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'
Battle Heater (1990)
Director: Joji Iida
Starring: Pappara Kawai, Akira Emoto, Kaoru Okunuki
When the Kotatsu heater he finds on a rubbish dump turns out to be the host for a demonic entity, Furuchi has to find a way to return it to its rightf... Read more
Ring: The Spiral (1998)
6.3/10
Director: Joji Iida
Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Miki Nakatani, Hinako Saeki, Koichi Sato
This 1998 sequel, shot back to back with 'Ring', was originally screened as a double bill. It begins with Takayama's body being examined by his path... Read more
Zatoichi 23: At Large (1972)
Director: Kazuo Mori
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Rentaro Mikuni, Hisaya Morishige, Etsushi Takahashi, Fujio Morit...
One of the best of the original series of 25, this sees our blind hero deliver the baby of a dying mother (and breastfeed it!), then set off to find t... Read more
M.W. (2009)
5.5/10
Director: Hitoshi Iwamoto
Starring: Yuriko Ishida, Ryo Ishibashi, Takayuki Yamada, Hiroshi Tamaki
When a top secret compound called M.W. (pronounced 'mew') infects an island community, the military moves in to kill the victims and cover up the stor... Read more
Sansho the Baliff (Sansho Dayu) (Blu-ray) (1954)
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Eitaro Shindo, Kinuyo Tanaka
In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up ami... Read more
Battle Royale (2000)
7.7/10
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Kou S...
At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is in a state of near-collapse. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and violence amongst the nation's youth... Read more
Never Give Up (1978)
6.3/10
Director: Junya Sato
Starring: Ken Takakura, Isao Natsuyagi, Ryoko Nakano
Believing he can leave his dangerous life in the special forces behind, Ajisawa (Ken Takakura) abandons his job as a soldier and adopts Yoriko (Hiroko... Read more
Ninja Scroll: The Complete Series (2003)
7.9/10
Director: Tatsuo Sato
In feudal Japan, the Edo period brought a time of delicate peace bought with blood. Revisiting the popular 1993 Animé film, this series chronicles the... Read more
Princess Mononoke ( Blu-ray ) (1997)
8.4/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver,...
This stunning masterpiece by animation wizard Hayao Miyazaki is set during Japan's Muromachi era, when a maddened Boar God infects a prince with a dea... Read more
Gate of Hell (Blu-Ray) (1953)
7.2/10
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa
Starring: Kazuo Hasegawa, Machiko Kyo
In this lauded Japanese drama, the samurai Moritoh Enda (Kazuo Hasegawa) performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyo) from a v... Read more