Chitose Kobayashi
1937 - 2003おしん
Eiichi Yamamoto
Ayako Kobayashi, Pinko Izumi
Oshin comes from a family of poor rice farmers. Her father and brother must work in the fields and her grandmother and mother, who is expecting another child, barely have enough to eat. In order to make ends meet for her family, 7-year-old Oshin gives up school and decides to become a servant in the household of a wealthy family, where she faces trials and tribulation beyond her worst fears.
Oshin
花札渡世
Masashige Narusawa
Tatsuo Umemiya, Haruko Wanibuchi
An absolutely astonishing art house ninkyo yakuza film. Wandering gambler runs into a young swindler woman working with old man. They are both arrested by detective. A year later gambler is staying with gangster boss when he comes across that woman and her partner again. Boss lusts for both her and his own daughter, while the boss's crazy yakuza brother loves his daughter, who, in turn, watches the player and wants to destroy the people standing in her way. And here lies one of the film's remarkable departures from the standard ninkyo efforts: it doesn't have a third party villain, nor a clear distinction between good and evil. It's bursting with romantic emotion and wrenched with gritty realism, shot with striking black and white compositions, and explodes into shocking carnage. It has lengthier, more detailed gambling scenes than any other yakuza film I've seen. And it has a heartbreakingly beautiful score. You could call it the Ashes of Time of ninkyo yakuza films. A masterpiece!
Flower Cards Chivalry
無頼 人斬り五郎
Keiichi Ozawa
Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara
On a cold winter day, Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) and Masahiko murder the mob boss of Meishin-Kai. The deed costs them time in prison, but Goro had no shred of regret. When Goro is released 2 years later, Masahiko is dying in prison hospital and entrusts his last wish; "find my sister and take care of her." Goro leaves as a free man with a mission, but soon finds that he might have been better off in jail.
Outlaw: Goro the Assassin
江戸っ子繁昌記
Masahiro Makino
Yumiko Hasegawa, Kinnosuke Nakamura
Katsujiro the fisherman overcomes his laziness when he learns of his younger sister Okiku’s unfortunate fate. Nakamura Kinnosuke stars in two roles (Katsugoro and Aoyama Harima) in this film about the tragic nature of society in the late Edo period.
Works of the Fish Man
孤独の賭け
Shinji Murayama
Yoshiko Sakuma, Shigeru Amachi
In post-war Japan, it is difficult for private business to stay afloat. The small atelier has a debt of several million yen. To get a loan, his proprietress is forced to turn to a successful businessman, owner of entertainment establishments and bars. But she has nothing to guarantee the return of the debt, and then she offers herself as collateral. A drama about the contradictory nature of human feelings.
A Lonely Gamble
