Kaneto Shindō — Playwright (75)
Conquest (1965) [Movie] IMDb TMDB
悪党
director: Kaneto Shindō actor: Nobuko Otowa / Kyôko Kishida
other title: Conquête / A Scoundrel
Provincial 14th century governor Moronao, attracted to the wife of a court magistrate, tries to seduce her and when she rejects his advances plots to send her husband into battle.
Night Drum (1958) [Movie] IMDb TMDB
夜の鼓
director: Tadashi Imai actor: Rentaro Mikuni / Ineko Arima
other title: Les Tambours de la nuit / 夜の鼓
Following a yearlong attendance upon his shogun in Edo, samurai Hikokuro makes a long-awaited return to his home and doting wife, Dane. Initially greeted by the effusive welcome of his family, spiteful whispers also reach his ear about an adulterous affair carried on, in his long absence, between his wife and a famous drummer. With Hikokuro’s honor imperiled by rumor, his family insists on a formal investigation into the veracity of the gossip. Through the combined testimony of many witnesses, a tale unwinds around the visits of a traveling musician hired to tutor the family heir, the spurned attentions of the man who started the rumor, and the ultimate truth behind the accusations. The conclusion of events prove as much an indictment of bushidō as it is of the reluctant parties involved. Adapted from a 1706 play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and based on a true case.
The Battle of Okinawa (1971) [Movie] WikiData IMDb TMDB
激動の昭和史 沖縄決戦
other title: Kamikaze (Okinawa Zero) / A Batalha de Okinawa
The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army divisions to defend it at all costs. The mission quickly degenerates as vital resources and troops are diverted to other islands. After a civilian evacuation ends in tragedy most of non-combatants are forced to remain on the island. Many convert to soldier status. Tokyo sends mixed messages that squander time and resources, as when they order the defenders to build an airstrip for aircraft that never come. The truth soon becomes obvious: the high command decides that the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the Okinawan defenders. When the Americans land many troops are deployed in the wrong places. As the slaughter mounts, a suicidal attitude takes hold. Okinawa becomes a death trap, for civilian volunteers and non-combatants as well.
Postcard (2010) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
一枚のハガキ
other title: 一枚のハガキ / Ichimai no hagaki
Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led.
Heat Wave Island (1969) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
かげろう
director: Kaneto Shindō actor: Nobuko Otowa / Jūzō Itami
other title: かげろう
Nobuko Otowa plays a former Seto Inland Sea island farmer who has moved to the mainland in order to find work, but instead ends up dead. The film begins with the discovery of her corpse, which leads to an investigation that uncovers the narcotics, prostitution, and murder in which many poor farmers had found themselves trapped after World War II.
The Life of Chikuzan (1977) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
竹山ひとり旅
other title: La vida de Chikuzan / 竹山ひとり旅
After over 50 years of wandering up and down Japan, finally in the 1970s, the rough-hewn blind shamisen player and folk-song collector named Takahashi Chikuzan became a musical sensation. This biographical drama chronicles his wanderings and his life, with a particular focus on his humble beginnings as a peasant on a remote and arid island.
A Last Note (1995) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
午後の遺言状
other title: Le Testament du soir / Nota de suicidio
A retired actress whose husband has recently died visits her summer home. There she has encounters with old friends and acquaintances who bring various stories and news of death and the past
Miniature (1953) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
縮図
director: Kaneto Shindō actor: Nobuko Otowa / Sumiko Hidaka
other title: Epítome / 縮図
Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope in the process. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape her sad fate.
The Strange Tale of Oyuki (1992) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
濹東綺譚
other title: Histoire singulière à l'est du fleuve / La extraña historia de Oyuki
A story of Japanese writer Kafu Nagai (1879-1959), a man about sixty with a huge reputation of seducer who falls madly in love for a young geisha named Oyuki. Meticulous and smartly dressed, Nagai patiently wrote in his diary his thoughts during many years. A melancholy reflection on the passage of time and a brilliant interpretive exercise.
Ditch (1954) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
どぶ
director: Kaneto Shindō actor: Nobuko Otowa / Jūkichi Uno
other title: La zanja / どぶ
Postwar Tokyo. Pin and Toku live in the squatter area of Kappanuma. Pin and Toku are avid gamblers. They take in Tsuru, a slightly demented woman who has run away from a geisha house.
Owl (2003) [Movie] IMDb WikiData TMDB
ふくろう
director: Kaneto Shindō actor: Shinobu Otake / Ayumi Ito
other title: La lechuza / ふくろう
A mother and daughter are stranded in small, isolated cabin, and are starving to death. In order to survive, they plan to entice men that happen to stray to their cabin with sex, and kill them. All goes well until a local cop shows up and, then, an old relation.