Stray Dog

Stray Dog 1949

7.54

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.

1949

The Life of Oharu

The Life of Oharu 1952

7.71

In Edo Period Japan, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.

1952

Stormy Virtue

Stormy Virtue 1959

1

Yuri is looking forward to marrying her fiancé Minoru. However, a few days before the wedding she falls victim to his brother Takehiko, and against her will, she becomes Takehiko's wife. The day after the wedding, Yuri begins her silent revenge by not talking to her husband. She retains her love for Minoru and never gives herself to Takehiko's embrace again. She also contributes large sums of money from Takehiko's fortune to charity.

1959

Jigoku

Jigoku 1960

6.40

A group of sinners involved in interconnected tales of murder, revenge, deceit and adultery all meet at the Gates of Hell.

1960

The Munekata Sisters

The Munekata Sisters 1950

7.00

Setsuko is unhappily married to Mimura, an engineer with no job and a bad drinking habit. She had always been in love with Hiroshi but both of them failed to propose when Hiroshi left for France a few years ago. Now he is back and Mariko tries to reunite them. She too is secretly in love with Hiroshi.

1950

A Billionaire

A Billionaire 1954

5.70

An ethical, young tax collector new to his area encounters increasingly absurd individuals and groups coping with their post-war woes.

1954

The Ghost of Yotsuya

The Ghost of Yotsuya 1959

6.56

This horror tale relates the consequences of a Japanese legend which tells of a man who has to betray his wife in order to achieve power.

1959

Mother

Mother 1952

6.83

A teenaged girl witnesses her widowed mother's attempt to sustain her family.

1952

Portrait of Madame Yuki

Portrait of Madame Yuki 1950

6.90

A young woman takes up her new job as the servant of a noblewoman and soon discovers that underneath her facade of luxury lies great unhappiness.

1950

Mr. Shosuke Ohara

Mr. Shosuke Ohara 1949

6.20

Saheita, the final heir of a once rich and respectable family, can't refuse the many villagers that come to him for favours and money, even though he is on the brink of bankruptcy. Around town he is better known by his nickname Mr. Shosuke Ohara.

1949

Twilight Saloon

Twilight Saloon 1955

8.00

Set in a tavern, director Tomu Uchida depicts the joys and sorrows of the people who gather there in an experimental style, weaving in a variety of music in this ambitious ensemble drama.

1955

Kenkyō edo-murasaki

Kenkyō edo-murasaki 1954

1

Japanese film released to commemorate the 7th anniversary of Shintoho's founding.

1954

Female Slave Ship

Female Slave Ship 1960

6.00

The year is 1945, months prior to Japan's ultimate defeat in WW2, and military lieutenant Sugawa is sent on a critical mission to deliver micro-fiche war plans to Tokyo from his base in Malaysia. But while flying over Chinese waters his plane is shot down and he is taken aboard a ship bound for Shanghai to deliver its merchandise - a ship filled with Female Slaves kidnapped from Japan. Will he abandon the women to pursue his main objective? Or will he fight foes, spies and pirates to save these women against all odds?

1960

Black Cat Mansion

Black Cat Mansion 1958

6.33

The descendant of the servant of a cruel and vicious samurai returns to the town where she was born, only to find that a cat who is possessed by the spirits of those murdered by the samurai is trying to kill her.

1958

Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War

Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War 1957

1

Meiji Tenno portrays the buildup to the Russo-Japan War. In addition to showing the political events that led to war, it also shows the era from the story of a farm family in rural Japan that sends their son off to war. As such, it could be considered an anti-war movie, showing how, while war is devised by governments, the people do not really understand what war is, and its combatants often do not know what they are fighting for.

1957

Holiday in Japan

Holiday in Japan 1958

1

Japanese comedy film released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Shintoho's founding.

1958

An Inn at Osaka

An Inn at Osaka 1954

7.30

An Inn at Osaka, rarely seen outside Japan, follows the story of an insurance company executive from Tokyo, Mr. Mito, who is demoted to the Osaka office. He takes a room at a small inn and tries to rebuild his life. Notable for its exquisite framing and cinematography, An Inn at Osaka allows its complicated plotlines to disappear behind the minutiae of penury and humiliation that Mito and others suffer during the post-war economic and social reconstruction.

1954