Japanese Films at Ames Public Library
Today is 2/12/2012
Ran (DVD FOREIGN RAN) 160 min. 1985.
In 16th century Japan, a ruler attempts to divide his kingdom among his three sons, who turn against each other and betray their father, triggering events that shatter the kingdom, destroy the family, and drive their father insane. Based on Shakespeare's King Lear.
Rashomon (DVD FOREIGN RAS) 88 min. 1950.
Set in the Middle Ages, the nature of truth and subjective reality are probed as a flashback technique is used to tell four different versions of what occurred during a man's murder and the rape of his wife by a bandit.
Red Beard (DVD FOREIGN RED) 185 min. 1965.
A vain young doctor learns a valuable lesson from the dedicated director of a clinic for destitute patients.
Retribution (DVD FOREIGN RET) 104 min. 2006.
Detective Yoshioka is investigating the drowning death of a woman in a red dress. Face down in a muddy puddle, her stomach is full of sea water. The detective’s fingerprints and personal items are found at the murder scene. As more bodies turn up that have been killed in the same way, even the detective wonders whether he himself may be the very murderer that he is pursuing.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (DVD FOREIGN RID) In Mandarin and Japanese, with English captions. 109 min. 2005.
Takada is an aging Japanese fisherman who has been estranged from his son for many years. When the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his daughter-in-law Rie summons him to the hospital. When his son refuses to see him, Rie gives him a videotape about the work his son was doing on a documentary film in a remote region of China's Yunnan province. Still troubled by the relationship, Takada decides to go to China and complete his son's work, to develop an understanding of his son and to do something for him. Once in China, a series of obstacles and relationships bring him unexpectedly closer to understanding.
Samurai Rebellion (DVD FOREIGN SAM) 121 min. 1967.
A clan lord orders an aging swordsman to have his son marry the lord's mistress, but reverses his decision after the young couple falls in love.
Sanjuro (DVD FOREIGN SAN) 99 min. 1962.
A skilled but slovenly ronin assists a group of naive young warriors fighting their corrupt clan leaders and keeps them out of trouble and alive in spite of their high ideals.
The Sea is Watching (DVD FOREIGN SEA) 119 min. 2002.
O-Shin, a geisha in 19th century Japan, meets a samurai named Fusanosuke, who is on the run for killing a man. She assists him by cutting his hair. Despite the protests of O-Shin's friend, the two fall in love. Eventually he leaves O-Shin, only to return later and reveal that he is engaged. O-Shin falls in love again with Ryosuke, who is also a samurai.
Seven Samurai (DVD FOREIGN SEV) 211 min. 1954.
In 16th century Japan, desperate villagers with a dirty little secret hire seven warriors to defend them against a band of merciless, roaming bandits.
Shall We Dance? (DVD FOREIGN SHA) 119 min. 1996.
A middle-aged businessman's dull life takes an interesting turn when he signs up for a ballroom dance class just to meet the beautiful dance instructor.
Still Walking (DVD FOREIGN STI) 114 min. 2011.
Fashioned as a tribute to his parents, the film depicts one day in the life of the Yokoyamas, gathered together for a celebratory ritual that only gradually makes itself clear. Rather than focus on big dramatic moments, it portrays simple gestures and domestic routines (especially cooking) to evoke a family's entire life, its deep regrets and its daily joys.
A Story of Floating Weeds and Floating Weeds (DVD FOREIGN STO) 2 discs.
- A Story of Floating Weeds 86 min. 1934. B&W silent film with Japanese intertitles and English captions.
- Foating Weeds 119 min. 1959. Color remake in Japanese with English captions. Both films concern a troupe of travelling players visiting a remote town where the ex-mistress of the leading actor lives. She has a son by the leading actor, but hasn't told her child who his father is.
The Sun (DVD FOREIGN SUN) 110 min. 2010.
