10 Films to Get You Started (Japanese Cinema)

With the 2014 Tour de France wrapping up yesterday, I am switching gears and revisiting the “10 Films” series. This series of original articles is designed for film fans looking to investigate new, exciting (and sometimes intimidating) avenues in the world of cinema.

Please be advised that these recommendations are not clinically tested or approved, so your love and/or hate of them will not definitively cement your own opinion of the genre, era, style, etc. Also, I wish to make it clear that these are suggestions for people who have an interest in something new, but are apprehensive over where to start. As such, this is not my attempt at a Best of… list. Instead, it is a pair of training wheels designed to suggest films that blend quality, importance, and ability to represent the topic in a way that is easy to digest for a newcomer. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome – particularly any which help promote the goal of this article: helping people who already love film find more to love.

10 Films to Get You Started: Japanese Cinema

With the noticeable lack of Japanese films in this blog so far (Yukiya Arashiro, the lone Japanese rider, did not have a very noteworthy Tour), I have selected ten films from the Land of the Rising Sun that are great for beginners and seasoned international film veterans alike:

1. Rashomon (dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1950)

Since its release in 1950, the narrative style of Rashomon–namely, the same episode or event retold from several viewpoints–has become so influential in film and fiction that it is sometimes referred to as “the Rashmon plot.” When discussing Japanese cinema, director Akira Kurosawa’s name must be at the forefront, and Rashomon is the film that made Kurosawa a household name with Western critics and audiences. Featuring outstanding performances from Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, this film is a great introduction to Kurosawa before venturing into his three-hour samurai epic, Seven Samurai (1954).

 

2. Godzilla / Gojira (dir. Ishiro Honda, 1954)

The mother of all kaiju films, Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla is a classic monster movie and post-Hiroshima cautionary tale that is far better than its campy reputation. Despite the common association of Honda’s film with overacting and poor dubbing, Godzilla is a very fun, well-constructed monster movie with a far better plot than its imitators and sequels. For a good starting point in Japanese film, look to Godzilla, the movie that kick-started a genre all its own.

3. Grave of the Fireflies / Hotaru no haka (dir. Isao Takahata, 1988)

Speaking of post-Hiroshima cautionary tales, Grave of the Fireflies is exactly that, and also happens to be one of the most mature, affecting animated films of all time. The story of Seita and Setsuko, two siblings struggling to survive in World War II era Japan is heartbreaking and beautiful. This is not an animated film for children, but the animation medium fits perfectly for telling this poignant tale of survival.

4. Spirited Away / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)

Hayao Miyazaki is a titan in the world of animation, and his talents were never better on display than here, in the Alice in Wonderland style adventure of a young girl, Chihiro, and her supernatural experiences in an alternate universe. The animation is first-rate, the story is appealing to children and adults alike, and the overall experience is on par with the very best Disney and Pixar have ever produced.

5. Tokyo Story (dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)

Along with Kurosawa and Mizoguchi, a list of Japanese films and filmmakers would be incomplete without an entry from Yasujiro Ozu. With Tokyo Story, his masterpiece, it is possible to see all of the directorial trademarks that make Ozu such a unique and identifiable auteur, including the tatami mat perspective of the camera. The story of an aging couple whose children are too busy to care for them (inspired by Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow), is beautiful and heartbreaking.

6. Ugetsu / Ugetsu monogatai (dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)

Kenji Mizoguchi’s ghost story, Ugetsu, is set during 16th century Japan, and effectively blends elements of supernatural and historical drama. The story centers on two peasants–Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Eitaro Ozawa)–and their wives, who attempt to make ends meet, including by stealing the severed head of a general and presenting it for profit and renown. The engaging plot and brilliant direction of this landmark film helped usher Japanese cinema into the Western world.

7. Audition / Odishon (dir. Takashi Miike, 1999)

In recent years, Japan has become a hotbed for edgy, gory, and downright scary horror films (many of which are made into Hollywood blockbusters). Among the edgiest of Japan’s new wave of horror and thriller directors is Takashi Miike, and Audition is easily his best film. The tale of a middle-aged widower (Ryo Ishibashi) looking to get back into the dating game by auditioning for a new wife quickly becomes unnerving with the protagonist’s growing infatuation with Asami (Eihi Shiina). While not a scary film in the classic sense, Audition will have you cringing with cinematic discomfort on more than one occasion.

