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 Lower Depths (1957)
7.5/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Ganjiro Nakamada
Adapted from a play by Maxim Gorky and following the adventures of a boarding home's odd residents, especially the love triangle that develops between... Read more
Throne of Blood (1957)
8.1/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Kurosawa's version of 'Macbeth' spares no effort in creating an atmosphere of obsessive madness and supernatural compulsion. The black and white contr... 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
Warning from Space (1956)
4.4/10
Director: Koji Shima
Translated into English, the title of this Japanese sci-fi endeavor is Unknown Satellite over Tokyo. The extraterrestrials on this occasion are weirdl... Read more
Street of Shame (1956)
8/10
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Machiko Kyo, Aiko Mimasu
For his final film, Mizoguchi brought a lifetime of experience to bear on the heartbreaking tale of a brothel full of women whose dreams are constantl... Read more
The Burmese Harp (Blu-ray) (1956)
8/10
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Starring: Shoji Yasui, Rentaro Mikuni, Naito Taketoshi
A moving anti-war drama about a wounded Japanese soldier in British custody during the last days of World War II. Sent out into the Burmese jungle to... Read more
The Burmese Harp (1956)
8.1/10
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Starring: Shoji Yasui, Rentaro Mikuni, Naito Taketoshi
A moving anti-war drama about a wounded Japanese soldier in British custody during the last days of World War II. Sent out into the Burmese jungle to... Read more
Crazed Fruit (1956)
7.5/10
Director: Ko Nakahira
Starring: Masahiko Tsugawa, Yujiro Ishihara, Mie Kitahara
Two brothers compete for the amorous favours of a young woman during a seaside summer of gambling, boating, and drinking in this film from director Ko... Read more
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
7.7/10
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Koji Tsurata, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mariko Okada, Michiko Saga, Takas...
Hiroshi Inagaki's acclaimed Samurai Trilogy is based on the novel that has been called Japan's "Gone with the Wind". This sweeping saga of the legenda... Read more
The Empress Yang Kwei-fei (1955)
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori
Aka "Princess Yang Kwei-fei". Based on an ancient historical tale, this is a sumptuous costume drama set in 8th century China of the T'ang Dynasty, br... Read more