Movies from and about Japan Compiled by Gavin Hougham, with tremendous assistance from the ISSHO KIKAKU list members. Remember, we were mostly looking for Western made movies either set in Japan, or with some other Japanese tie that would otherwise probably fall between the cracks of a "normal" film search. The difficulty comes in trying to find movies made by Westerners about (or again, set in) Japan, many of which will not be available on videotape, and many, I hasten to admit, may not portray either our Japanese friends or ourselves in a flattering light. Many of these films would have been made in the immediate post-war years when cultural sensitivity and historical accuracy were not exactly at a premium. For example, when I saw the Marlon Brando film "Sayonarra" with a Japanese friend of mine, we practically gagged during some scenes, but we both enjoyed the film for the period dress and scenery, etc. The other example we discussed was "Walk, Don't Run." Nothing in the title would have suggested the whole thing was filmed in Japan, but there it was, a gem. I have included a couple of movies that are only marginally relevant (Back to the Future, You Only Live Twice), so apologies in advance, but I wanted to make the list as inclusive as possible given our limited time and effort to do much "editorializing." On the other hand, I have not listed all the Kurosawa, Ozu, or Mizoguchi movies, as these are by definition Japanese, and not easily overlooked (but a couple did sneak in). I will send this compilation to the Mensa list; if they are so inclined they can update their compilation with our work and we'll all have a nice resource in one place. Thanks to all who suggested titles and provided valuable information. Hope you find the list helpful, and of course, corrections and emendations are welcome! Domo arigatou gozaimasu. G. Hougham (ghougham@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu) **************************************************************************** ************************** Akira (1990 - J). W: Katsuhiro Otomo. Animal film set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Angel Dust (1997? - J). D: Sogo Ishii, W: Yorozu Ikuta and S. Ishii. "Thriller set in icily futuristic Tokyo. . . . follows investigation into serial killing of several young women, all murdered during rush hour at various stops on a Tokyo commuter line. . . . many coldly gorgeous shots of the lights of Tokyo." (from the review by Stephen Holden in NYT's 1/24/97). Back to the Future (can't remember which of the series). Michael J. Fox goes back to the 1950's and meets the professor there. As he examines something or other out of the future, he pulls out broken or burned out part and proclaims "Made in Japan, no wonder" much to the amazement of young Fox. How the image of Japan has changed. [OK, pretty marginal association] The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958 - US). John Wayne as Townsend Harris - I kid you not. Black Rain (1989). Crime drama with Michael Douglas. Black Rain (1989) D: S. Imamura. Radioactive fallout from A-bomb blast. Blood on the Sun (1945 - US). James Cagney as an American newspaper editor in Tokyo in the 1920s or 30's. Climax is a fight to the death (JC's if I recall) between JC and the Prime Minister of Japan on the Tokyo dockside. All done in the studio, of course. Bridge to the Sun (1961 - US). Carroll Baker, James Shigeta. True story, romantic, set before, during & after Pearl Harbor. Film version of Gwen Terasaki's book. Regarded as somewhat anti-American in its day. Cold Fever (1996). D: Fridrik Thor Fridriksson. Japanese yuppie's pilgrimage across Iceland to perform a ritual that will safeguard the peace of his dead parents' souls. Eerily filmed in Iceland. (reviewed in NYT's 4/8/96) The Crimson Kimono (1959). D: Samuel Fuller. With (I think) James Shigeta, is set not in Japan but in the Japanese-American community in Los Angeles, but is of considerable interest, not least because it's setting was a very unusual one for its time. My recall of it is somewhat shaky - it's 30+ years since I saw it. Two L.A. detectives investigate stripper's murder. Death Ride to Osaka [orig title: Girls of the White Orchid] (1983 - US). TV Movie. