|
Air Dates
Fully subtitled in English
Post your thoughts about these shows
on the KIKU-TV Message Board.
|
 |
 |
The Burmese Harp (Biruma no Tategoto), 1956. (116 minutes)
A Japanese soldier recalls experiences in his company as it escaped from Burma to Thailand in July, 1945. Starring Rentaro Mikuni and Shoji Yasui.
Double Suicide (Shinju Tenno Amijima), 1969. (100 minutes)
A paper merchant neglects his business after falling in love with a prostitute. Despite the best efforts of both his wife and his brother, the business is failing and a rival is trying to buy him out. Starring Kichiemon Nakamura and Shima Iwashita.
Drunken Angel (Yoidore Tenshi), 1948. (97 minutes)
Toshiro Mifune portrays a gangster who goes to a local doctor (Takashi Shimura) to have a bullet removed from his hand and finds our he also has tuberculosis. Although the doctor detests gangsters he insists on treating him. Their contentious relationship forms the story.
Early Summer (Bakushu), 1951. (123 minutes)
This film, directed by Yasujiro Ozu, details the conflicting senses of obligation and individualism faced be a young daughter as her family-arranged wedding approaches.
Fires on the Plain (Nobi), 1959. (104 minutes)
An anti-war film directed by Kon Ichikawa about a Japanese soldier, played by Eiji Funakoshi, struggling to survive after the Philippines campaign during World War II. (Viewer discretion advised)
Floating Weeds (Ukigusa), 1959. (119 minutes)
A small theatrical troupe revisits a remote island town where the leading actor had a son by one of the local women twenty years earlier. Starring Ganjiro Nakamura and Machiko Kyo.
The 47 Ronin (Genroku Chushingura), 1942. Part 1 (112 minutes), Part 2 (107 minutes)
A classic tale of loyalty; 47 samurai avenge the death of their lord, who they felt was unfairly treated by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Starring Kawarazaki Chojuro, Nakamura Kan'emon, and Kawarazaki Kunitaro.
Gate of Hell (Jigokumon), 1955. (89 minutes)
Set in 12th century Japan, the tale of a samurai who decides to become a monk to atone for a crime of passion that lead to tragedy. Directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa.
High and Low (Tengoku to Jigoku), 1963. Part 1 (95 minutes), Part 2 (54 minutes)
A modern thriller about a wealthy shoe manufacturer caught up in the dilemma of whether to risk his business to save another man's kidnapped son. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune.
Ikiru, 1952. Part 1 (89 minutes), Part 2 (52 minutes)
Awakened by the knowledge of his impending death, a petty city official (Takashi Shimura) realizes that he has lived a life devoid of meaning. In his final months, he searches for the significance of his life.
Kwaidan, 1965. Part 1 (72 minutes), Part 2 (88 minutes)
Four tales of the supernatural (Kurokami/The Black Hair; Yuki-Onna/Snow Woman; Miminashi Hoichi no Hanashi/The tale of Hoichi the Earless; and Chawan no Naka/In a Cup of Tea) are presented in this eery film. Rather than relying on special effects and graphic violence, Kawidan uses powerful storytelling to scare the viewer. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi. Special letterbox edition.
The Lower Depths (Donzoko), 1957. (123 minutes)
The moving story of a group of destitute people living in a rooming house in Edo during the Tokugawa Period. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune.
The Mistress (Gan), 1953. (104 minutes)
A woman believes she will eventually marry a prosperous merchant, but she discovers that she is only a pawnbroker's mistress. Stars Hideko Takamine and Hiroshi Akutagawa.
Odd Obsession (Kagi), 1959. (107 minutes)
Based on the novel by Junichiro Tanizaki, this film deals with aging and the myriad dreads that accompany it. Starring Machiko Kyo, Ganjiro Nakamura and Tatsuya Nakadai. (Viewer discretion advised)
Osaka Elegy (Naniwa Hika), 1936. (72 minutes)
The story of a young woman struggling against the commercialization of Osaka life. She is a telephone operator whose life is ruined because of an innocent desire for money. Her boss takes advantage of her and the boss's wife takes it out on the young woman's family. Starring Isuzu Yamada.
Rashomon, 1950. (87 minutes)
Four different versions recounted by four people about the same events (rape and murder) point out the conflict between reality and illusion, truth and lie. Set in medieval Kyoto. Based on the stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura.
