Japanese films 日本映画

The following Japanese films have been featured in my posts and/or Tweets:

Director: Akira Kurosawa 黒澤 明

• One Wonderful Sunday 素晴らしき日曜日 (1947)
• Drunken Angel 酔いどれ天使 (1948)
• Stray Dog 野良犬 (1949)
• Rashomon 羅生門 (1950)
• Ikiru 生きる (1952) (Twitter)
• Seven Samurai 七人の侍 (1954)
• The Bad Sleep Well 悪い奴ほどよく眠る (1960)
• Yojimbo 用心棒 (1961)
• High and Low 天国と地獄 (1963)
• Ran 乱 (1985)

Director: Keisuke Kinoshita 木下 惠介

• Here’s to the Girls お嬢さん乾杯 “Ojôsan kanpai” (aka “A Toast to the Young Miss”) (1949)
• Carmen Comes Home カルメン故郷に帰る (1951) – the first Japanese color film
• Danger Stalks Near 風前の灯 ‘Fuzen no tomoshibi’  (1957)
• The Eternal Rainbow この天の虹 (1958)
• Thus Another Day 今日もまたかくてありなん (Kyō mo mata kakute arinan) (1959)
• Farewell to Spring 惜春鳥 Sekishunchō (1959)
• A Legend or was it? 死闘の伝説 “Shitō no densetsu” (1963)
• Sing, Young People! 歌え若人達 (1963)

Director: Nagisa Oshima 大島 渚

• Film: Cruel Story of Youth (1960) 青春残酷物語; three posts:
  • Where in Tokyo was this filmed? “Cruel Story of Youth” (1960)
  • Odaiba, then & now: a visual history
  • Scenes from: Cruel Story of Youth (1960)
• Sing a song of sex (A Treatise on Japanese Bawdy Songs) 日本春歌考 (1967)
• Three Resurrected Drunkards 帰って来たヨッパライ (1968)
• Diary of a Shinjuku Thief 新宿泥棒日記 (1969)

Director: Yasujiro Ozu (general observation about his films)

• Early Summer (1951)
• Tokyo Story 東京物語 Tōkyō Monogatari (1953) – Quote: “What a treat to sleep in my dead son’s bed.“
  
• Good Morning 『お早よう』 (1959)
• Late Autumn 秋日和 Akibiyori (aka “A Calm Autumn Day”) (1960)
• An Autumn Afternoon 秋刀魚の味 (Sanma no aji / “The Taste of Mackerel Pike”) (1962)

Director: Mikio Naruse 成瀬 巳喜男

• Sound of the Mountain 山の音 “Yama no Oto” (1954)
• Scattered Clouds 乱れ雲 (aka “Two in the Shadow”) (1967)

Director: Koreyoshi Kurahara 蔵原惟繕

• I Am Waiting 俺は待ってるぜ “Ore wa matteru ze” (1957) (pictures)
• The Warped Ones 狂熱の季節 (1960)
• Intimidation ある脅迫 Aru kyōhaku (1960)
• I Hate but Love (1962)
• Ginza Love Story 銀座の恋の物語 “Ginza no Koi no Monogatari” (1962) – with singer/actress Chiemi Eri 江利チエミ
• Black Sun 黒い太陽 “Kuroi taiyō” (1964)
• Thirst for Love 愛の渇き Ai no kawaki (1967)

Director: Seijun Suzuki 鈴木 清順

• Everything goes wrong すべてが狂ってる (1960) (aka “The Madness of Youth”)
• Detective Bureau 23: Go to Hell Bastards 探偵事務所23くたばれ悪党ども (1963)
• Gate of Flesh 肉体の門 “Nikutai no mon” (1964)
• Tokyo Drifter 東京流れ者 Tōkyō nagaremono (1966) (theme song)

Director: Shohei Imamura 今村 昌平

• Pigs and Battleships 豚と軍艦 Buta to gunkan (1961)
• Foundry Town (aka “City of Cupolas”) キューポラのある街 (1962)
• History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess にっぽん戦後史　マダムおんぼろの生活 (Nippon Sengoshi – Madamu onboro no Seikatsu) (1970) (Twitter)
• Vengeance is Mine 復讐するは我にあり (1979) (see Quora:  Who were famous Japanese murderers?)

