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 Killing Machine (1975)
5.2/10
Director: Norifumi Suzuki
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Yutaka Nakajima, Kei Sato, Etsuko Shihomi
Following the end of World War II, former Japanese soldier and Shaolin martial arts master Doshin (Sonny Chiba) returns to Osaka after working as a sp... 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
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
The Loyal 47 Ronin (1941)
7.3/10
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Yoshizaburo Arashi, Utaemon Ichikawa
A timeless tale of honor and revenge, told in two parts by master director Kenji Mizoguchi. 'The Loyal 47 Ronin' tells the true story of a loyal group... Read more
The Machine Girl (2008)
5.9/10
Director: Noboru Iguchi
Starring: Minase Yashiro, Asami , Kentaro Shimazu, Honoka , Nobuhiro Nishihara
When gangsters murder her brother, and hack off her left arm, sweet Japanese schoolgirl Ami takes matters into her own...er, hand, and gets her stump... Read more
The Mysterians (1957)
6.3/10
Director: Ishiro Honda
Starring: Momoko Kochi, Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Sus...
'They've come to take our women!' Centuries after the destruction of their planet, the titular aliens land on Earth, install an impregnable dome by a... Read more
The Only Son (1936)
7.8/10
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
A widow sends her only son away to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him, finding him a poor school teacher with a wife and son. 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
The Princess Blade (2001)
5.8/10
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Starring: Hideaki Ito, Yumiko Shaku, Shiro Sano, Yoichi Numata, Kyusaku Shimada, Yoko Maki
Aka "Shurayuki-Hime". In a post-apocalyptic Japan that blends technology and feudalism, a young woman named Yuki, whose family are assassins, is loyal... Read more
The Quiet Duel (1949)
7.5/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Kenjiro Uemura, Miki Sanjo, Chieko Nakakita
Toshiro Mifune's second film with director Akira Kurosawa casts him in the role of a young war-time doctor, who accidentally contracts syphillis while... Read more