« The Uncanny Valley | Main | Spot the Contradiction »
My favorite things Japan, cinema edition
1. Kurosawa movie: Ran is the most impressive on the big screen, but Ikiru is a profound study of the psychology of bureaucracy. There are many many others, including the noir masterpieces and the criminally underrated late period, most of all Dreams.
2. Gangster movie: Should I go with Sonatine? I don't know them all.
4. Sexual perversion movie: Audition has an incredible piano wire scene.
5. Hobbesian movie: It's Battle Royale, hands down, and yes I taught the film this year in Law and Literature. One of the students was shocked we would cover something of this nature.
6. Ozu movie: Tokyo Story is the one that sticks with me.
7. Dance movie: Shall We Dance? remains a gem.
8. Anime: Grave of the Fireflies is a knockout, an anime movie for people who hate anime (and war). Make sure you use the subtitles, not the dub. I love all Miyazaki, maybe my favorite is Princess Mononoke, just don't expect a coherent Pigouvian vision from it. Other times I think Totoro is his supreme masterpiece. Pom Poko, from Studio Ghibli, is essential viewing as well.
9. Mizoguchi movie: First prize goes to the stunning Ugetsu.
10. Godzilla movie: There is the original Japanese first movie, the cheesy but delectable Godzilla vs. Mothra, the implicit retelling of WWII in King Kong vs. Godzilla, Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (my personal favorite), one of the MechaGodzilla movies (surprisingly good but don't ask me which one), and the sadly unheralded Godzilla Final Wars. I'm not sure any of the others are worth watching.
The bottom line: I'm not sure I've ever covered a category with so much quality and depth as this one and I've just scratched the surface. And yes, I like Tampopo too, but not as much as most of these. Gammera deserves a mention too.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on May 19, 2008 at 05:39 AM in Film | Permalink
Comments
My favorites: Dersu Uzala by Kurosawa, Hana Bi by Kitano and Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi by Miyazaki
Posted by: CRP at May 19, 2008 6:08:30 AM
Ping Pong for Sports Movie (of sorts)?
Posted by: Loren at May 19, 2008 6:18:16 AM
I concur with your Miyazaki's, although I have a third favourite depending on my mood - Porco Rosso.
Posted by: Elanor at May 19, 2008 6:27:00 AM
I saw the original Godzilla this weekend and was surprised by how morally serious and mature it was. It's a million miles away from the cartoony schlockfests of the later movies. It's a genuine sci-fi classic.
Posted by: Ali Choudhury at May 19, 2008 6:36:21 AM
The inspiration for Princess Mononoke came from the cedar forests of Yakushima Island, south of Kagoshima. Here is a photo I took in Princess Mononoke grove: http://everything-everywhere.com/Photography/v/Japan/Yakushima/Princess-Mononoke-Grove-Shiratani-Unsuikyo-Yakushima-Japan.html
Posted by: Gary at May 19, 2008 7:14:54 AM
#9. Yes, yes, yes! But can I get an honorable mention for Shin heike monogatari?
Posted by: Bill Gardner at May 19, 2008 7:48:06 AM
"maybe my favorite is Princess Mononoke, just don't expect a coherent Pigouvian vision from it"
what does P. Mononoke have to do with Pigou?
Posted by: kerimcan at May 19, 2008 8:53:21 AM
Gangster movies, probably Takeshi Kitano as you suggested. Hana-Bi is a fan favorite, Sonatine is the most elegant one, but Boiling Point is probably the most memorable.
Posted by: Jack at May 19, 2008 9:15:58 AM
Lately, I've found my tastes roaming when it comes to Japanese films. One recent movie I found to be very funny is marketed in the US as "Kamikaze Girls."
I used to know enough Japanese to watch them with the subtitles off, but without anyone to speak with, it has rusted away. I came away from watching My Neighbor Totoro and the original Godzilla in the original Japanese as that they're almost completely different movies in translation.
And at the risk of sounding pompous, I think Toshiro Mifune added a lot to Kurosawa's B&W movies, and after they broke up (due to Kagemusha), Kurosawa's movies seemed to lack something.
Posted by: Tangurena at May 19, 2008 9:30:41 AM
I often wonder what comparative advantages the Japanese have got in producing animes. Many Japanese animes are better than regular movies. The R-rated ones are fantastic in their own league. My working hypothesis is that the sublime Japanese aesthetics has found its own way to shine in this guilty pleasure for adults.
