Gems of Japanese Cinema - 日本の映画の宝石
by Alex_Kaizoku | created - 11 Feb 2011 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicIt's a personal selection of some Japanese films that I recommend you to watch over the hundreds I've seen, it's quite eclectic (wide choice of genres).
Films are sorted by year of release and you'll find original Japanese title in the description.
The list will evolve, I still got plenty of Japanese films to watch.
I hope you'll enjoy watching them ;)
Bonne séance !
映画を見てお楽しみください！
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1. Sazen Tange and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo (1935)
92 min | Comedy, Drama
A man gets rid of a cheap pot without knowing it contains a map to a treasure. As word spreads, many join in hunting it.
Director: Sadao Yamanaka | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Kiyozo, Kunitarô Sawamura, Reizaburô Yamamoto
Votes: 1,236
Tange Sazen et le pot d'un million de ryôs The Million Ryo Pot 丹下左膳余話 百萬両の壺 (Tange Sazen yowa: hyakuman ryō no tsubo) 10/10
2. Poppy (1935)
72 min | Drama
Based on Soseki Natsume's 1908 novel of the same title, Poppy is an ornately complicated story of desire and ambition. Fujio is beautiful, talented, well-heeled, and engaged to Munechika, a... See full summary »
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Daijirô Natsukawa, Ichirô Tsukida, Chiyoko Ôkura, Kuniko Miyake
Votes: 253
Les coquelicots The Poppy 虞美人草 (Gubijinsō) 9/10
3. Osaka Elegy (1936)
90 min | Comedy, Drama
A young woman becomes a mistress of her boss in order to support her family.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Isuzu Yamada, Yôko Umemura, Chiyoko Ôkura, Kiyoko Ôkubo
Votes: 2,595
L'élégie de Naniwa Naniwa Elegy 浪華悲歌 (Naniwa erejī) 9/10
4. Sisters of the Gion (1936)
95 min | Drama
Two geisha sisters lead a hard life in the Gion district of Kyoto. After one of them feels obliged to support a bankrupt businessman, the other sister sets up various schemes to get rid of him.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Isuzu Yamada, Yôko Umemura, Benkei Shiganoya, Namiko Kawashima
Votes: 3,014
Les sœurs de Gion Sisters Of The Gion 祇園の姉妹 (Gion no kyōdai) 9/10
5. Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937)
86 min | Drama
The lives of two slum neighbors, one of a happy-go-lucky gambler and the other of a poor ronin, converge when the two get involved with the affairs of a powerful samurai official and his gangsters.
Director: Sadao Yamanaka | Stars: Chôjûrô Kawarasaki, Kan'emon Nakamura, Tsuruzô Nakamura, Chôemon Bandô
Votes: 2,297
Pauvres humains et ballons de papier Humanity And Paper Balloons 人情紙風船 (Ninjo kamifūsen) 9/10
6. Konyaku sanbagarasu (1937)
66 min | Comedy
Three jobless men start working simultaneously in a big store in Tokyo. As they get involved with the boss' daughter, and they think that they might have an affair with her, they try to ... See full summary »
Director: Yasujirô Shimazu | Stars: Shinobu Aoki, Reiko Hikawa, Chôko Iida, Fumiko Katsuragi
Votes: 73
Les trois prétendants The Trio's Engagement 婚約三羽烏 (Konyaku sanbagarasu) 9/10
7. The 47 Ronin (1941)
241 min | Drama, History
The legendary Forty-seven ronin plot to avenge the death of their lord, Asano Naganori, by killing Kira Yoshinaka, a shogunate official responsible for Asano being forced to commit seppuku.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Chôjûrô Kawarasaki, Yoshizaburo Arashi, Utaemon Ichikawa, Kan'emon Nakamura
Votes: 2,675
Les 47 rônins The 47 Ronin 元禄忠臣蔵 (Genroku chūshingura) 8/10
8. Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Not Rated | 79 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sugata, a young man, struggles to learn the nuance and meaning of judo, and in doing so comes to learn something of the meaning of life.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata
Votes: 5,629
La légende du grand judo Sanshiro Sugata 姿三四郎 (Sugata Sanshirō) 9/10
9. The Song Lantern (1943)
93 min | Drama
A self-absorbed young actor humiliates an elderly Noh performer, who then commits suicide. His act of cruelty compels his father to disown him, leading the once promising actor to a life on... See full summary »
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Shôtarô Hanayagi, Eijirô Yanagi, Ichijirô Ôya, Kan Ishii
Votes: 170
La chanson de la lanterne Song Of The Lantern 歌行燈 (Uta-Andon) 9/10
10. Drunken Angel (1948)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune, Reizaburô Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure
Votes: 13,359
L'ange ivre Drunken Angel 酔いどれ天使 (Yoidore tenshi) 9/10
11. Late Spring (1949)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
Several people try to talk 27-year-old Noriko into marrying, but all she wants is to keep on caring for her widowed father.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura
Votes: 19,330
La fin du printemps Late Spring 晩春 (Banshun) 9/10
12. Rashomon (1950)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 180,440 | Gross: $0.10M
Rashômon Rashomon 羅生門 (Rashōmon) 8/10
13. Scandal (1950)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Shirley Yamaguchi, Yôko Katsuragi, Noriko Sengoku
Votes: 4,667
Scandale Scandal 醜聞 (Shubun) 8/10
14. Repast (1951)
97 min | Drama
Michiyo lives in a small home in Osaka and is not happy with her marriage; all she does is cook and clean for her husband.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Ken Uehara, Setsuko Hara, Yukiko Shimazaki, Yôko Sugi
Votes: 1,814
Le repas Repast めし (Meshi) 10/10
15. Carmen Comes Home (1951)
86 min | Comedy
A girl who had left her home village for life in Tokyo returns to her home years later, and evokes a scandal when the locals discover that she's a stripper.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Shûji Sano, Chishû Ryû, Kuniko Igawa
Votes: 701
Carmen revient au pays Carmen Comes Home カルメン故郷に帰る (Carmen kokyō ni kaeru) 9/10
16. The Idiot (1951)
Not Rated | 166 min | Drama, Romance
A Japanese veteran, driven partially mad from the war, travels to the snowy island of Hokkaido where he soon enters a love triangle with his best friend and a disgraced woman.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Masayuki Mori, Toshirô Mifune, Yoshiko Kuga
Votes: 5,660
L'idiot The Idiot 白痴 (Hakuchi) 9/10
17. Ikiru (1952)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama
A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka
Votes: 87,550 | Gross: $0.06M
Vivre Ikiru 生きる (Ikiru) 9/10
18. The Life of Oharu (1952)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Follows a woman's fight and survival amid the vicissitudes of life and the cruelty of society.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirô Sugai, Toshirô Mifune
Votes: 7,644
La vie d'O'Haru, femme galante The Life Of Oharu 西鶴一代女 (Saikaku ichidai onna) 8/10
19. Lightning (1952)
87 min | Drama
Poor, pathetic mother Ose has four children, three daughters and a son, by four different men.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Mitsuko Miura, Kyôko Kagawa, Chieko Murata
Votes: 815
L'éclair Lightning 稲妻 (Inazuma) 8/10
20. Tokyo Story (1953)
Not Rated | 136 min | Drama
An old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara
Votes: 68,589
Voyage à Tokyo Tokyo Story 東京物語 (Tōkyō monogatari) 10/10
21. Ugetsu (1953)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito
Votes: 25,811 | Gross: $0.01M
Les contes de la lune vague après la pluie Ugetsu 雨月物語 (Ugetsu monogatari) 9/10
22. Gate of Hell (1953)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, History
A samurai pursues a married lady-in-waiting.
