Thursday, November 23, 2023
The Life of Oharu
- Commentary: Under construction.
Roger Ebert christened this movie as one of his Great Movies. He also called it "the saddest film I have ever seen about the life of a woman."
More later.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Kinuyo Tanaka Oharu Tsukie Matsuura Tomo Ichirō Sugai Shinzaemon Toshirô Mifune Katsunosuke Toshiaki Konoe Lord Harutaka Matsudaira Hisako Yamane Lady Matsudaira Jūkichi Uno Yakichi Ogiya Kiyoko Tsuji Landlady Eitarō Shindō Kahe Sasaya Akira Oizumi Fumikichi Kyoko Kusajima Sodegaki Masao Shimizu Kikuoji
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1952
Directed by by Kenji Mizoguchi.
Labels: Criterion7, feminist, toshirô-mifune
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman Collection
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi
The episodes in this series are:
The Tale of Zatoichi
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Masayo Banri Otani Ryuzo Shimada Shigezo of the Sasagawa Yakuza Gen Mitamura Hanji of Matsugishi
Release Date: 1962
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Yoshie Mizutani Osetsu Masayo Banri Otane Tomisaburō Wakayama Nagisa no Yoshirō
Release Date: 1962
Directed by Kazuo Mori.
New Tale of Zatoichi
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mikiko Tsubouchi Yayoi Seizaburō Kawazu Banno Fujio Suga Yasuhiko
Release Date: 1963
Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
Zatoichi the Fugitive
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Miwa Takada ONobu Masayo Banri Otane Junichiro Narita Sakichi
Release Date: 1963
Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
Zatoichi on the Road
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Shiho Fujimura Mitsu Ryuzo Shimada Jingoro Reiko Fujiwara Hisa
Release Date: 1963
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Shogo Shimada Chuji Kunisada Machiko Hasegawa Ogin Tomisaburo Wakayama Jushiro
Release Date: 1964
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
Zatoichi's Flashing Sword
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Naoko Kubo Okuni Mayumi Nagisa Oshizu Takashi Edajima Seiroku
Release Date: 1964
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Nobuo Kaneko Boss Unosuke Gen Kimura Hyaku Chikara Hashimoto Inozo
Release Date: 1964
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
Adventures of Zatoichi
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Eiko Taki Osen Miwa Takada Saki Mikijiro Hira Gounosuke
Release Date: 1964
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Zatoichi's Revenge
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Norihei Miki Denroku Mikiko Tsubouchi Osayo Takeshi Kato Koheita Kadokura
Release Date: 1965
Directed by Akira Inoue.
Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Fujiyama Hyakutaro Kanbi Kenjiro Ishiyama Boss Jubei Araiso Masako Akeboshi Ochiyo
Release Date: 1965
Directed by Kazuo Mori.
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mikio Narita Jumonji Chizuru Hayashi Kume Kaneko Iwasaki Otane
Release Date: 1965
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
Zatoichi's Vengeance
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Shigeru Amachi Kurobe Jun Hamamura Blind Priest Gen Kimura Tamekichi
Release Date: 1966
Directed by Tokuzō Tanaka.
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Michiyo Okusu Okichi Isao Yamagata Boss Tohachi Hisashi Igawa Eigoro
Release Date: 1966
Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Shiho Fujimura Oshizu Eijirō Tōno Senzo Yoshihiko Aoyama Seikichi
Release Date: 1967
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Zatoichi the Outlaw
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Rentarō Mikuni Boss Asagoro Kō Nishimura Suga Yuko Hamada Oshino
Release Date: 1967
Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto.
Zatoichi Challenged
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jushiro Konoe Akazuka Miwa Takada Omitsu Yukiji Asaoka Tomoe
Release Date: 1967
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
Zatoichi and the Fugitives
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Takashi Shimura Junan Kayao Mikimoto Oshizu Kyosuke Machida Ogano Genpachiro
Release Date: 1968
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Samaritan Zatoichi
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Yoshiko Mita Osode Makoto Satô Yasaburo Kashiwazaki Kô Nishimura Sosuke Saruya
Release Date: 1968
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune 'Yojimbo' Daisaku Sasa Ayako Wakao Umeno Osamu Takizawa Yasuke Eboshiya
Release Date: 1970
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto.