Posted by: Yan Li at May 19, 2008 9:44:49 AM
Two more that I like.
Seppuku (1962) Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
The Burmese Harp (1967) Directed by: Kon Ichikawa
Posted by: David at May 19, 2008 10:22:29 AM
I recommend picking up some of the genre action films, including the 26 Zatoichi films (I've seen all but one, which is unfortunately not available for America distribution). Start with this one, Zatoichi and the Chess Player: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059942/ . Another good (but gorier) 70's action film is "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068817/ .
I love Kurosawa, naturally. The one film that hasn't been mentioned that really struck me was Stray Dog: an excellent contemporary-setting, postwar Japanese film.
Posted by: Luke G. at May 19, 2008 11:12:15 AM
Uh, what about your favorite Samurai movie (Ran doesn't count)?
Posted by: joe at May 19, 2008 11:40:53 AM
Also, I'll put in a plug for what I'd say is one of the best movies from any country, Samurai Rebellion.
Posted by: Joe at May 19, 2008 11:44:32 AM
Yes, as mentioned above, the two Kobayashi movies Samurai Rebellion and Harakiri (Seppuku) are very fine samurai pictures. For anime, don't miss Ninja Scroll.
Posted by: jeffpdx at May 19, 2008 12:25:19 PM
"one of the MechaGodzilla movies (surprisingly good but don't ask me which one)"
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, of course. But I may be biased since it was the first movie I ever saw in the theater I was supposed to see Star Wars but it was sold out and G vs. MG was the consolation prize. It stilled wowed me at the time.
Posted by: notsneaky at May 19, 2008 1:05:41 PM
"Shinobi No Mono" (1962) is an excellent historical action-drama set in the world of rival ninja clans. It's the first film in a series of eight. (I believe Bujinkan ninjutsu grandmaster Hatsumi was a technical advisor for the series.)
I also recommend "The Yakuza" (1975), starring Robert Mitchum.
Posted by: Carl at May 19, 2008 1:41:43 PM
Ghost in the Shell as finest anime. My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service are the finest Studio Ghibli. Kudos to Witch Hunter Robin, R.O.D., Planet ES, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Patlabor, Blood, Jin-Roh. Kurosawa: Throne of Blood, 7 Samurai, Yojimbo. The original Gojira.
Posted by: GK at May 19, 2008 1:45:30 PM
This may not be the most popular choice for yakuza connoisseurs, but for me the most transfixing film of the genre is "Afraid to Die" (1960 - "Karakkaze Yaru", so IMDB tells me)
The quasi-Decadent novelist Mishima Yukio takes on the role of an indecisive, temporizing gangster. It's like watching Huysmans (or perhaps the Oscar Wilde of "Salome") fast-forward 60 years and turn himself into a character from Breathless or A Band Apart. The juxtaposition of the two sensibilities is exceedingly strange. Given Mishima's later career as a right-wing militarist, the aesthete-as-tough-guy pose in this film feels like a dry run.
Posted by: m.croche at May 19, 2008 1:53:30 PM
I prefer 30s Mizoguchi to Ugestu, and Only Son to Tokyo Story. Sadly, it's tough to see 30s Japanese cinema outside a few cinematheques. I for one have seen nothing from that period besides those two makers.
Chris
Posted by: Chris C at May 19, 2008 1:56:02 PM
For those who like Japanese movies, the film After Life by Kirokazu Koreeda is something special.
Posted by: Simon at May 19, 2008 2:08:03 PM
The best thing about Battle Royale is *that* death scene shortly before the end. I won't spoil it, but it just goes to show the genius of Beat Takeshi, even if he didn't direct the film.
Posted by: Ginger Yellow at May 19, 2008 2:08:54 PM
Why no favorite Naruse film?
Posted by: anon/portly at May 19, 2008 2:27:28 PM
Lots of good choices listed already, I would add "Spirited Away" and "Tokyo Godfathers" under anime, and "Mibu gishi den" under samurai
Posted by: KevinD at May 19, 2008 2:39:30 PM
I'm surprised you didn't pick an early Miyazaki, The Caste of Cagliostro.
The movie starts out with Arsene Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen escaping pursuit after having robbed the national casino of Monaco, only to discover that their entire haul is counterfeit. The bills are of a very high quality and could be none other than the legendary 'goat bills', perfect counterfeits that have been used to rock the economies of nations since the invention of paper money.
Posted by: 8 at May 19, 2008 3:58:28 PM