Director: Teinosuke Kinugasa | Stars: Machiko Kyô, Kazuo Hasegawa, Isao Yamagata, Yatarô Kurokawa
Votes: 4,276
La porte de l'enfer Gate Of Hell 地獄門 (Jigokumon) 8/10
23. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,800 | Gross: $0.27M
Les sept samouraïs Seven Samurai 七人の侍 (Shichinin no samurai) 10/10
24. Godzilla (1954)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.
Director: Ishirô Honda | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi
Votes: 39,642 | Gross: $2.42M
Godzilla ゴジラ (Gojira) 8/10
25. Twenty-Four Eyes (1954)
Not Rated | 156 min | Drama
Schoolteacher Hisako Oishi forms an emotional bond with her pupils and teaches them various virtues, while at the same time worrying about their future.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Itsuo Watanabe, Makoto Miyagawa, Takeo Terashita
Votes: 2,828
Les vingt-quatre prunelles Twenty-Four Eyes 二十四の瞳 (Nijūshi no hitomi) 8/10
26. Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
TV-PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
Musashi Miyamoto returns to Kyoto after years of absence. After a series of fights against the Yoshioka School, he challenges its master to a duel.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Kôji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa
Votes: 6,961
Duel à Ichijoji Samurai II: Duel At Ichijoji Temple 続宮本武蔵 一乗寺の決闘 (Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō) 9/10
27. Floating Clouds (1955)
123 min | Drama, Romance
A tragic social drama set in post war Japan and concerns a lonely woman trying to find purpose and stability in a devastated Tokyo.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada, Isao Yamagata
Votes: 3,145
Nuages flottants Floating Clouds 浮雲 (Ukigumo) 9/10
28. The Burmese Harp (1956)
Not Rated | 116 min | Drama, Music, War
A conscience-driven Japanese soldier traumatized by the events of WWII adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui, Tatsuya Mihashi, Jun Hamamura
Votes: 6,461
La harpe de Birmanie The Burmese Harp ビルマの竪琴 (Biruma no tategoto) 10/10
29. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
TV-PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Musashi Miyamoto is challenged to a duel by a confident swordsman Sasaki Kojiro. He agrees to fight him in a year's time.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Mariko Okada, Kôji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa
Votes: 6,699
La voie de la lumière Samurai III: Duel At Ganryu Island 決闘巌流島 (Miyamoto Musashi kanketsuhen: kettō Ganryūjima) 9/10
30. Street of Shame (1956)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama
The personal tales of various prostitutes who occupy a brothel.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Machiko Kyô, Aiko Mimasu, Ayako Wakao, Michiyo Kogure
Votes: 4,867
La rue de la honte Street Of Shame 赤線地帯 (Akasen chitai) 9/10
31. When It Rains, It Pours (1957)
105 min | Drama, Romance
Director: Noboru Nakamura | Stars: Sadako Sawamura, Mariko Okada, Masami Taura, Miyuki Kuwano
Votes: 30
L'averse When It Rains, It Pours 土砂降り (Doshaburi) 9/10
32. The Lower Depths (1957)
Not Rated | 137 min | Drama
In a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa, Ganjirô Nakamura
Votes: 5,946
Les bas-fonds The Lower Depths どん底 (Donzoko) 8/10
33. Black River (1957)
114 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A love triangle develops between a benevolent student, his innocent girlfriend, and a cruel petty criminal, all as a point of diagnosis of a social disease that had Japan slowly succumbing to lawlessness during the post-War era.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Fumio Watanabe, Tatsuya Nakadai, Ineko Arima, Keiko Awaji
Votes: 1,214
Le fleuve noir Black River 黒い河 (Kuroikawa) 8/10
34. Summer Clouds (1958)
128 min | Drama
A war widow with a young boy manages a farm with her bossy mother-in-law. When a reporter comes to interview her, the two begin an affair. He turns out to be married and won't leave his ... See full synopsis »
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Chikage Awashima, Michiyo Aratama, Kumi Mizuno, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 383