8. Hara-Kiri / Seppuku (dir. Masaki Kobyashi, 1962)

A list of Japanese films would not be complete without a classic samurai film, and Kobayashi’s Hara-Kiri is one of the best samurai revenge tales ever put to screen. The story concerns a ronin samurai who arrives at the home of a feudal lord, requesting permission to commit suicide on his property. Initially, the feudal lord believes that the man has come seeking money to avoid the mess of killing himself, but when his true intentions are revealed, the drama of the film escalates to thrilling heights.

9. Battle Royale / Batoru Rowaiaru (dir. Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)

Before there were The Hunger Games, there was this excellent, off-kilter dark comedy from Kinji Fukasaku, based on the novel of the same name. A class of students are selected each year to participate in a “battle royale” competition, where they must fight to the death, with the lone survivor emerging victorious. Lots of fun, with a great performance from Takeshi Kitano as the students’ former teacher, the tale of Shuya Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko Nakagawa (Aki Maeda) give Katniss and Peeta a run for their money.

10. Sonatine (dir. Takeshi Kitano, 1993)

A great all-around gangster (yakuza) film, Takeshi Kitano directs and stars in an offbeat crime drama about a group of city gangsters who decide to lay low on beach in Okinawa. Kitano is a delight, and this film is sure to be unlike any other conventional gangster film you have seen.

Next Steps: Seven Samurai (Kurosawa, 1954), Sansho the Bailiff (Mizoguchi, 1954), Tampopo (Itami, 1985), My Neighbor Totoro (Miyazaki, 1988), Akira (Ohtomo, 1988), Fireworks (Kitano, 1997), Ghost in the Shell (Oshii, 1995),  Ringu (Nakata, 1998)

So there you have them, 10 Japanese films to get you started. Enjoy!

10 Films to Get You Started (Silent Cinema)

This post is only the beginning of what will become a regularly occurring series of original articles designed for film fans looking to investigate new, exciting (and sometimes intimidating) avenues in the world of cinema. As the title implies, the article will feature ten (10) film suggestions that I recommend as good “jumping off” points for various film genres/styles. Why ten? I have no sound reason, aside from an arbitrary taste for round numbers; I suppose I was in a metric mood when the idea struck.

Please be advised that these recommendations are not clinically tested or approved, so your love and/or hate of them will not definitively cement your own opinion of the genre, era, style, etc. Also, I wish to make it clear that these are suggestions for people who have an interest in something new, but are apprehensive over where to start. As such, this is not my attempt at a Best of… list. Instead, it is a pair of training wheels designed to suggest films that blend quality, importance, and ability to represent the topic in a way that is easy to digest for a newcomer. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome – particularly any which help promote the goal of this article: helping people who already love film find more to love.

10 Films to Get You Started: Silent Cinema

If you have been looking to explore some of the cinematic treasures produced during the silent era, but have been thus far intimidated or turned off by whole “no talking” thing, here are some suggestions for dipping your toes into silent waters:

1. A Trip to the Moon / Le voyage dans la lune (dir. Georges Méliès, 1902)

At some point, anyone seriously interested in silent film and the beginnings of film as an art form should devote 12 minutes to checking out this little film that, despite being over a century old, still manages to be a whole lot of fun. A film like this clearly shows the transition from stage to screen, along with some of the early effects (that still manage to be surprisingly cool today) that laid the groundwork for “movie magic.”

2. Broken Blossoms (dir. D.W. Griffith, 1919)

Director D.W. Griffith was, unquestionably, one of the titans of the silent film era. Unfortunately, most of his films that have come to be regarded as classics are uncompromisingly racist or unapproachably long (or, in the case of The Birth of a Nation, both). Thankfully, Griffith managed to keep his finest film under two hours and reasonably inoffensive (aside from being awfully politically incorrect and having star Richard Barthelmess stretch his forehead to appear more Oriental, the film does attempt a message of racial tolerance). The performances – Barthelmess, Donald Crisp, and silent-era queen Lillian Gish – are all first-rate, and the movie is beautiful in its own sad, sobering way.