Director: Masahiro Shinoda 篠田正浩

• My Face Red in the Sunset (a.k.a. Killers on Parade) (夕陽に赤い俺の顔) (1961)
• Pale Flower 乾いた花 “Kawaita hana” (1968)
• The Petrified Forest 化石の森 “Kaseki no mori” (1973) / isolated man, isolated society, a man is killed; mom cleans love hotels
• Ballad of Orin はなれ瞽女おりん (1977) (YouTube)
• MacArthur’s Children 瀬戸内少年野球団 (1984)

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi 溝口 健二

• The 47 Ronin 元禄 忠臣蔵 Genroku Chushingura (The Loyal 47 Ronin) (1941-1942)
• Street of Shame 赤線地帯 Akasen chitai (1956)

Director: Masaki Kobayashi 小林正樹

• Black River 黒い河(1956)
• The Inheritance からみ合い (1962)
• Samurai Rebellion 上意討ち 拝領妻始末 (1967)

Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara 勅使河原 宏

• Pitfall おとし穴 “Otoshiana” (1962)
• Woman in the Dunes or Woman of the Dunes 砂の女 “Suna no Onna” (1964)
• The Face of Another 他人の顔 “Tanin no kao” (1966)

Director: Kon Ichikawa 市川崑

• Punishment Room 処刑の部屋 (1956)
• Odd Obsession 鍵 (1959)
• Being Two Isn’t Easy 私は二歳 (1962)
• Tokyo Olympiad (documentary) (1965) (Twitter)

The “Outlaw” series:

• 1st: Outlaw: Gangster VIP 「無頼」より　大幹部 “Burai yori daikanbu” (1968)
• 2nd: “Outlaw” Gangster VIP 2 大幹部 無頼 ” “Daikanbu burai” (1968)
• 3rd: “Outlaw” Heartless 大幹部　無頼非情 “Daikanbu burai hijo” (1968)
• 4th: “Outlaw” Goro the Assassin 無頼　人斬り五郎 “Burai hitokiri Goro” (1968)
• 5th: “Outlaw” Black Dagger 無頼　黒ヒ首  “Burai kuro hi kubi” (1968)
• 6th: “Outlaw” KILL! 無頼　殺せ “Burai korose” (1969)

Films based on works by writer Seicho Matsumoto 松本清張:

• Stakeout 張込み Harikomi (1958)
• Zero Focus ゼロの焦点 Zero no shoten (1961)
• Pro Bono 霧の旗 Kiri no Hata (1965)
• The Shadow Within 影の車 Kage no kuruma (1970)
• Castle of Sand 砂の器 Suna no utsuwa (1974) – based on “Inspector Imanishi Investigates” (Tweets about the book)

Films based on works by writer Shintaro Ishihara:

• Season of the Sun 太陽の季節 (1956) – the first “sun tribe” film
• Crazed Fruit 狂った果実 (1956) (aka “Juvenile Jungle”)
• The Perfect Game 完全な遊戯 (1958) – a portrait of intense depravity
• The Petrified Forest 化石の森 “Kaseki no mori” (1973)

Movies with actor Yujiro Ishihara:

• Crazed Fruit 狂った果実 (1956) (aka “Juvenile Jungle”)
• Rusty Knife (1958)
• I Hate but Love (1962)
• Ginza Love Story 銀座の恋の物語 “Ginza no Koi no Monogatari” (1962)

Movies with actor Jo Shishido:

• Rusty Knife (1958)
• Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards! 探偵事務所２３ 銭と女に弱い男 Tantei jimusho 23: Kutabare akutōdomo (1963)
• Youth of the Beast 野獣の青春 Yaju no seishun (1963)
• Cruel Gun Story (1964)
• Gate of Flesh 肉体の門 Nikutai no mon (1964)
• A Colt is my Passport 拳銃は俺のパスポート “Koruto wa Ore no Pasupōto” (1967)
• Branded to Kill 殺しの烙印 Koroshi no rakuin (1967)
• Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode 仁義なき戦い 完結篇 Jingi naki tatakai: Chojo sakusen (1974)

Sun Tribe (Taiyozoku) films 太陽族映画:

Source 1: “There are only five Sun-tribe films proper”: Season of the Sun, Backlight, Crazed Fruit, Summer in Eclipse, Punishment Room.” Source 2: mentions that there were six works, which would include Summer Storm.

