Kabei / Kabe (2008)

Continuing his looks toward the past begun in his 21st century jidai-geki, Yoji Yamada's Kabei uses the structure of the traditional “mother picture” to look at the early days of the War and the repressive government of the era. Kabei is the nickname given to Kayo by her husband Shigeru, who nicknames all of the …

Casshern (2004)

Sometimes we come across a movie of such significance or uniqueness that, despite its many flaws, it should at least be mentioned in any look at Japanese film and culture. It was only a matter of time before the turn of the century nostalgia for old manga and anime, the spread of CGI, and the …

Rampo (1994)

The world of Edogawa Rampo's stories have always been a fertile ground for Japanese movie-makers, but there seems to have been a mini-revival in the mid-nineties in three gorgeously photographed films. Two of these were relatively straight-forward mysteries featuring Detective Akechi adapted from some of Rampo's earliest works. Rampo is a different creature altogether. Rampo …

Roadside Stone / Robo no ishi (1964)

Ieki's Roadside Stone is the third filmed version of Yuzo Yamamoto's 1937 novel and like the first film it tells the story of young Goichi who is sent to an apprenticeship rather than to “middle school,” which his family can not afford. It makes some significant changes to the earlier version, in part because it …

Tokyo Woman / Tokyo no josei (1939)

Made in 1939, Tokyo no josei provides our first available look at Setsuko Hara in a real starring role. Since the ill-fated German Daughter of the Samurai, she had played supporting roles and for a year or so her somewhat unusual features had led to her playing the “Chinese girl” in several movies. Now back …

Half Brothers / Stepbrothers / Ibo kyoudai (1957)

To call Ibo kyoudai a surprise would be one of the great understatements. A powerful mix of the josei-eiga and socio/political commentary, it reflects the life of the nation from WWI to the defeat of WWII through the life of a single family, while giving us two of the most powerful roles in the long …

Burden of Life / Jinsei no onimotsu (1935)

The Burden of Life seems an awfully heavy title for the gentle shomin-geki it accompanies. The family we meet is generally happy. Mother and Father get along well. Two of the sisters are already married and the third is about to be married, while the 9-year-old son is essentially just a typical 9-year-old boy. The …

D-Slope Murder / Murder on D Street / D-Zaka no satsujin jiken (1998)

Though looking like a sequel to Akio Jissoji's Watcher in the Attic, the D-Slope Murder dramatizes the very first story featuring Edogowa Rampo's Detective Akechi. Thus, we see the very beginnings of Japan's most popular detective, later rivaled only by Kindaichi.* The female owner of a bookstore decides to sell some fakes of a famous …

Sada (1998)

It would be hard to imagine a more unexpected approach to the story of Sada Abe than to be found in Obayashi's Sada. Playing with multiple film styles and tone in an abundance greater even than Tampopo, it tries to tell the whole story of Sada's life from her rape at 14 to her arrest …

Kinta the Pickpocket / Chakkiri Kinta (1937)

Kinta the Pickpocket gives us a comedic version of the turmoil of the Bakumatsu era as seen from the commoner's viewpoint. Kinta, played by the famous comic Enoken, is a commoner and a true Edo-ite to the core. He only picks the pockets (well, sleeves and folds, since the kimono has no pockets) of samurai, …