Kagemusha (1980)
Kagemusha (1980) When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.
Dôtonborigawa (1982)
Dôtonborigawa (1982) A love story between a 29-year-old woman, who has once been a prostitute but is now the mistress of a wealthy jewelry merchant, and a 19-year-old college student.
Tampopo (1985)
Tampopo (1985) In this humorous paean to the joys of food, the main story is about trucker Goro, who rides into town like a modern Shane to help Tampopo set up the perfect noodle soup restaurant. Woven into this main story are a number of smaller stories about the importance of food, ranging from a
The Funeral (1984)
The Funeral (1984) At the beginning of the film the father-in-law of the protagonist dies unexpectedly of a heart attack. The remainder of the film is episodic, moving from one incident to another over the course of the three-day funeral, which is held (as is customary) in the home. These incidents
Departures (2008)
Departures (2008) Daigo Kobayashi is a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking i
A Taxing Woman (1987)
A Taxing Woman (1987) Ryoko Itakura is a government tax agent who has just landed a big promotion. Her first assignment is to catch wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo. She has a tough job, since in Japan tax evasion is an art and Gondo is, in effect, Rembrandt. Her job is complicated by a growing sympathy
Demon Pond (1979)
Demon Pond 1979 Outside of a small village in Japan, a mysterious pond is inhabited by mythic creatures Their story is of revenge, tragedy, and the power of real love A classical tale which translates wonderfully to film
The Emperor in August (2015)
The Emperor in August (2015) On August 14th, 1945, at an Imperial conference, the Showa Emperor, Hirohito (Masahiro Motoki), finally decided to accept the Potsdam Declaration. However, some young firebrand Army officers insisted on continuing the war and conspired to launch a coup. Anami (Koji Yakus
Rikyu (1989)
Rikyu (1989) Legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu is faced with his warmongering lord's unrealistic pretensions.
Daiamondo wa kizutsukanai (1982)
Daiamondo wa kizutsukanai 1982 A college student becomes romantically involved with a married middle aged teacher
500,000 (1963)
500,000 1963 During the Second World War, Takeichi Matsuo had participated in hiding a huge cache of gold in the Phillippine mountains Years after the war, he is kidnapped by Mitsura and Keigo Gunji, brothers who want Matsuo to lead them to the still buried gold Matsuo, who is tormented by the memor