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'
High and Low (1963)
8.4/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune
Based on an Ed McBain novel, 'High and Low' is a gripping, film noir style thriller. A ruthless kidnapper, aiming to snatch wealthy industrialist Tosh... Read more
The 47 Ronin ( aka Chushingura ) (1962)
7.6/10
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Yuzo Kayama, Koshiro Matsumoto, Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Mihashi, Yosuke Natsuki,...
One of the most retold stories in Japanese cinema is this historical samurai saga set at the turn of the 18th century, in which 47 loyal ronin seek ve... Read more
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
8.2/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Chishu Ryu, Mariko Okada, Shima Iwashita, Shin-Ichiro Mikami, Keiji Sada
One of the world's most celebrated filmmakers, Yasujiro Ozu, observes the tangled relationships of Japanese families with an amazing blend of intimacy... Read more
Sanjuro (1962)
8.2/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama
The hero of Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo' returns to help a group of very earnest, very green, very young samurai get their clan rid of corruption. As in 'Yoji... Read more
Pigs & Battleships (Blu-ray) (1961)
Director: Shohei Imamura
A young hoodlum decides to work for a criminal organization that is tearing itself apart. Read more
Pigs & Battleships (1961)
Director: Shohei Imamura
A young hoodlum decides to work for a criminal organization that is tearing itself apart. Read more
Daredevil in the Castle (1961)
6.9/10
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa, Yuriko Hoshi, Yoshiko Kuga, Isuzu Yamada, Yosuke N...
Toshiro Mifune plays Mohei, a lone samurai wandering in despair after his family is wiped out. He arrives in Osaka and is taken in by the Toyotomi cl... Read more
The End of Summer (1961)
6.2/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Setsuko Hara, Ganjiro Nakamura, Yoko Tsukasa
Aka "Early Autumn". The penultimate film by Yasujiro Ozu examines the difficulties faced by the Kohayagawa family as they struggle to adapt their trad... Read more
Yojimbo (1961)
8.3/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Eijiro Tono, Seizaburo Kawazu, Toshiro Mifune
Kurosawa's first full-length comedy. Toshiro Mifune is the unemployed samurai warrior who comes to a small village torn apart by two warring factions... Read more
Late Autumn (1960)
8/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Setsuko Hara, Yoko Tsukasa, Keiji Sada, Chishu Ryu, Shin Saburi
A widow tries to marry off her daughter with the help of her late husband's three friends. Read more