 

3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari / Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (dir. Robert Wiene, 1920)

One of the landmark films of the Weimar era, and a prime example of the silent film style of German expressionism (that would later be a major influence on film noir), Robert Wiene’s film is a warped, twisted tale of murder, psychosis, and sleepwalking. This film is exciting and groundbreaking – it’s an easy watch that will significantly boost your silent film IQ.

 

4. Our Hospitality (dir. John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923)

While this is probably not Keaton’s best film (that honor I would give to The General), it is one of his most fun, and probably my favorite. At just over an hour, the film is a thoroughly digestible length, and the plot is a scathingly funny attack on the notion of “southern hospitality” through the lens of two feuding clans. Keaton’s stone-faced, physical style of comedy is in fine form here, and the waterfall scene near the end is among the finest in any Keaton comedy.

 

5. The Thief of Bagdad (dir. Raoul Walsh, 1924)

I know, this movie is pretty long. Okay, it’s really long. While length can certainly make a movie less approachable, this is one instance where I’m going to allow a long movie to slip onto the list. While it nears three hours in length, it is also one of the best fantasy-adventure flicks that I have ever seen, and certainly does not feel its length. Douglas Fairbanks gives an athletic, dynamic performance amid three hours of stunning visuals and effects.

 

6. Chess Fever / Shakhmatnaya goryachka (dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin & Nikolai Shpikovsky, 1925)

While Battleship Potemkin is the critical gold standard for Russian silent cinema, I love this early romantic comedy from directors Pudovkin and Shpikovsky for its heart and sense of humor. A very funny look at foolish obsession, the film shows how the fervor of an international chess tournament affects the lives of the local citizens where the tournament is held. At only 28 minutes, this film is short, sweet, and well worth the watch. An added bonus for avid chess fans are the cameo appearances of several legends of the game in the tournament scenes.

 

7. The Unknown (dir. Tod Browning, 1927)

Early horror master Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks) brings us the story of Alonzo the Armless (Lon Chaney), a knife thrower that must use his feet for all daily activities (including knife throwing). If seeing Chaney smoke a cigarette with his feet isn’t reason enough to watch this movie (it really is, though), Browning throws an interesting love plot into the mix. To cement the film’s watchable nature, the whole story wraps up in just over an hour. Recommended for anyone who isn’t terribly grossed out by feet.

 

8. The Crowd (dir. King Vidor, 1928)

A bleak criticism of the American Dream, King Vidor’s visually stunning drama follows the life of everyman John Sims from birth (on Independence Day, 1900) through the early portion of his professional life. Truthful and severe, the film pulls no punches as it shows the struggle of an infant with unlimited potential grow into a man who must fight to stay ahead of the crowd.

 

9. Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (dir. F.W. Murnau, 1931)

There were a handful of other interesting Murnau films that I considered for this list – Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, and Sunrise – but I ultimately went with this choice, mainly because it is the least seen (by IMDB vote count), and certainly deserves more viewers. The story is a tragic tale of forbidden love, beautifully filmed on location in Bora Bora. The gorgeous scenery and crisp cinematography are reasons enough to enjoy this movie; the story and Murnau’s expressionist-influenced direction make the film truly fascinating. An underrated gem from one of the early masters reminiscent of Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

 

10. City Lights (dir. Charles Chaplin, 1931)

Although there were already loads of people making talking pictures by 1931 (some of them very good), Chaplin stuck with the silent formula that he had already mastered, and delivers what I consider his finest film. With the brilliant blend of comedy and heartfelt drama that only a Chaplin film can deliver, City Lights is one of the finest films of any era: silent or otherwise. At 83 minutes, the film is short and well-paced, and rewards all watchers with one of the greatest final scenes in history.

 

Next Steps: Nanook of the North (Flaherty, 1922), Foolish Wives (von Stroheim, 1922), Safety Last! (Newmeyer/Taylor, 1923), Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925),  Phantom of the Opera (Julian/Cheney, 1925), The General (Keaton/Bruckman, 1926), Napoleon (Gance, 1927),  Metropolis (Lang, 1927), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau, 1927), The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer, 1928).

So there you have them, 10 silent-era films to get you started. Enjoy!