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'
Sanshiro Sugata II (1945)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Susumu Fujita, Denjiro Okochi, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Yukiko Todoroki, Masayuki Mo...
This sequel was suggested by the Japanese government, in the wake of a devastating loss in the second world war. Set in 1887, the Japanese culture is... Read more
Sansho the Bailiff (Sansho Dayu) (1954)
8.4/10
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa, Eitaro Shindo
One of the great films, 'Sansho the Bailiff' is set in the harsh feudal world of 11th-century Japan and is based on an ancient legend. When a humane l... 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
Scandal (1950)
7.3/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Yoshiko Yamaguchi, Yoko Katsuragi, Takashi Shimura
Ichiro (Toshiro Mifune) is a young painter on holiday in the mountains. By chance he meets Miyako (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) - a famous singer who is staying... Read more
Score (1995)
6.4/10
Director: Atsushi Muroga
Starring: Hitoshi Ozawa, Kazuyoshi Ozawa, Hiroshi Miyasaka, Ryushi Mizukami
Out on bail, tough guy Chance is forced to commit a string of bank robberies to pay off his debt. Given the opportunity to pull off a jewel heist in e... Read more
Seance (2000)
6.7/10
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Jun Fubuki
Based on the successful Martin Heidegger novel 'Seance on a Wet Afternoon', this Japanese thriller builds a terrifically creepy atmosphere as it follo... Read more
Seven Samurai (1954)
8.7/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Yoshio Inaba, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura
One of the most beloved movie epics of all time, Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhab... Read more
Seven Samurai (Blu-Ray) (1954)
8.7/10
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Kato, Seiji Miyaguchi, Mi...
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six... Read more
Sex and Fury (1973)
Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Starring: Reiko Ike, Christina Linberg, Masataka Narasu
Director Norifumi Suzuki's wild, erotic and violent exploitation classic tells the story of Ocho (Reiko Ike), carrying out a blood-soaked mission of r... Read more
Shadow of the Wraith (2001)
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Starring: Yuichi Matsuo, Koji Matsuo, Hitomi Miwa, Asumi Miwa, Mikio Osawa
Two terrifying tales of suspense are interconnected in this chilling anthology by director Toshiharu Ikeda. While Ryoji already has a girlfriend, Asaj... Read more