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Reiko Ōhara Okiyo Masayuki Mori Dark Lord Yamikubo/Lord Yamikubo Tatsuya Nakadai Ronin
Release Date: 1970
Directed by Kenji Misumi.
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jimmy Wang Yu Wang Kang Yūko Hama Osen Michie Terada Oyone
Release Date: 1971
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda & Hsu Tseng Hung.
→ wuxia
Zatoichi at Large
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Rentarô Mikuni Boss Tetsugoro Hisaya Morishige Constable Tobei Etsushi Takahashi Denjuro
Release Date: 1972
Directed by Kazuo Mori.
Zatoichi in Desperation
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Kiwako Taichi Nishikigi Kyoko Yoshizawa Kaede Yasuhiro Koume Shinkichi
Release Date: 1972
Directed by Kazuo Mori.
Zatoichi's Conspiracy
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Yukiyo Toake Miyo Eiji Okada Shinbei of Hitachiya Kei Satô Magistrate
Release Date: 1973
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the series. The Wikipedia write-ups for the individual episodes are attached to their titles.
Release Date: 1962 - 1973
Directed by Various - See each film in the list above.
Labels: adventure4, Criterion6, samurai, super-hero3, tatsuya-nakadai, toshirô-mifune
Friday, January 27, 2023
Rashomon
- Commentary: Under construction.
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Tajômaru Machiko Kyô Masako Kanazawa Masayuki Mori Takehiro Kanazawa Takashi Shimura Woodcutter Minoru Chiaki Priest Kichijirô Ueda Commoner Noriko Honma Medium Daisuke Katô Policeman
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1950
Directed by Akira Kurosawa in close collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa.
Labels: akira-kurosawa, courtroom, Criterion5, legal, mystery3, toshirô-mifune
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Throne of Blood
- Commentary: Under construction.
This movie is a Japanification of Macbeth. It takes place in feudal Japan instead of Medieval Scotland. I considered including the Macbeth counterpart for each of the actors in the Table of Actors and Roles below, but after watching the movie, I realized it isn't necessary. Believe me, you'll get the gist of who's who, who's doing what to whom and why, when you watch it, even if you've never viewed any of the Western versions (and, they are legion) of this movie.
Glenn Erickson, the author of the review attached to the title of this post, reviewed this film twice. The review attached to the title is the more inclusive review.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Taketoki Washizu Isuzu Yamada Lady Asaji Washizu Takashi Shimura Noriyasu Odagura Akira Kubo Yoshiteru Miki Yōichi Tachikawa Kunimaru Tsuzuki Minoru Chiaki Yoshiaki Miki Takamaru Sasaki Lord Kuniharu Tsuzuki Chieko Naniwa Forest Spirit
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1957
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: akira-kurosawa, Criterion5, shakespeare, toshirô-mifune
High and Low
- Commentary: Under construction.
