferred to a new school, unfortunately for her it's in the process of being taken over by evil supernatural forces. Fortunately for... Read more
Empire of the Passions (1978)
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Starring: Tatsuya Fuji, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
A.k.a. 'Ai No Borei', 'Empire of Passion', 'In the Realm of Passion'. This sensual, provocative and beautifully filmed story is set in Japan in 1895 a... Read more
Equinox Flower (1958)
7.8/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Shin Saburi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiko Kuga, Keiji Sada, Teiji Takahashi
A businessman clashes with his elder daughter over her choice of a husband. Read more
Fear and Trembling (2003)
7.1/10
Director: Alain Corneau
Starring: Sylvie Testud, Kaori Tsuji, Taro Suwa, Bison Katayama, Yasunari Kondo, Sokyu Fuj...
This comedy of cultural errors sees Belgian Amelie (Sylvie Testud) returning to Japan after pleasant memories from her childhood there. However as a... Read more