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Ikiru
is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written (with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni) by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. The screenplay was partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella ''The Death of Ivan Ilyich''. The major themes of the film include learning how to live, the inefficiency of bureaucracy, and decaying family life in Japan, which have been the subject of analysis by academics and critics. ''Ikiru'' has received widespread critical acclaim, and won awards for Best Film at the Kinema Junpo and Mainichi Film Awards. It was remade as a television film in 2007. Plot Kanji Watanabe has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for thirty years and is near his retirement. His wife is dead and his son and daughter-in-law, who live with him, seem to care mainly about Watanabe's pension and their future inheritance. At work, he's a party t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film '' Sanshiro Sugata''. After the war, the critically acclaimed '' Drunken Angel'' (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. ''Rashomon'' (1950), which premiered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takashi Shimura
was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He appeared in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films (more than any other actor), including as a lead actor in '' Drunken Angel'' (1948), ''Rashomon'' (1950), ''Ikiru'' (1952) and ''Seven Samurai'' (1954). He played Professor Kyohei Yamane in Ishirō Honda's original ''Godzilla'' (1954). For his contributions to the arts, the Japanese government decorated Shimura with the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1974 and the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette in 1980. Early life Shimura was born in Ikuno, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. His birth-name was Shimazaki Shōji (島崎捷爾). His forebears were members of the samurai class: in 1868 his grandfather took part in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi during the Boshin War. Shimura entered Ikuno Primary School in 1911 and Kobe First Middle School in 1917. He missed two years of schooling because of a mild case of tuberculosis, and subsequently moved to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gondola No Uta
is a 1915 romantic balladDamian Cox and Michael Levine, "Looking for Meaning in All the Wrong Places: ''Ikiru'' (''To Live'')," ''Thinking Through Film: Doing Philosophy, Watching Movies'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. that was popular in Taishō period Japan. Lyrics were written by Isamu Yoshii, melody by Shinpei Nakayama. The lyrics of the song are presented as the advice of an experienced individual to younger souls regarding the fleeting nature of youth and the caution against missing the opportunities of youth when they are available and before they have passed with growing age. Lyrics Lyrics in Kanji and Hiragana: いのち短し恋せよ少女 朱き唇褪せぬ間に 熱き血潮の冷えぬ間に 明日の月日のないものを いのち短し恋せよ少女 いざ手をとりて彼の舟に いざ燃ゆる頬を君が頬に ここには誰れも来ぬものを いのち短し恋せよ少女 波に漂う舟の様に 君が柔手を我が肩に ここには人目も� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bokuzen Hidari
was a Japanese actor and comedian born in Kotesashi Village (now part of Tokorozawa), Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Lower Depths'' and ''Ikiru''. Hidari was famous among Japanese audiences for his portrayals of meek, downtrodden men, and although a teetotaller, was renowned for his convincing drunk scenes (see esp. "Ikiru is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written (with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni) by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. T ..."). Filmography References External links * 1894 births 1971 deaths People from Tokorozawa, Saitama Japanese male film actors {{Japan-film-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hideo Oguni
was a Japanese writer who wrote over 100 screenplays. He is best known for co-writing screenplays for a number of films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including '' Ikiru'', ''The Seven Samurai'', ''Throne of Blood'' and '' The Hidden Fortress''. His first film with Kurosawa was ''Ikiru'', and according to film professor Catherine Russell, it was Oguni who devised that film's two-part structure. Film critic Donald Richie regarded him as the "humanist" among Kurosawa's writers. In 2013, Oguni and frequent screenwriting collaborators Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Ryūzō Kikushima were awarded the Jean Renoir Award by the Writers Guild of America West. Writing credits other than for Kurosawa films include Heinosuke Gosho's '' Where Chimneys Are Seen'' in 1953, Koji Shima's '' Warning from Space'' in 1956, Bin Kato's '' Heiji Zenigata: Chase the Demon Lantern'' in 1958, '' Tora! Tora! Tora!'', and Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker best remembered for the Academy Aw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamatari Fujiwara
was a Japanese actor. Fujiwara worked regularly and extensively with Akira Kurosawa, and was known for both being adept at comic acting, as well as being able to take on serious roles. Early life and career Early life Fujiwara was born on January 15, 1905, in Tokyo, Japan. Fujiwara's parents ran a printing business. The business did not go well, so at the age of 10, Fujiwara started working at a local confectionery store. By the age of 14 he had started selling timber for building and manufacturing in Shizuoka prefecture. A year later he returned to Tokyo to study as a pharmacist. Asakusa Opera Movement The Movement was started in 1916, and was part of the mass culture of the time. By the 1920s it had become very popular. His early life focused initially focussed on music, before he was known as a comic actor Perhaps inspired by this, Fujiwara enrolled at the Takinoga actor/martial arts school. Following graduation, he approached actor Kenzo Kuroki at Asakisa's kinrukan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinobu Hashimoto