• Season of the Sun 太陽の季節 (1956)
• Punishment Room 処刑の部屋 (1956)
• Crazed Fruit 狂った果実 (1956) (aka “Juvenile Jungle”)
• Backlight 逆光線 (1956)
• Summer in Eclipse 日蝕の夏 (1956)
• Summer Storm 夏の嵐 (1956) (Natsu no arashi) (source 1, source 2)

Similar in theme and tone, and are sometimes described as ‘Sun Tribe’ film:

• Everything goes wrong すべてが狂ってる (1960) (aka “The Madness of Youth”)
• The Warped Ones 狂熱の季節 (1960)
• Black Sun 黒い太陽 “Kuroi taiyō” (1964)

Not ‘Sun Tribe’, but included in the chronology of Sun Tribe films:

• Rose on His Arm 太陽とバラ (1956) (source)
• Sound of Youth 青春の音 (1956) (source)
• Tears 涙 1956 (source)

Other:

• Meteor 流星 (1949)
• Police Station Diary 風流交番日記 “Koban Diary” (1955)
• Vampire Moth 吸血蛾 (Kyuketsuki-ga) (1956 ): the first “vampire” film in Japanese cinema history
• American film: Stopover Tokyo (1957)
• The Rickshaw Man 無法松の一生 (1958)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla キングコング対ゴジラ (1962) – King Kong carried by balloons to Mt. Fuji
• Tokyo Olympiad 東京オリンピック Tōkyō Orinpikku (1965) – a stunning work of art, a valuable historical artifact
  
• Black Snow 黒い雪 Kuroi yuki (1965)
• By a Man’s Face Shall You Know Him 男の顔は履歴書 (1966) (Twitter)
• The Face of Another 他人の顔 (1966)
• The Sword of Doom 大菩薩峠 “Dai-bosatsu Tōge (1966)
• Kuroneko 藪の中の黒猫 “Yabu no Naka no Kuroneko”, a.k.a “A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove”, a.k.a “Black Cat” (1968)
• American film: The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978)- good scenery, bad film; the team plays baseball on an empty lot right next to the new Shinjuku skyscraper district (photo)
• American film:  The Challenge (1982) – scenes filmed at the Metabolism masterpiece, Kyoto International Conference Center

Newer films:

• Jazz Daimyo 『ジャズ大名』 (1986) (review)
• Akira 『AKIRA』 （アキラ）(1988)
• About the Pink Sky ももいろそらを (Momoiro sora o) (2011)
• Nobody Knows 誰も知らない (2004)
• Hana and Alice 花とアリス (Hana to Arisu) (2004)
• The Taste of Tea 茶の味 (2004)
• Tokyo Sonata トウキョウソナタ (2008)
• Instant Numa (or, “Instant Swamp”) インスタント沼 (2009)
• Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter トレジャーハンタークミコ (2014)
• An 「あん」 (2015)
• Miss Hokusai 百日紅 “Sarusuberi” (2015)
• A Living Promise 人生の約束 (2016) (Twitter)

Topics, settings, genres, etc:

• Keirin bike racing: Japanese film as history: keirin velodromes
• Kissing in movies (source)
• Pinky Violence (Toei) 東映ピンキーバイオレンス
• Roman Porno (Nikkatsu) 日活ロマンポルノ
• DanchiWife: Affair In the Afternoon / Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon / From 3 to Sex (Danchizuma: Hirusagari no jôji) 『団地妻 昼下がりの情事』  だんちづま・ひるさがりのじょうじ. According to Wikipedia, “The success of Apartment Wife: Affair In the Afternoon inspired 20 direct sequels—four in 1972—and numerous unofficial sequels and series.” pic:

Films about rakugo

• Rakugo Monogatari 落語物語 (2011)

Tokyo neighborhoods in Japanese film:

• Akasaka: Times have changed: Akasaka Mitsuke (1949, 1963, 2013) 赤坂見附 交差点
• Asakusa: Asakusa, Street of Shame (1956) 赤線地帯
• Odaiba: Odaiba, then & now: a visual history
• Shinjuku: From train to tree: Golden Gai, Toden streetcar, and Shinjuku Promenade Park
• Tokyo Station: Thus Another Day in 1959 Tokyo

Resources:

• I love this site: A History of Japanese Film by Year: Censorship during War and Occupation 1940-49
• Excellent Tokyo movie theater: Waseda Shochiku movie theater 早稲田松竹
• Kinema Junpo “All Time Best Best 100” Japan Movie Edition (1999 Edition) キネマ旬報「オールタイムベスト・ベスト100」日本映画編（１９９９年版）

Japanese television:

• Detective Story 探偵物語 Tantei Monogatari (1979-1980)
• Tokyo Love Story 東京ラブストーリー (1991)
• Tatami Galaxy 四畳半神話大系 Yojōhan Shinwa Taikei (2010)