Tokyo Drifter 1966

From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa, to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The directory aims to play a part in the distribution of academic output by building a forum for the study of film from a disciplined theoretical base.

This is in the form of an A-Z of reviews, longer essays and research resources. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters are discussed in addition to the politically charged works of the Japanese New Wave, making this a truly comprehensive volume.

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The list is based on the contents of the Book, sorted by chapters:
Film of the Year
Alternative Japan
Anime / Animation
Chambara / Samurai Cinema
Contemporary Blockbusters
Jidaigeki & Gendaigeki / Period & Contemporary
J-Horror / Japanese Horror
Kaiju Eiga / Monster Movies
Nuberu Bagu / The Japanese New Wave
Pinku Eiga / Pink Films
Yakuza / Gangster

More information on this is also aviable on http://worldcinemadirectory.co.uk/!

List for the 2nd edition: http://trakt.tv/user/sp1ti/lists/directory-of-world-cinema-japan-2

[Missing Virus (1980), has the same year+name as another movie (TMDB:41972)]

Thanks to all who’ve made this a very popular list, in spite of glitches causing dozens of fans to suddenly disappear :(

A big welcome to the land of cinematic wonders!

I’ve aimed for a rounded overview to include not only personal favourites but popular hits and international award winners, animé landmarks, avant-
garde films, the New Wave, erotic “pink films” and the great classics that are still the glory of world cinema.

Much of silent cinema before the 1930s has been lost, its Benshi narrators displaced but good finally to have the landmark film Souls on the Road on Mubi. In the 20s directors were able to learn their trade through prolific practice, aware of and encorporating developments in both the Soviet Union and the West… and then, what a wealth of wonders! Older masters: the unequalled aesthetic refinement of Mizoguchi, the charm of Shimizu, the quiet observational wisdom of Ozu, the tragically curtailed promise of Yamanaka, the balanced restraint of Naruse, the muscular humanism of Kurosawa… Then, a new generation from the late 50s, in full swing in the sexually freer 60s: the idealism of Kobayashi, the political bite of Oshima, the earthy subversion of Imamura, the cool of Suzuki and Masumura. the avant-garde Terayama.. So many to explore: Yoshida, Ichikawa Kon, Teshigahara, Shinoda, Wakamatsu, Kumai, the documentaries of Ogawa and Hara, the stop motion master Kawamoto, the blood soaked Fukasaku.. the rise of animé, with the international success of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s beautiful flights of fancy, the spiky Tsukamoto, the popular appeal of Kitano, the prolific shocker Miike.. up to the present with Koreeda, Naomi Kawase, Sono, Kurosawa Kiyoshi… oh and i almost went without mentioning Samurai and Godzilla.

Source: http://mubi.com/lists/kenjis-japanese-canon

Missing on TMDB as of now:
ID: tt0242845, Title: Narita: The Peasants of the Second Fortress, Year: -

After doing Top 10's for many years, the Japanese magazine Kinema Junpo released a list of their Top 200 Japanese movies in 2009.

Source: http://www.kinejun.jp/special/90alltimebest/index.html

For those interested, here are many of the individual years Top 10s:
http://www.rinkworks.com/checklist/list.cgi?u=crimsong&U=crimsong&p=kinemajunpotop10s

From the revered classics of Akira Kurosawa, to the modern marvels of Takeshi Kitano, the films that have emerged from Japan represent a national cinema that has gained worldwide admiration and appreciation. The Directory of World Cinema: Japan provides an insight into the cinema of Japan through reviews of significant titles and case studies of leading directors, alongside explorations of the cultural and industrial origins of key genres. The directory aims to play a part in the distribution of academic output by building a forum for the study of film from a disciplined theoretical base.

This is in the form of an A-Z of reviews, longer essays and research resources. The cinematic lineage of samurai warriors, yakuza enforcers and atomic monsters are discussed in addition to the politically charged works of the Japanese New Wave, making this a truly comprehensive volume.

The list is based on the contents of the Book, sorted by chapters:

• Film of the Year
• Alternative Japan
• Anime / Animation
• Chambara / Samurai Cinema
• Contemporary Blockbusters
• Jidaigeki & Gendaigeki / Period & Contemporary
• J-Horror / Japanese Horror
• Kaiju Eiga / Monster Movies
• Nuberu Bagu / The Japanese New Wave
• Pinku Eiga / Pink Films
• Yakuza / Gangster

More information on this is also aviable on http://worldcinemadirectory.co.uk/!

List for the 2nd edition: http://trakt.tv/users/sp1ti/lists/directory-of-world-cinema-japan-2

Please note that due to collections movie numbers in this list are not reflected in the official Criterion spine number. However, all films added to this list are added to the list in the same order as the spine number.

These are things I truly enjoyed for one reason or another but aren't favorites

Movies with great visuals.

Art in film and TV.

List of Japanese neo-noir films

For theo

Rollicking tales of non stop action.

tous les films policiers