Nuages d'été Summer Clouds 鰯雲 (Iwashigumo) 9/10
35. The Ballad of Narayama (1958)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama
A kabuki theatre-inflected story about a poor village whose people have to be carried to a nearby mountain to die once they get old.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yûko Mochizuki, Danko Ichikawa
Votes: 3,787
La ballade de Narayama The Ballad Of Narayama 楢山節考 (Narayamabushikō) 9/10
36. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Lured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara
Votes: 42,236
La forteresse cachée The Hidden Fortress 隠し砦の三悪人 (Kakushi toride no sanakunin) 9/10
37. Equinox Flower (1958)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
A businessman clashes with his elder daughter over her choice of a husband.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Shin Saburi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Ineko Arima, Yoshiko Kuga
Votes: 4,850
Fleurs d'équinoxe Equinox Flower 彼岸花 (Higanbana) 9/10
38. The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (I) (1959)
Not Rated | 208 min | Drama, History, War
A Japanese pacifist, unable to face the dire consequences of conscientious objection, is transformed by his attempts to compromise with the demands of war-time Japan.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima, Ineko Arima
Votes: 9,360
La condition de l'homme : Il n'y a pas de plus grand amour The Human Condition: No Greater Love 人間の條件 (Ningen no jōken) 10/10
39. Good Morning (1959)
Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Two boys begin a silence strike to press their parents into buying them a television set.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Chishû Ryû, Kuniko Miyake
Votes: 11,042
Bonjour Good Morning お早う (Ohayō) 10/10
40. The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity (II) (1959)
Not Rated | 181 min | Drama, History, War
As a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist struggles to maintain his determination to keep his ideals.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Kokinji Katsura, Jun Tatara
Votes: 7,502
La condition de l'homme : Le chemin de l'éternité The Human Condition: Road To Eternity 人間の條件 (Ningen no jōken) 9/10
41. A Town of Love and Hope (1959)
62 min | Drama
A young man runs a scam selling pigeons that always return to his home. A rich girl takes an interest in him and tries to help him find a good job.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Fumio Watanabe, Yuki Tominaga, Kakuko Chino, Yûko Mochizuki
Votes: 606
Une ville d'amour et d'espoir A Town Of Love And Hope 愛と希望の街 (Ai to kibō no machi) 9/10
42. Floating Weeds (1959)
Not Rated | 119 min | Drama
The head of a Japanese theatre troupe returns to a small coastal town where he left a son who thinks he is his uncle, and tries to make up for the lost time, but his current mistress grows jealous.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Ganjirô Nakamura, Machiko Kyô, Haruko Sugimura, Ayako Wakao
Votes: 8,975
Herbes flottantes Floating Weeds 浮草 (Ukikusa) 9/10
43. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Not Rated | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A vengeful young man marries the daughter of a corrupt industrialist in order to seek justice for his father's suicide.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi
Votes: 14,015
Les salauds dorment en paix The Bad Sleep Well 悪い奴ほどよく眠る (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) 9/10
44. Late Autumn (1960)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
A widow tries to marry off her daughter with the help of her late husband's three friends.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Mariko Okada, Keiji Sada
Votes: 6,167
Fin d'automne Late Autumn 秋日和 (Akibiyori) 9/10
45. Cruel Story of Youth (1960)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Drama
A harsh young man seduces a freeloading young woman and eventually takes advantage of her knack for hitch-hiking to rob middle-class men.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Miyuki Kuwano, Yûsuke Kawazu, Yoshiko Kuga, Fumio Watanabe
Votes: 2,535
