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'
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
8.1/10
Director: Isao Takahata
Eight years in the making and hot on the heels of Miyazaki's The Wind Rises, Studio Ghibli co-founder Takahata's adaptation of a centuries old Japanes... Read more
3 Extremes (2004)
6.3/10
Director: Takashi Miike, Chan-wook Park, Fruit Chan
Starring: Kyoko Hasegawa, Atsuro Watabe, Byung-hun Lee, Won-hee Lim, Hye-jeong Kang, Jung-...
Three of Asia's hottest directors join forces for this horror triple. Hong Kong's Fruit Chan, Korea's Park Chan-wook and Japan's Takashi Miike each co... Read more
The Place Promised In Our Early Days (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Makoto Shinkai
In an alternate timeline World War II has split Japan in two; in American-controlled Aomori three children become enthralled with a giant tower, far i... Read more
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind ( Blu-ray ) (1984)
8.1/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
This classic Miyazaki film in many ways foreshadows his later, more widely recognised hit, 'Princess Mononoke'. In the far future, man has destroyed t... Read more
Stray Dog (1949)
7.9/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Isao Kimura, Keiko Awaji
Early Kurosawa film is a masterful mix of film noir and police thriller in which a rookie detective (Toshiro Mifune) has his pistol stolen, and his se... Read more
Hana-Bi ( Fireworks ) (1998)
7.8/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi, Takeshi Kitano
This original, offbeat, explosive drama showcases Takeshi Kitano as Nishi, a detective distraught by a number of troubles in his life. Pushed to the e... Read more
The Life of Oharu (1952)
8.2/10
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Kinuyo Tanaka, Ichiro Sugai
A poignant, exquisitely filmed portrait of a woman in feudal Japan who, after disgracing the honor of her samurai father, is sold into prostitution. "... Read more
Hanzo the Razor - Sword of Justice (1972)
6.8/10
Director: Kenji Misumi
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Yukiji Asaoka, Mari Atsumi
Hanzo 'the Razor' Itami is a samurai cop who's expert at weilding more than just his sword. Like a Japanese version of 'Shaft', Hanzo is a demented b... Read more
Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Mami Sunada
Starring: John Lasseter, Hideaki Anno, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki
This visit to Studio Ghibli proves gratifyingly akin to the pleasure of watching the films produced there. The place even looks like a Miyazaki movie,... Read more
Barefoot Gen / Barefoot Gen 2 (1983)
Director: Kazuo Oga
The powerful and tragic autobiographical story of manga artist Keiji Nakazawa, just six years old when an atomic bomb was dropped on his hometown of H... Read more