Tag Japan" itemprop="headline" >Tag Japan

19th Century, Buddhism, Drama, Japan, Japanese Cinema, Madness, Samurai, Theater, Tragedy, Violence, War

The Sword in the Moonlight Trilogy (Daibosatsu tōge I-III, 大菩薩峠), 1957-1959

At night, a man in samurai garb with an angry-looking face in medium close-up stares at someone in front of him

Other titles: The Great Bodhisattva Pas…

RebelJack
October 9, 2022

17th Century, Allegory, Children, Cinema, Drama, Feudalism, Japan, Samurai, Uncategorized, Violence, War

Swords of Death (Shinken shōbu; 真剣勝負), 1971

Photo of a young Japanese woman in period dress, looking at the camera and shouting

Other titles: Miyamoto Musashi VI, Death Match; Swords of Doom; Battle of Life or Death; Serious Game (alternative English titles); Duel with Real Swords, Real Sword Fight (literal English titles); Duel à mort [Duel to the Death] (alternate French title);…

RebelJack
February 20, 2022

1930s, Capitalism, Cinema, Depression, Domestic drama, Drama, Japan, Silent Film, Silent Movie, Uncategorized

Crown of Life (Seimei no kanmuri, 生命の冠), 1936

Two modern Japanese women, a young girl and a middle-aged housewife, in traditional dress looking solemnly at someone beyond camera range

The Crown of Life (alternate English title) Production Company Nikkatsu Tamagawa (Chōfu) Scenarist Yagi Yasutarō Source Yamamoto Yūzō (play) Cinematographer Yokota Tatsuyuki Performers Oka Jōji (Arimura Kotarō); Takihana Hisako (Masako, his wife); Izome Shirō (Kinjirō, his younger brother); Hara Setsuko…

RebelJack
January 30, 2022

1920s, Cinema, Japan, Satire, Silent Movie, Uncategorized

Sweat (Kigeki: Ase, 喜劇・汗), 1929

A Japanese man in ragged clothes sits in the middle of a roadway, facing the camera

Other Titles: Perspiration (alternative English title); Comedy: Sweat (literal English title) Production Company Nikkatsu Uzumasa (Kyoto) Scenarist Kobayashi Masashi Cinematographer Matsuzawa Matao Set Decorator Ikeda Enjiro Performers Shima Kōji (Kitayama Heizaemon, a wealthy heir); Yoshii Yasushi (Gembei); Takihana Hisako (Oshizu);…

RebelJack
August 29, 2021
3 Comments

Cinema, Japan, Road Movie, Samurai, Uncategorized

A Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (Chiyari Fuji; 血槍富士), 1955

Other titles: A Bloody Spear on Mount Fuji, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (alternate English titles); Blood Spear, Fuji (literal English title); Le Mont Fuji et la lance ensanglantée (alternate French title); A Lança Ensanguentada (alternate Portuguese title) Production Company…

RebelJack
July 3, 2021
5 Comments

Cinema, Japan, People

Introduction

The Girl in the Book It all began, like most encounters with Japanese Cinema in the West, with Donald Richie. Many years ago, probably in the 1980s, I bought a coffee-table book by Mr. Richie – the great American popularizer…