Japan's greatest jidaigeki star, Mifune Toshiro is Shogun's Advisor Okubo Hikozaemon who must be coaxed out of retirement to save Shogun Iemitsu from danger. The elderly Hikozaemon has been belittled of late and has seemingly lost the will to live, much less the desire to assert himself and make Iemitsu listen to reason. The plot thickens when a lovely young woman enters the picture. Can she change Hikozaemon's mind, and thus alter the path of Japanese history? No longer a young man, can Hikozaemon gain the shogun's ear, and succeed in warning him of the evil plot to overthrow him?
Japan's greatest jidaigeki star, Mifune Toshiro is Shogun's Advisor Okubo Hikozaemon who must be coaxed out of retirement to save Shogun Iemitsu from danger. The elderly Hikozaemon has been belittled of late and has seemingly lost the will to live, much less the desire to assert himself and make Iemitsu listen to reason. The plot thickens when a lovely young woman enters the picture. Can she change Hikozaemon's mind, and thus alter the path of Japanese history? No longer a young man, can Hikozaemon gain the shogun's ear, and succeed in warning him of the evil plot to overthrow him?
1987-09-10
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An awkward, telekinetic teenage girl's lonely life is dominated by relentless bullying at school and an oppressive religious fanatic mother at home. When her tormentors pull a humiliating prank at the senior prom, she unleashes a horrifying chaos on everyone, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.
A chance encounter on the road leads to the unusual need for a female bodyguard to protect the granddaughter of an old friend of Akiyama Kohei, a wealthy merchant who plans to bypass his son-in-law as head of the company. When Daijiro’s wife Mifuyu takes on the job strange things start to happen, including the brutal slaughter of company employees. With the backing of Lord Tanuma, a chief elder on the ruling council, Kohei, Daijiro, and Mifuyu form a plan to foil the kidnappers plot and save the girl from certain death.
Edo is rocked by the news that a duel to the death is to be held at Takadanobaba, the famed site of a bloody revenge fought by Nakayama Yasubei, who late married into the Ako clan where he was one of the 47 ronin who took vengeance against the vile Lord Kira. This hallowed spot is to host a match between two of the finest swordsmen in Edo. Each is backed by a high ranking direct vassal of the shogun, who had bet their family heirlooms on the outcome. The loser was to commit seppuku and have his clan disbanded. Meanwhile a band of brigands are placing their bets on the fencer who had earlier killed their leader. Can retired master swordsman Akiyama Kohei keep this from becoming a major disaster?
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
A humble page fathers a child by the daughter of a clan official and is banished. Years later, the child, now a stable boy, is reunited with his father, but feudal codes threaten their happiness. Uchida’s poignant masterpiece condemns the inflexible class system and launches an indictment of values that favor symbolic objects over human life. The film’s focus is on character rather than swordplay, and charged performances - especially child actor Motoharu Ueki - add to the emotional power.
In Edo, a group of masked samurai stormed a seafood wholesaler, killing the head clerk and robbing the money. They then crossed paths with Ichi, a blind masseur and master swordman. However, upon recognizing his blindness, they decided to leave without confrontation. The next day, a woman known to Ichi and her samurai customer was found murdered at a brothel, leading to the wrongful apprehension of Ichi as the culprit. However, a few days later, when another couple was found murdered in a similar manner, Ichi was released. With his friend, they began their search for the real culprits.
Sabu, a low-ranking samurai, finds himself unable to apprehend the ruthless leader of a violent gang of thieves, which leads to a scolding from his fellow friend and leaves him feeling disheartened. Meanwhile, Ichi, a blind masseur is called upon to provide a massage while passing by the residence of Iwashiroya, a prominent tea wholesaler in Edo. To his surprise, one of Iwashiroya's mistresses, Oshin, reacts unexpectedly upon seeing Ichi's face. Later that night, while returning home drunk, Ichi faces an attack by a ronin, whom he successfully overpowers and kills. Later Ichi accompanied by Sabu, revisits the scene, only to discover that the victim was not a ronin but rather an ordinary townsman. Subsequently, it comes to light that the victim was the sole heir of Iwashiroya. They have fallen into a trap. As rumors circulate that Ichi is the culprit, he is captured and subjected to torture, resulting in him being left critically injured...
In the town of Edo, a series of bizarre incidents occur, where people are kidnapped, have fox masks placed on their faces, and are then thrown out, dragged by white horses. Those who experience this report being suddenly abducted and losing their sight during the ordeal. What's strange is that all the victims are individuals who have come to Edo, struggling to make a living, and aren't even listed in the population registry.Satake, a low-ranking official, suspects that someone with access to the registry in the magistrate's office is behind these crimes. Amidst this, Satake's boss, Saheiji, who had been looking forward to his daughter Midori's wedding, is murdered by men wearing fox masks.
During a gathering of detectives, Satake is the only one not indulging in the hospitality of a wealthy money exchanger. His senior, Yasuke, leaves the gathering and warns Satake they will soon be targeted by a powerful figure. Yasuke is later tortured and killed by an unknown assailant. Satake learns from Yasuke's wife, Osaki, that Sagamiya was targeting him. A female pickpocket, Oyu, reveals Sagamiya's malevolent nature. When Oyu steals from Sagamiya and gives the wallet to Satake, he finds a promissory note for 10,000 ryo borrowed by a young magistrate from Sagamiya. Realizing his colleague, Constable Tanabe Seiichiro, is being manipulated by Sagamiya, Satake faces a dire situation. Midori suspects Satake of having a relationship with Oyu, and Ichi is of no help. Leaving the island for Edo, he is pursued by three ruthless individuals and Sagamiya's sinister bodyguard.
Discovering Paris under the German occupation through the story of an SS soldier and more generally of Wehrmacht soldiers allows us to follow the daily life on the German side. These soldiers enjoyed privileged status, during their stay, they were led to believe that they belong to a social elite, a status unreachable back in Germany during peacetime. And who better than a German who has led such lifestyle to serve as a common thread and tell this story?
Koshiro Matsudaira lives in Tanjousan Bun in Echigo as a commoner and surrounded by people that love him, including his father Sakubei, who works for the Tanjousan Bun. One day, many officials working for Tanjousan Bun come to Koshiro's house and Sakubei tells his son the shocking truth about his birth. Koshiro learns that he is the son of Daimyo Ikkosai of the Tanjousan Bun. Even more shocking to Koshiro, is that Daimyo Ikkosai has suddenly handed over his feudal lord position to Koshiro and has gone into retirement. Koshiro thinks that he has come across good fortune, but he soon learns that the Tanjousan Bun has a huge debt that needs to be payed off soon.
Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
Kumazou, a "cleaner" for hire, encounters a woman attempting to commit suicide with her two young siblings one night. Kumazou gives them all the money he has and saves them from jumping off a bridge. The next morning, he wakes up to find that the woman and her sons have invaded his home and settled in…
With Ran, legendary director Akira Kurosawa reimagines Shakespeare's King Lear as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan. Majestic in scope, the film is Kurosawa's late-life masterpiece, a profound examination of the folly of war and the crumbling of one family under the weight of betrayal, greed, and the insatiable thirst for power.
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
Ninomiya Kinjirou is a biopic follows the life of the eponymous character, an 18th century peasant boy who worked to rescue over 600 poor villages and hamlets from financial ruin by developing new economic policies.
The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.
Returning to the village where a year before he had killed Hirate, a much-admired opponent, Zatoichi encounters another swordsman and former rival in love.