Contes cruels de la jeunesse Cruel Story Of Youth 青春残酷物語 (Seishun zankoku monogatari) 9/10
46. The River Fuefuki (1960)
117 min | Drama, History, War
A young man decides to become a warrior, causing trouble for his clan.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Takahiro Tamura, Kôshirô Matsumoto, Shima Iwashita
Votes: 376
La rivière Fuefuki The River Fuefuki 笛吹川 (Fuefukigawa) 9/10
47. Yojimbo (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 131,351
Le garde du coprs Yojimbo 用心棒 (Yōjimbō) 10/10
48. The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
Not Rated | 190 min | Drama, History, War
His ideals challenged by life as a conscript in war-time Japan's military, a pacifist faces ever greater tests in his fight for survival.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura, Yûsuke Kawazu
Votes: 7,330
La condition de l'homme : La prière du soldat The Human Condition: A Soldier's Prayer 人間の條件 (Ningen no jōken) 9/10
49. Harakiri (1962)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
When a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsurô Tanba
Votes: 68,643
Harakiri 切腹 (Seppuku) 10/10
50. Sanjuro (1962)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 41,123
Sanjuro 椿三十郎 (Tsubaki Sanjūrō) 10/10
51. Human (1962)
117 min | Drama
The ship Kaijin Maru is left adrift after losing all means of navigation in a storm. The four people on the ship are becoming increasingly desperate as food and water run out.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Taiji Tonoyama, Nobuko Otowa, Kei Satô, Kei Yamamoto
Votes: 222
L'homme Ningen 人間 (Ningen) 9/10
52. Destiny's Son (1962)
71 min | Action, Drama
A samurai seeks revenge and redemption after his family is executed by a rival clan.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Raizô Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Mayumi Nagisa, Masayo Banri
Votes: 522
Tuer Destiny's Son 斬る (Kiru) 9/10
53. An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama
An aging widower arranges a marriage for his only daughter.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada
Votes: 10,692
Le goût du saké An Autumn Afternoon 秋刀魚の味 (Sanma no aji) 8/10
54. An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama
Yukinojo, a Kabuki actor, seeks revenge by destroying the three men who caused the deaths of his parents. Also involved are the daughter of one of Yukinojo's targets, two master thieves, and a swordsman who himself is out to kill Yukinojo.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Kazuo Hasegawa, Fujiko Yamamoto, Ayako Wakao, Eiji Funakoshi
Votes: 2,869
La vengeance d'un acteur An Actor's Revenge 雪之丞変化 (Yukinojō henge) 10/10
55. High and Low (1963)
Not Rated | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 53,192
Entre le ciel et l'enfer High And Low 天国と地獄 (Tengoku to jigoku) 10/10
56. The Insect Woman (1963)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama
Life story of a woman born in poverty trying to succeed. Through her many schemes, she faces her ups and downs in a cyclical nature, fueled mostly by self-interest.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Seizaburô Kawazu, Kazuo Kitamura, Tanie Kitabayashi, Teruko Kishi
Votes: 2,501
La femme insecte The Insect Woman にっぽん昆虫記 (Nippon konchūki) 9/10
57. The Incorrigible (1963)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
A teenager is dismissed from school for misconduct. Still violent, he falls in love with a pupil of his new establishment.
Director: Seijun Suzuki | Stars: Ken Yamauchi, Masako Izumi, Midori Tashiro, Yoko Ozono
Votes: 160
Akutarô, l'impénitent The Bastard 悪太郎 (Akutarō) 9/10
58. 13 Assassins (1963)
Not Rated | 125 min | Adventure, Action
A group of samurai plan to assassinate a sadistic feudal lord.
Director: Eiichi Kudô | Stars: Takayuki Akutagawa, Chiezô Kataoka, Kôtarô Satomi, Ryôhei Uchida
Votes: 1,043
Les treize tueurs 13 Assassins 十三人の刺客 (Jūsannin no shikaku) 8/10
59. Bushido (1963)
122 min | Action, Drama
After a salary-man's fiancée attempts suicide, he remembers his gruesome family history, which sees his ancestors sacrificing themselves for the sake of their cruel lords, and realizes that he's about to repeat their mistakes.
