Koji Kiyomura
1925 - 1966
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
Masaki Kobayashi
Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama
After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his dear wife and his old life, Kaji faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his fellow men sneak behind enemy lines.
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
純愛物語
Tadashi Imai
Shinjirô Ehara, Hitomi Nakahara
Junai Monogatari AKA Story of Pure Love is about two poor youths, Mitsuko and Kando, rebelling against society in various ways, who are desperately trying to be together despite tortuous circumstances. The film depicts their lives as thieves, menial laborers who can get little pay, society outcasts, and of course, lovers. Junai Monogatari depicts, mostly, their struggles within the Japanese reformatory system and Mitsuko's worsening sickness.
The Story of Pure Love
A Trap
Yoji Yamada
Chieko Baisho, Osamu Takizawa
When her only relative, her elder brother is accused of robbing and murdering an old woman loan-shark, pretty, young Kiriko travels from her home in Kyushu to Tokyo to get Japan's top lawyer to defend her brother. Unfortunately her naive idealism is shattered when the lawyer refuses to take the case based on her insufficient funds. What follows is a long determined revenge plot that sees the heroine become a Tokyo bar hostess and worse to punish the lawyer. The plot thickens with another murder mystery and a sleuthing reporter.
A Trap
血と砂の決斗
Sadatsugu Matsuda
Ryutaro Otomo, Miyuki Sasa
Frustrated with the bad behavior of his lord, Inaba Yajuro (Otomo) declares that he is leaving the clan and sets off on a journey that leads him into a small town besieged by a violent group of brigands. In a kind of homage to Kurosawa's 7 Samurai, the townspeople have been unable to defend themselves and Inaba sets out to teach them how to stand up for themselves. Meanwhile the vile Lord Yasumasa has sent the 4 finest swordsmen in the clan out to hunt Inaba down and kill him. Led by the magnificent Ichibei (Konoe), a master of weaponry in his own right, everything points to an ultimate showdown between the former friends in a battle to the death.
Duel of Blood and Sand
ひめゆりの塔
Tadashi Imai
Keiko Tsushima, Eiji Okada
A group of Okinawan high school girls are drafted as nurses during the American invasion of the island. As the enemy army advances further, the situation for the girls becomes increasingly desperate as food and shelter run out and the number of injured climbs, leading to the film's tragic finale.
Tower of Lilies
水戸黄門 天下の副将軍
Sadatsugu Matsuda
Ryūnosuke Tsukigata, Kinnosuke Nakamura
After settling the matter of shogunal succession, the retired Old Lord of Mito finds himself in a sea of trouble when he gets involved in the succession of the Takamatsu clan. The usurpers try by every means to effect their takeover, even if it leads to blood being spilled. Along with Kaku and Suke, the elder must face the most dangerous time of his life, in a battle against those corrupt individuals who would use any means to further their dastardly conspiracy, regardless of how many lives might be destroyed. The great Misora Hibari gives a bravura performance, as does the rest of this all-star cast. This is another outstanding effort on the part of the Toei Films, blending fact and fiction to bright back Japan’s golden era of the Genroku period.
Lord Mito 2: The Nation's Vice Shogun
涙を、獅子のたて髪に
Masahiro Shinoda
Takashi Fujiki, Tamotsu Hayakawa
Takashi Fujiki stars as a rebel in this drama about life on the Yokohama waterfront by New Wave director Masahiro Shinoda. The rebel works as an errand boy for a shipping company and vents his frustrations by plucking on the guitar. His interpretations of popular trends in music are sometimes right-on, and sometimes not exactly. Bereft of his guitar, the rebel's modes of expression are not as effective in generating interest as the Yokohama docks themselves, a fascinating world in their own right.
A Flame at the Pier
私は貝になりたい
Yoshihiko Okamoto
Frankie Sakai, Mutsuko Sakura
Television production of I Want to Be a Shellfish. On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder. According to the accusation by GHQ, Toyomatsu "attemped to kill a US prisoner", which was nothing but an order by his superior and failed after all with hurting the prisoner by weak Toyomatsu. Also, Toyomatsu was driven to corner at the trial by the fact that he fed the US prisoner some burdock roots to nourish him. Toyomatsu believes nothing but being not guilty, but he is sentenced to death by hanging. Prior to the execution, Toyomatsu writes a long farewell letter to his family, the wife and the only son: "If I ever incarnate, I hate to be a human being any more.... Oh yes, I would like to be...a shellfish living on the rock-bottom of the sea."
I Want to Be a Shellfish
安寿と厨子王丸
Yugo Serikawa, Taiji Yabushita
Yoshiko Sakuma, Isuzu Yamada
After their father quarrels with local military men, Anju and Zushio are forced to flee, but they are captured and sold into slavery. When their mother dies, they are sold to Sansho the Bailiff, a cruel man who subjects them to hideous torments. While Anju falls into a lake and is transformed into a swan, Zushio escapes and after being adopted to a nobleman grows to a young man. He will then fight to defeat the evil Dayu and free all the slaves.
The Orphan Brother
太陽のない街
Satsuo Yamamoto
Sumiko Hidaka, Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
По мотивам романа пролетарского писателя Сунао Токунага. История о длительной забастовке рабочих крупной типографии, о стойкости забастовщиков, которую не смогли сломить ни голод, ни насилие. Героиня этой истории активно участвует в борьбе своих коллег против увольнений, угнетения и полицейского произвола.
The Street Without Sun
