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'
Kwaidan (1964)
8/10
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring: Keiko Kishi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kazuo Nakamura
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Masaki Kobayashi's 'Kwaidan' features four nightmarish tales adapted from Lafcadio Hearn's classic Japanes... Read more
Onibaba (1964)
8/10
Director: Kaneto Shindo
Starring: Nobuku Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato
An exotic and stylish tale of deceit and survival. A peasant mother and daughter lure soldiers away from their comrades and slay them for their armour... Read more
After Life (1998)
7.7/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Naito Taketoshi, Oda Erika, Terajima Susumu, Naito Takashi, Tani Kei
Many films have offered insight into the unexplainable realm of the after life. In Kore-eda Hirokazu's ("Maborosi") thought-provoking vision, the newl... Read more
5 Centimetres Per Second (2007)
Director: Makoto Shinkai
This animated triptych - named for the speed at which cherry blossoms fall to the ground - is made up of three stories surrounding Takaki, a Japanese... Read more
Suicide Club (2002)
6.6/10
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Masatoshi Nagase
A Japanese detective investigating the mass deaths of 54 female high school students who threw themselves in front of a speeding train uncovers a seri... Read more
Millennium Actress (2001)
7.9/10
Director: Satoshi Kon
As an old movie studio is torn down, documentary filmmaker Genya tracks down its brightest star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, now an aging recluse. Together wit... Read more
Pulse (2001)
6.6/10
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki , Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo
After one of their friends commits suicide, strange things begin happening to a group of young Tokyo residents. One sees visions of his dead friend in... Read more
Attack on Titan: Collection 1 (2013)
8.8/10
Many years ago, the last remnants of humanity were forced to retreat behind the towering walls of a fortified city to escape the massive, man-eating T... Read more
I Wish (2011)
7.4/10
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring: Maeda Koki, Maeda Ohshiro, Hayashi Ryoga
Twelve-year-old Koichi lives with his mother and retired grandparents in the southern region of Japan. His younger brother Ryunosuke lives with their... Read more
My Neighbour Totoro ( Blu-ray ) (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 hospita... Read more