Director: Tadashi Imai | Stars: Kinnosuke Nakamura, Eijirô Tôno, Kyôko Kishida, Masayuki Mori
Votes: 505
Contes cruels du Bushido Bushido: The Cruel Code Of The Samurai 武士道残酷物語 (Bushidō zankoku monogatari) 8/10
60. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,858
Onibaba 鬼婆 (Onibaba) 9/10
61. Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Drama
When poor peasants kidnap a magistrate's daughter to coerce him into reducing their unfair taxes, a wandering ronin decides to give them some help.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Tetsurô Tanba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijirô Hira, Miyuki Kuwano
Votes: 3,990
Trois samouraïs hors-la-loi Three Outlaw Samurai 三匹の侍 (Sanbiki no samurai) 9/10
62. Samurai Assassin (I) (1965)
122 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
February 17 to March 3, 1860, inside Edo castle. A group of assassins wait by Sakurada Gate to kill the lord of the House of Ii, a powerful man in the Tokugawa government, which has ruled ... See full summary »
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Keiju Kobayashi, Michiyo Aratama, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 2,508
Samouraï Samurai Assassin 侍 (Samurai) 10/10
63. Sword of the Beast (1965)
Not Rated | 85 min | Action, Drama
After killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Mikijirô Hira, Gô Katô, Shima Iwashita, Toshie Kimura
Votes: 3,092
Le sabre de la bête Sword Of The Beast 獣の剣 (Kedamono no ken) 9/10
64. Red Beard (1965)
Not Rated | 185 min | Drama
In 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yûzô Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan
Votes: 21,101
Barberousse Red Beard 赤ひげ (Akahige) 10/10
65. Seisaku's Wife (1965)
93 min | Drama, Romance, War
On the eve of the Russo-Japanese war at the beginning of the 20th century, small-town girl Okane has married an old wealthy man to escape a life of poverty.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Ayako Wakao, Takahiro Tamura, Nobuo Chiba, Yûzô Hayakawa
Votes: 670
La femme de Seisaku Seisaku's Wife 清作の妻 (Seisaku no tsuma) 8/10
66. The Sword of Doom (1966)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Drama
Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Yûzô Kayama, Yôko Naitô
Votes: 12,069
Le sabre du mal The Sword Of Doom 大菩薩峠 (Daibosatsu tōge) 10/10
67. Samurai Wolf (1966)
75 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A charismatic ronin gets snared into a conflict between officials at a waystation, and gains the enmity of a group of thugs.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Isao Natsuyagi, Ryôhei Uchida, Junko Miyazono, Tatsuo Endô
Votes: 773
Kiba, le loup enragé Samurai Wolf 牙狼之介 (Kiba Ōkami no kai) 9/10
68. Scattered Clouds (1967)
108 min | Drama, Romance
A man falls in love with the widow of a man he killed in a car accident. Eventually she falls in love with him in return.
Director: Mikio Naruse | Stars: Yûzô Kayama, Yôko Tsukasa, Mitsuko Kusabue, Mitsuko Mori
Votes: 1,339
Nuage épars Two In The Shadow 乱れ雲 (Midaregumo) 10/10
69. Eleven Samurai (1967)
100 min | Adventure, Drama, History
The lord of the Oshi fief is killed by his trespassing neighbor, Nariatsu. But when the Oshi clan is blamed for the incident, eleven of their best warriors decide to trade their lives for justice.
Director: Eiichi Kudô | Stars: Isao Natsuyagi, Kôtarô Satomi, Kôji Nanbara, Junko Miyazono
Votes: 411
Les onze guerriers du devoir Eleven Samurai 十一人の侍 (Jūichinin no samurai) 9/10
70. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Not Rated | 128 min | Drama
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gô Katô, Tatsuyoshi Ehara
Votes: 14,089
Rébellion Samurai Rebellion 上位討ち 拝領妻始末 (Jōi uchi hairyō tsuma shimatsu) 9/10
71. Double Suicide: Japanese Summer (1967)
98 min | Crime, Drama
Over the course of a night, a sex-obsessed young woman, a suicidal man, and a gun-crazy wannabe gangster are taken prisoner of a gang awaiting a shootout between a rival gang at dawn.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Kei Satô, Keiko Sakurai, Rokkô Toura, Shunsuke Mizoguchi
Votes: 887
Été Japonais : Double suicide Double Suicide: Japanese Summer 無理心中日本の夏 (Muri shinjū: nihon no natsu) 8/10
72. Kill! (1968)
Not Rated | 115 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Two ronin - an ex-samurai and an ex-farmer - get caught up in a local official's complex game of murder and betrayal.