In 1998 Roger Ebert wrote an interesting and thoughtful retrospective of Akira Kurosawa's work. If you're a fan, it's a great place for suggestions of other Akira Kurosawa movies to watch and contemplate.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Kingo Gondo Tatsuya Nakadai Insp Tokura Kyōko Kagawa Reiko Gondo Tatsuya Mihashi Kawanishi Kenjiro Ishiyama Chief Det Taguchi Isao Kimura Det Arai Takeshi Katō Det Nakao Yutaka Sada Chauffeur Aoki Tsutomu Yamazaki Ginjirô Takeuchi Takashi Shimura Chief of Investigations Susumu Fujita Mgr of Investigations Yoshio Tsuchiya Det Murata Jun Tazaki National Shoes Publicity Dir Kamiya Nobuo Nakamura National Shoes Design Dep Dir Ishimaru Yunosuke Ito National Shoes Exec Kamatari Fujiwara Incineration Worker
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1963
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: akira-kurosawa, Criterion5, neo-noirA, police-procedural, tatsuya-nakadai, toshirô-mifune
Monday, November 07, 2022
Sanjuro
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Sanjuro Tsubaki Tatsuya Nakadai Hanbei Muroto Yūzō Kayama Iori Izaka Reiko Dan Chidori Takashi Shimura Kurofuji Kamatari Fujiwara Takebayashi Takako Irie Mutsuta's wife Sachio Sakai Ashigaru
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1962
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §5, akira-kurosawa, Criterion4, samurai, tatsuya-nakadai, toshirô-mifune
Yojimbo
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Kuwabatake Sanjuro Eijirō Tōno Gonji Tatsuya Nakadai Unosuke Kyū Sazanka Ushitora
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1961
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §5, akira-kurosawa, Criterion5, samurai, tatsuya-nakadai, toshirô-mifune
Seven Samurai
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Takashi Shimura Kambei Shimada Toshirô Mifune Kikuchiyo Daisuke Katō Shichirōji Isao Kimura Katsushirō Okamoto Minoru Chiaki Heihachi Hayashida Seiji Miyaguchi Kyūzō Yoshio Inaba Gorōbei Katayama Yoshio Tsuchiya Rikichi Bokuzen Hidari Yohei Yukiko Shimazaki Rikichi's wife Kamatari Fujiwara Manzō Keiko Tsushima Shino Kokuten Kōdō Gisaku Yoshio Kosugi Mosuke Shinpei Takagi bandit chief Shin Otomo bandit second-in-command
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1954
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: akira-kurosawa, Criterion5, dramaF, samurai, toshirô-mifune
Friday, July 16, 2021
The Bad Sleep Well
- Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Toshirô Mifune Kōichi Nishi Masayuki Mori V.P. Iwabuchi Kyōko Kagawa Yoshiko Nishi Tatsuya Mihashi Tatsuo Iwabuchi Takashi Shimura Admin. Ofc. Moriyama Kō Nishimura Contract Ofc. Shirai Takeshi Katō Itakura Kamatari Fujiwara Asst. Chief Wada Chishū Ryū Public Prosecutor Nonaka Seiji Miyaguchi Prosecutor Okakura Kōji Mitsui Reporter Susumu Fujita Detective
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 1960
Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Labels: §2, akira-kurosawa, chishū-ryū, Criterion2, detective1, mystery2, neo-noirA, toshirô-mifune
Monday, November 14, 2005
Shōgun
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: *1*
- Commentary: I got this as a nod to Mom (see mention) but, lo and behold, I enjoy it, too. It's not even a guilty pleasure for me. It's got some great actors in it, I enjoy the fact that the Japanese is not subtitled in English because it keeps the viewer in the same position as Anjin-San and, well, it's an involving production. Mom could probably watch this 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The interesting thing about this series and the book upon which it is based is that there is much historical background upon which they are based. Check out the Wikipedia article, linked below, and cruise through the actor list with its historical equivalents.
Update 2/9/18: I recently rewatched this series over a few nights, mainly to see if I wanted to donate it to the library. I vaguely noticed some "dating", but was still swept up. It will be remaining in my collection, for awhile, at least.
Update 5/13/2022: You may think that, by now, this series is close to the donate-to-the-library box. Not so! I've actually watched the entire series, over a weekend, about four months ago, in the depth of winter. I know its structure as a mini-series is dated but I continue to find it engaging, worthy of a winter weekend, and, perhaps, even a mid-summer weekend when there's nothing to do but, well, watch a mini-series!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Richard Chamberlain John Blackthorne Toshirô Mifune Yoshi Toranaga Yoko Shimada Lady Toda Mariko Frankie Sakai Kashigi Yabu Alan Badel Father Dell'Aqua Michael Hordern Friar Domingo Damien Thomas Father Martin Alvito John Rhys-Davies Vasco Rodrigues
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1980
Directed by Jerry London.
Labels: action3, adventure3, dramaA, mom-favorite2, period5, political4, popcorn-and-soda4, spectacle2, toshirô-mifune, TV2


































