The Essentials: Asia 1895-1949
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- DirectorTeinosuke KinugasaStarsMasuo InoueAyako IijimaYoshie NakagawaA man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.
- DirectorSentarô ShiraiStarsTaki AkizukiDaikichi ArashiUtaemon IchikawaA rare film which depicts the tragic fate of a Christian lord who fought for his fate in the Edo period. Of note is Utaemon Ichikawa's extraordinary memorable final scenes in which he takes on his enemy with a gash in his forehead and a wild, unkempt mane.
- DirectorTeinosuke KinugasaStarsAkiko ChihayaJunosuke BandôYukiko OgawaAfter falling in love with a courtesan, Rikiya is blinded by ash during a fight in a brothel. Believing the blindness permanent and his opponent dead, Rikiya goes back home to his sister. Okiku, desperate to protect her brother who thinks himself a murderer, wants to sacrifice herself for him and become a prostitute to pay for Rikiya's treatment.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsIchirô YûkiTatsuo SaitôJunko MatsuiTwo friends try and court the same woman.
- DirectorHiroshi ShimizuStarsEmiko YagumoMinoru TakadaMichiko OikawaToshie, a young, conservative secretary-typist has fallen in love with Shozo Narita, a young man she has met through her work.
- DirectorShigeyoshi SuzukiYoneo OtaStarsKeiko TakatsuRintarô FujimaYôyô KojimaA girl sets out on a lonely journey when a father decides it is best for his young daughter to go live with his brother and her uncle. The trek begins on a train, but has to continue on foot and by cart when a stranger gives her a lift. Alas, there is not any joy, compassion or kindness to be found; least of all at the uncle's home where she is both a surprise arrival and unwanted. She is sold to servitude and employment soon. Her world and life spirals downward as the girl finds how she is not able to rely on family, humanity or god for an iota of grace or assistance.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsMitsuko IchimuraTokihiko OkadaChishû RyûA desperate man with a sick daughter decides to commit a robbery in order to help her. He begins to feel remorse though, which makes him question his decision.
- DirectorYasuji MurataOnce upon a time, the birds and the beasts fought each other in a war. It was a terrible conflict, and the clever bats would side with the birds when the birds were looking victorious, and then they would become allies of the beasts when that side was winning battles. At last the war came to an end, the two parties reached an amicable settlement, and a great party of friendship was held. But when it came to the turn of the bats to perform in the program, their fence-straddling tactics were exposed, and everyone refused to associate with them. Since that time, the bats have been too ashamed to show their faces during the day, coming out only at night to flit silently around.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsTokihiko OkadaEmiko YagumoHideo SugawaraA married Tokyo man faces unemployment after standing up for an older colleague.
- DirectorYasuji MurataMomotaro has been requested to fight off the Wild Eagle enemy which has suddenly appeared. He takes to the skies in his airplane, accompanied by a dog, a monkey , and a pheasant, and heads for an island some 10,000 kilometers away. One of the island people promises to prepare the two refuels that the plane requires during its flight to the island. The first refuel will be found on a giant tortoise shell, and the second is a refuel station especially positioned on the back of a whale which will come to surface. Momotaro's plane is attacked by the Wild Eagle out of the blue as it approaches the island, but after an exciting dogfight in the air, he successfully fights off the enemy.
- DirectorWancang BuStarsLingyu RuanYan JinLili ZhouThe daughter of a peasant family that works on a landowner's property is in love with the owner's son but the parents force them to separate.She lands up having a child out of wedlock.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsTatsuo SaitôTomio AokiMitsuko YoshikawaTwo young brothers throw a tantrum when they discover that their father isn't the most important man in his workplace.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsYoshiko OkadaUreo EgawaKinuyo TanakaRyoichi and Chikako are brother and sister. They live together. Chikako works during the day in an office and at night she prostitutes herself to fund her brother's studies at the university. Ryoichi doesn't know about his sister's secret life, but he is dating Harue whose brother is a policeman.
- DirectorMikio NaruseStarsMitsuko YoshikawaAkio IsonoSumiko MizukuboTwo Geisha with a connection to a young man deal with life's hardships.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiTakuaki SeiryôStarsTokihiko OkadaIchirô SugaiBontarô MiakeThe tragic tale of a woman who despite doing good where she can gets punished by society.
- DirectorHiroshi ShimizuStarsMichiko OikawaYukiko InoueUreo EgawaTwo schoolgirl friends drift apart when one of them falls for a handsome boy.
- DirectorMikio NaruseStarsSumiko KurishimaTeruko KojimaJun AraiA single mother works tirelessly as a Ginza bar hostess to ensure a better life for her young son until--her long-lost husband returns.
- DirectorYu SunStarsLingyu RuanCongmei YuanLi-li LiSister Ye is the master craftswoman in a village of toymakers that is subject to outside attacks. A series of personal tragedies reduces her to a shell of herself, until she breaks and rallies the townsfolk to fight their oppressors.
- DirectorYu SunStarsZhanfei GaoLangen HanLi-li LiFishing village girl Ling Ling sets off to look for her cousin in Shanghai. She soon finds out that Shanghai is a city full of vice: she is raped, sold into prostitution, and later becomes a socialite who uses her earnings to help others. She still waits at the pier in the hope that she sees her sailor lover return from the sea one day. By then, the revolution is starting to gain momentum.
- DirectorMikio NaruseStarsSetsuko ShinobuAkio IsonoHikaru YamanouchiStory of a waitress whose life, despite a host of male admirers and even some intrigued movie talent scouts, ends up taking a stiflingly domestic turn after a wealthy businessman accidentally hits her with his car.
- DirectorYasujirô ShimazuStarsYumeko AizomeRyôtarô MizushimaDen ÔhinataKeitaro (Obinata Den) is a law student and Yaeko (Aizome Yumeko) is a high school girl. They are neighbors, and their friendship is starting to develop into something more romantic. Then, Yaeko's sister Kyouko (Okada Yoshiko) has a breakup with her husband and returns home. Kyouko is clearly interested in Keitaro and Yae becomes anxious.
- DirectorYasujirô OzuStarsTakeshi SakamotoChôko IidaKôji MitsuiA kabuki actor's mistress hatches a jealous plot to bring down her lover's son.
- DirectorYonggang WuStarsLingyu RuanTian JianZhizhi ZhangStreet walker by night, devoted mother by day, a woman fights to get her young son an education amid criminal and social injustice in China.
- DirectorChusheng CaiStarsRenmei WangLangen HanPeng LuoAbout the trials and tribulations of the family of a poor fisherman.