Director: Kihachi Okamoto | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Yuriko Hoshi, Tadao Nakamaru
Votes: 3,175
Kill, la forteresse des samouraïs Kill! 斬る (Kiru) 9/10
73. Death by Hanging (1968)
Not Rated | 117 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Korean man is sentenced to death by hanging, but he survives the execution. For the following two hours, his executioners try to work out how to handle the situation in this black farce.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Kei Satô, Do-yun Yu, Fumio Watanabe, Hôsei Komatsu
Votes: 3,343
La pendaison Death By Hanging 絞死刑 (Kōshikei) 9/10
74. Wicked Priest (1968)
90 min | Crime
During the Taisho Period (early 1920's) a monastery of warrior monks was split apart between two factions. One of these factions was led by the Chief Abbot and his protégé Shinkai. When ... See full summary »
Director: Kiyoshi Saeki | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kenjirô Ishiyama, Tsu Ishiyama, Hôsei Komatsu
Votes: 96
Le moine sacrilège Wicked Priest 極悪坊主 (Gokuaku bōzu) 8/10
75. Hitokiri (1969)
140 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A destitute ronin allies himself with an established clan, but its ruthless leader tries to turn him into a mindless killer.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yukio Mishima, Yûjirô Ishihara
Votes: 1,228
Hitokiri, le châtiment Hitokiri 人斬り (Hitokiri) 10/10
76. The Steel Edge of Revenge (1969)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A guilt-haunted samurai warrior attempts to stop a massacre taking place.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tetsurô Tanba, Yôko Tsukasa, Ruriko Asaoka
Votes: 2,618
Goyokin, l'or du shogun Goyokin 御用金 (Goyōkin) 8/10
77. Dodes'ka-den (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, Shinsuke Minami
Votes: 7,622
Dodeskaden どですかでん (Dodesukaden) 10/10
78. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Not Rated | 81 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Trailed by a clan of female ninja, Ogami is paid to assassinate a clan traitor accompanied by three killers known as the Gods of Death.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ôki, Akiji Kobayashi
Votes: 6,858
Baby Cart : L'enfant massacré Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart To Hades 子連れ狼 三途の川の乳母車 (Kozure Ōkami: sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma) 9/10
79. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Five warriors challenge Ogami to duels. Each holds a part of information needed to complete the assassination of a mad clan leader.
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Tomisaburô Wakayama, Michiyo Yasuda, Akihiro Tomikawa, Shingo Yamashiro
Votes: 4,619
Baby Cart : Le territoire des démons Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart In The Land Of Demons 子連れ狼 冥府魔道 (Kozure Ōkami: meifumando) 9/10
80. Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
Not Rated | 99 min | Crime, Drama
During the violent chaos of post-War Japanese black market, a young gangster called Shozo Hirono has to keep up with the rapid shifts of power between unscrupulous bosses.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Hiroki Matsukata, Kunie Tanaka, Eiko Nakamura
Votes: 4,308
Combat sans code d'honneur Battles Without Honor And Humanity 仁義なき戦い (Jingi naki tatakai) 8/10
81. Dersu Uzala (1975)
G | 142 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Maksim Munzuk, Yuriy Solomin, Mikhail Bychkov, Vladimir Khrulyov
Votes: 33,511
Dersou Ouzala Dersu Uzala デルス・ウザーラ 10/10
82. Cops vs. Thugs (1975)
Not Rated | 100 min | Action, Crime
Acting boss Hirotani of the Ohara gang uses his friendship with corrupt cop Kuno to usurp a staged land deal that rival yakuza gang Kawade had arranged through local politicians. Open warfare erupts between the two gangs.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Bunta Sugawara, Tatsuo Umemiya, Hiroki Matsukata, Mikio Narita
Votes: 946
Police contre syndicat du crime Cops vs. Thugs 県警対組織暴力 (Kenkei tai soshiki bōryoku) 9/10
83. Graveyard of Honor (1975)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Crime
A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his self control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tetsuya Watari, Tatsuo Umemiya, Yumi Takigawa, Eiji Gô
Votes: 1,960
Le cimetière de la morale Graveyard Of Honor 仁義の墓場 (Jingi no hakaba) 8/10
84. In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
NC-17 | 109 min | Drama, Romance
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui
Votes: 22,795
L'empire des sens In The Realm Of The Senses 愛のコリーダ (Ai no corrida) 9/10
85. The Last Samurai (1974)
159 min | Action, Drama
Toranosuke Sugi, a brave and loyal Samurai, fights to practice and preserve his master's teachings amid a civil war. With friends on both side will he cave to temptation, or stand on principle and for freedom?