Shinobu Hashimoto ( ja, 橋本 忍, ''Hashimoto Shinobu''; 18 April 1918 – 19 July 2018) was a Japanese screenwriter, film director and producer. A frequent collaborator of Akira Kurosawa, he wrote the scripts for such internationally acclaimed films as ''Rashomon'' and ''Seven Samurai''. Early life Shinobu Hashimoto was born in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan on 18 April 1918. In 1938 he enlisted in the army, but became ill with tuberculosis while still training and spent four years in a veterans' sanitarium. Career While hospitalized, another patient gave Hashimoto a film magazine. The magazine sparked his interest in screenwriting and he began a screenplay about his army experience, spending three years on the project. Hashimoto was a frequent collaborator with Akira Kurosawa, from 1950 to 1970 writing eight screenplays Kurosawa directed. He often worked with Hideo Oguni, Ryūzō Kikushima as well as Kurosawa himself on the scripts for those projects. Hashimoto won num ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobuo Nakamura
was a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles in the West were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's ''Ikiru'' (1952), and the hairdresser's henpecked husband in Ozu's ''Tokyo Story'' (1953). Nakamura was also famous for many notable contributions to Japanese modern theatre. In 1937, he founded the Bungakuza company along with Haruko Sugimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Masayuki Mori. Nakamura played Polonius in ''Hamlet'', Herod in Wilde's '' Salome'', Aleksandr Vladimirovich Serebryakov in Chekov's ''Uncle Vanya'', and Krapp in ''Krapp's Last Tape''. He also appeared in '' Macbeth'', ''The Merchant of Venice'', and ''The Cherry Orchard'' . In the 1950s and 1960s, he played major roles in Yukio Mishima's plays such as '' Rokumeikan'', '' My Friend Hitler'', and so on. In 1963, Nakamura left Bungakuza company and founded the NLT company with Mishima. His most famous a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yūnosuke Itō
was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1947 to 1979. Career Itō made his film debut at Toho in 1946, and although mostly a prominent supporting actor—playing memorable figures such as the novelist in Akira Kurosawa's ''Ikiru''—he also was cast in leading roles such as Kon Ichikawa's '' Mr. Pu''. He is acclaimed as "one of the...extremely talented character actors who populated Japanese movies in Shōwa_era.html"_;"title="he_Shōwa_era">Shōwaera,_playing_a_broad_range_of_roles." Itō_received_the_1962_Blue_Ribbon_Awards_for_Best_Supporting_Actor.html" "title="Shōwa_era">Shōwa.html" ;"title="Shōwa_era.html" ;"title="he Shōwa era">Shōwa">Shōwa_era.html" ;"title="he Shōwa era">Shōwaera, playing a broad range of roles." Itō received the 1962 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actor">Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actor for his dual role in the seminal ninja film ''Shinobi no Mono''. Film scholar Stuart Galbraith IV has not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobuo Kaneko
was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1950 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is especially known for his role as Yoshio Yamamori in the ''Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' series. Kaneko started his acting career at the Bungakuza theater troupe in 1946. His film debut was in the 1946 film ''Urashimano Kōei''. In 1952, he appeared in the Akira Kurosawa film ''Ikiru''. He signed his contract with Nikkatsu film company in 1955 and he often played villains in action films. He was the host of a cooking program ''Kaneko Nobuo no Tanoshi Yushoku'' from 1987 to 1995 on TV Asahi. Selected filmography Film * ''Urashimano Kōei'' (1946) * ''Ikiru'' (1952) - Mitsuo Watanabe * ''The Garden of Women'' (1954) - Kihei Hirato * '' Sound of the Mountain'' (1954) * ''Floating Clouds'' (1955) * '' A Hole of My Own Making'' (1955) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toho
is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer and distributor of many ''kaiju'' and ''tokusatsu'' films, the Chouseishin ''tokusatsu'' superhero television franchise, the films of Akira Kurosawa, and the anime films of Studio Ghibli, CoMix Wave Films, TMS Entertainment and OLM, Inc. All nine of the highest-grossing Japanese films are released by Toho. Other famous directors, including Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Masaki Kobayashi, and Mikio Naruse, also directed films for Toho. Toho's most famous creation is Godzilla, who is featured in 32 of the company's films. Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla are described as Toho's Big Five because of the monsters' numerous appearances throughout the franchise, as well as spin-offs. Toho has also been involve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noriko Honma
Noriko Honma (本間文子 ''Honma Noriko'') (29 November 1911 – 12 April 2009) was a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s. She was born in Hokkaido. She worked in many of Akira Kurosawa's films, first appearing in Kurosawa's '' Stray Dog'', then in '' Rashomon'' as the Miko, also in '' Ikiru'', ''The Seven Samurai'', ''Akahige'', and ''Dreams''. Noriko died in April 2009 at the age of 97. Partial filmography *'' Tsuzurikata Kyoshitsu'' (1938) - Mrs. Tanno *'' The Whole Family Works'' (1939) - Mrs. Ishimura *'' Stray Dog'' (1949) - Woman of wooden tub shop *''Sasameyuki'' (1950) - Itakura's mother *'' Rashomon'' (1950) - Medium *''Mizuiro no waltz'' (1952) - Ms. Ômachi *''Atakake no hitobito'' (1952) *''Mother'' (1952) - Mino Hirai *'' Ikiru'' (1952) - Housewife *''Fûfu'' (1953) *'' Where Chimneys Are Seen'' (1953) *'' Tsuma'' (1953) *'' Haha to Musume'' (1953) *'' Botchan'' (1953) - Uranari's mother *''Ani imôto'' (1953) *'' Amongst the Gir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