Red Beard (Akahige), 1965. (185 minutes)
Toshiro Mifune stars in the title role about a doctor at a public clinic in early 19th Century Edo (Tokyo). An intern (Yuzo Kayama), newly trained in the Dutch medical schools in Nagasaki, is assigned to Red Beard's clinic. He resents treating the poor and breaks all hospital rules, including visiting a forbidden area where a beautiful but insane woman is kept. She seduces and nearly kills him before Read Beard comes to his rescue.
Sanjuro (Tsubaki Sanjuro), 1962. (95 minutes)
Toshiro Mifune is Sanjuro, a slovenly elder swordsman who befriends a band of virtuous young samurai. Together, they set out to rescue a kidnapped chamberlain, his wife and daughter. In the course of the rescue, Sanjuro acquires a deeper understanding of his life as a samurai.
Sanshiro Sugata (Sugata Sanshiro), 1943. (78 minutes)
The Kurosawa classic about a young man who wishes to learn judo as a path to philosophical knowledge, rather than a mere set of self-defense techniques. Starring Susumu Fujita, Denjiro Okochi and Takashi Shimura.
Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai), 1954. Part 1 (100 minutes), Part 2 (100 minutes)
A tribute to Akira Kurosawa. 'Seven Samurai' is Kurosawa's personal favorite (along with 'Ikiru'), this epic film stands out as a classic among classics and was re-made in Hollywood as 'The Magnificent Seven'. Called by some the best Japanese film ever made, KIKU will broadcast the full, uncut version (rarely seen in the US) over two Saturdays. The gripping story follows the seven ronin (masterless samurai), as they masterfully organize a farming village into an army to ward off invading bandits. Through ingenious tactics, the outnumbered samurai successfully defend the village only to be forgotten by the farmers. They end up leaving the village, dejected and ignored.
Stray Dog (Nora Inu), 1949. (121 minutes)
A detective story directed by Akira Kurosawa, set in war-ravaged Tokyo in the late 1940's, capturing the chaos and humiliation that existed in Japan immediately after World War II. Starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura.
The Sword of Doom (Daibosatsu Toge), 1967. (120 minutes)
A samurai assassin is driven by impulse and a lust for revenge. His teacher and mentor prepare the young samurai for the harrowing life and death clashes required to defend his honor. Starring Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai.
The Taira Clan Saga (Shin Heike Monogatari), 1955. (107 minutes)
Set in 12th century Kyoto, this Kenji Mizoguchi film is the story of the Fujiyuama clan and its efforts to solve the problems of a country faced with famine and riots, as well as the rise of the samurai class and the desecration of the city's temples.
They Who Step on the Tail of the Tiger (Tora no o o Fumu Otokotachi), 1945. (58 minutes)
A 12th century Japanese story of a famous general and his six followers. Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Throne of Blood (Kumonosu Jo), 1957. (109 minutes)
Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' transposed from medieval Scotland to medieval Japan. The story of General Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) whose ambition and obsession with power lead to his ultimate destruction.
Twenty-Four Eyes (Niju-shi no Hitomi), 1954. Part 1 (73 minutes), Part 2 (82 minutes)
This award winning classic directed by Keisuke Kinoshita tells the life story of a teacher and her students, following their lives through two decades in a small island village. Through their eyes we see the impact of various historical events and their community. Twenty-four Eyes has been called one of Japan's greatest lyrical films.
Ugetsu Monogatari, 1953. (96 minutes)
Kenji Mizoguchi's classic film tells the timeless legend of a potter, caught in the civil wars, who falls in love with a beautiful and mysterious woman. He discovers that she is actually the ghost of a princess who goes about seducing and destroying. When he frees himself from her spell, he returns home to his wife, only to discover that she too was a ghost. Ugetsu has been called one of the most perfect movies of the Japanese cinema.
Woman in the Dunes (Suna no Onna), 1964. (123 minutes)
The most sucessful film by famed director Hiroshi Teshigahara, Woman in the Dunes is based on the novel by Nobel Laureate Kobo Abe. It is a parable about a school teacher on an outing who is imprisoned by the locals in a large sand pit with a recently widowed woman. Unable to escape, he is forced to examine himself and his purpose in life.
|