Here are the events leading up to Emperor Hirohito's momentous speech, the historic renunciation of his divine status, and his meetings with General Douglas MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the occupying American forces, who advises his own president not to declare the Japanese leader a war criminal.
Sword of Doom (DVD FOREIGN SWO) 121 min. 1965.
Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade.
Tampopo (DVD FOREIGN TAM) 114 min. 1986.
A young widow who runs a small noodle restaurant in Tokyo and Goro, a cowboy-hat-wearing truck driver, attempt to devise the perfect bowl of top ramen.
A Taxing Woman (DVD FOREIGN TAX) 127 min. 1987.
A subtly hilarious tale of Ryoko, Tokyo's hardest working female tax inspector. The diligence of this innocent looking heroine is matched only by the intricate deceptions of Gondo, tax cheater extraordinaire.
Throne of Blood (DVD FOREIGN THR) 109 min. 1957.
This adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in feudal Japan, tells the story of a Samurai lord who kills his master and usurps his power in fulfillment of a witch's prophecy.
Tokyo Sonata (DVD FOREIGN TOK) 119 min. 2008.
A contemporary Japanese family is torn apart after its patriarch unexpectedly loses his job. Ashamed, he keeps this a secret, but as he grows more despondent, his family resorts to drastic measures to break away from their fractured lives.
Tokyo Story (DVD FOREIGN TOK) 136 min. 1953.
When an aging couple journeys to visit with their adult children and family, they find they are an intrusion on the younger generation's lifestyle.
Tokyo Streets (952 DVD TOK) Neither English dialog nor captions in any language. 80 min. 2008.
See for yourself the lifestyle of the residents of Tokyo. The images gathered over a month's stay in Tokyo are the basis of this DVD entirely dedicated to urban fashion trends of the Japanese.
Twenty-Four Eyes (DVD FOREIGN TWE) 156 min. 1954.
This elegant, emotional chronicle of a teacher's unwavering commitment to her students, her profession, and her sense of morality takes a simultaneously sober and sentimental look at the epic themes of aging, war, and death.
24 Hours after Hiroshima (940.5425 DVD TWE) In English. 50 min. 2010.
On August 6th, 1945, a weapon unlike any other was unleashed on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Four days later, the Japanese surrendered, having been subjected to horrors and devastation previously unimaginable. A team of scientists and experts from the Manhattan Project was ordered by President Truman to investigate the facts of what really happened when the atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Revealed is what happened in those first 24 hours.
2LDK (DVD FOREIGN TWO) 70 min. 2002.
Two actresses who share an apartment are in fierce competition with each other and use violence to settle their disagreements.
Ugetsu (DVD FOREIGN UGE) 97 min. 1953.
Set in 16th century Japan, a period of bloody civil war, the film is rooted in the postwar psyche of 1950s Japan. It focuses on an ambitious potter haunted by a beautiful ghost and a farmer who dreams of becoming a samurai.
Vengeance is Mine (DVD FOREIGN VEN) 140 min. 1979.
Director Imamura turns this fact-based story of the seventy-eight day killing spree of Iwao Enokizu, a remorseless “king of criminals” from a devoutly Catholic family, into a cold, perverse, and at times funny tale of the primitive coexisting with the modern.
Warm Water under a Red Bridge (DVD FOREIGN WAR) 119 min. 2003.
An unemployed architect travels to a fishing village, searching for treasure rumored to be hidden in a house near a red bridge. He forms a relationship with one of the home's occupants, a woman with an "unusual" condition.
Yojimbo (DVD FOREIGN YOJ) 110 min. 1961.
In this humorous parody of a classic western set in 1860, two warring clans vying for power bid for the services of a wandering samurai-for-hire. In this satire on greed, violence, paranoia, and human weakness, he becomes embroiled in the dispute and orchestrates the town's self-destruction.
There are many Anime films in our library that are in Japanese but not on this list. You can find them in the ANIME DVD or video collection.