Director: Kenji Misumi | Stars: Hideki Takahashi, Ken Ogata, Takahiro Tamura, Teruhiko Saigô
Votes: 393
Les derniers saouraïs The Last Samurai 狼よ落日を斬れ (Ōkami yo rakujitsu o kire) 8/10
86. Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
Not Rated | 139 min | Crime, Drama
Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the run.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baishô
Votes: 7,295
La vengeance est à moi Vengeance Is Mine 復讐するは我にあり (Fukushū suru wa ware ni ari) 9/10
87. Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980)
PG | 162 min | Drama, History, War
A petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu
Votes: 38,172
Kagemusha, l'ombre du guerrier Kagemusha 影武者 (Kagemusha) 8/10
88. Chie the Brat (1981)
105 min | Animation, Family, Comedy
Chie Takemoto is a small dependable girl who lives in Osaka with her dad. She has two goals - to get her troublesome father, who runs a tavern, some work and then get him to make up with her mother who left him.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Chinatsu Nakayama, Norio Nishikawa, Kiyoshi Nishikawa, Yasushi Yokoyama
Votes: 738
Kié la petite peste Chie The Brat じゃリン子チエ (Jarinko Chie) 8/10
89. Onimasa (1982)
146 min | Drama
A yakuza melodrama, covering decades in the lives of Boss Onimasa, his adopted daughter Matsue, and his biological daughter Hanako.
Director: Hideo Gosha | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Masako Natsume, Akiko Nakamura, Akiko Kana
Votes: 571
Dans l'ombre du loup Onimasa 鬼龍院花子の生涯 (Kiryūin hanakonoshōgai) 9/10
90. The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama
In a poor 19th century rural Japanese village, everyone who reaches the age of 70 has to climb a nearby mountain to die. An elderly woman is reaching close to her cut-off age during her last days with her family.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô
Votes: 9,125
La ballade de Narayama The Ballad Of Narayama 楢山節考 (Narayamabushikō) 10/10
91. Children of Nagasaki (1983)
128 min | Drama, War
The atom-bombing of Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 is recalled by a survivor.
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita | Stars: Gô Katô, Yukiyo Toake, Masatomo Nakabayashi, Mami Nishijima
Votes: 167
Les enfants de Nagasaki Children Of Nagasaki この子を残して (Kono ko wo nokoshite) 9/10
92. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
PG | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda, Gorô Naya
Votes: 182,516 | Gross: $0.50M
Nausicaä de la vallée du vent Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind 風の谷のナウシカ (Kaze no tani no Naushika) 8/10
93. Typhoon Club (1985)
115 min | Drama, Romance
The movie takes place in the five-day period before, during and after a ferocious, seemingly liberating typhoon, which several students endure while marooned in their school gymnasium.
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Yuichi Mikami, Yûki Kudô, Tomokazu Miura, Tomoko Aizawa
Votes: 975
Typhoon Club 台風クラブ (Taifū kurabu) 9/10
94. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,193 | Gross: $4.14M
Ran 乱 (Ran) 9/10
95. Tampopo (1985)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy
A truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.
Director: Jûzô Itami | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho
Votes: 22,558 | Gross: $0.22M
Tampopo タンポポ 9/10
96. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 205,208 | Gross: $0.55M
Akira アキラ 10/10
97. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 380,211 | Gross: $1.11M
Mon voisin Totoro My Neighbor Totoro となりのトトロ (Tonari no Totoro) 10/10
98. Violent Cop (1989)
Not Rated | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A violence prone police officer discovers that his colleague is trafficking drugs.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Shirô Sano
Votes: 12,992 | Gross: $0.00M
Violent Cop その男、凶暴につき (Sono otoko, kyōbō ni tsuki) 9/10
99. Black Rain (1989)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama, War
The story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, based on Masuji Ibuse's novel.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Yoshiko Tanaka, Kazuo Kitamura, Etsuko Ichihara, Shôichi Ozawa
Votes: 3,958
Pluie noire Black Rain 黒い雨 (Kuroi ame) 9/10
100. A Scene at the Sea (1991)
101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The lives of a young, hearing-impaired and gloomy couple are fulfilled after the boy holds interest in surfboarding.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Claude Maki, Hiroko Ôshima, Sabu Kawahara, Toshizo Fujiwara
Votes: 6,686
A Scene At The Sea あの夏、いちばん静かな海 (Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi) 10/10
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