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ann Jilian, Ricard Morita. Can hardly wait to see what this is about. Empire of the Sun (1987). D: S. Spielberg. Christian Bale, John Malkovich. >From J.G Ballard's autobiographical novel. The movie chronicles the Japanese occupation of China, the incarceration of foreign nationals in a concentration camp, and events leading up to the their liberation. Young Brit Bale gets a premature education about the world forced on him. Escapade in Japan (1957). Clint Eastwood. Adventure filmed in Japan. The Geisha Boy (1958 - US). Jerry Lewis as a magician with a rabbit that was kinda cute. Some good local scenery. Gung Ho (1986 - US). Micheal Keaton, Gedde Watanabe. Japanese auto company revives flagging US company town. Gung Ho! (1943 - US). Outrageously jingoistic WWII fare. Hell in the Pacific (1968 - US?). Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin stranded on a Pacific island together. Great portrayal of two soldiers struggling to find meaning in isolation. Hiroshima (1995 - Canadian/J.) TV Movie. Account of events leading up to dropping of bomb. Ambitious TVM as told from both sides, in English and Japanese. Hiroshima Maiden (1988). Tamlyn Tomita. 1950's story of prejudice and social pressure. Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959 - Fr/J). D: Alain Resnais, with Okada Eiji and I forget the French actress's name. French actress pairs with Japanese architect. I saw this in Japan many years ago and remember being struck by the fact that when Okada said "Hiroshima" it appeared in the sub-titles in kanji, but when the French actress said "Hiroshima" it appeared in katakana. The first time I came across the phenomenon of foreigners being unable to speak kanji, which I have met many times since. Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990). TV Movie. Tamlyn Tomita, Pat Morita. Aftermath of atomic bomb blast. The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962 - US). Jim Hutten, Paula Prentiss, Miyoshi Umeki. Light WWII service comedy. House of Bamboo (date?) D: Don Siegel. Thriller with Robert Stack, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell and Brad Dexter (who I think were required by some kind of federal law to be cast in at least 50% of US movies between about 1955 and 1963). A gang of Army dropouts, deserters, AWOL & dishonorable discharge types terrorize Japan with the kinds of crimes only Americans [sic] would commit. Incorruptible and untouchable hero sergeant Stack comes to the rescue and wins the girl too. Interesting to see on recent viewing that there is a clear suggestion that Ryan falls in love with Stack and that Mitchell's conduct is in part motivated by his being a rejected lover. Japan in the 1950's. [Incorrectly titled The Bamboo Curtain by some. . .] Ikiru (1952 - J). D: A. Kurosawa. Japanese bureaucrat confronts his own mortality. [I've used the scene where his is "told" he has cancer in classes on cross-cultural medicine.] Japanese War Bride (1952 - US). d. King Vidor. Shirley Yamaguchi, Cameron Mitchell. WWII vets return to the US with their new brides. Karate Kid (1984). With Ralph Maccio, Pat Morita. Karate Kid II (1986). With Tamlyn Tomita et al., this time filmed in a Japanese fishing village. Karate Kid III (1989). More of the same. [Also see, Next Karate Kid (1994), with Hilary Swank in the title role and nice shots in a California Japanese Buddhist monastery] Know Your Enemy - Japan (1945 - US). D: Frank Capra. Made as an "educational" film for the American army. I want to recommend this film very strongly to both Japanese and non-Japanese viewers. This documentary explains, among others, the history of Japan, Shintoism, the Japanese political system, education, and living conditions. As the title suggests it is very biased and has obvious racist overtones that might offend many viewers. Nevertheless, it is not only an example for a "well-made" propaganda film [Cf. Leni Reifenstal in Germany] but also an important historical document that shows us how Japan and its image have changed over the last decades. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (1983 - J/Great Britain). With Beat Takeshi. Life in a Japanese prison camp for Allied soldiers, with large roles played by Japanese actors. A Majority of One (1961). Rosalind Russell & Alec Guiness. Guiness plays a rich Japanese industrialist who woos Russell, more or less. Early trade friction, voluntary export restraint comedy. Russell's son is an early Mickey Kantor. [incorrectly titled Minority of One by some...] Mishima (1985). With a score by Philip Glass. Story of famed novelist and nationalist Yukio Mishima who dramatically killed himself in 1970. Moborosi (1996 -J). D: Hirokazu Koreda. Spiritual odyssey of a young Japanese woman recovering from her husband's suicide. (rev NYT 3/26/96) Mr. Baseball (1992 - US). Tom Selleck as ballplayer shipped to Japanese team who must learn much to fit in and win the girl. My Geisha (1962 -US). Shirley MacClain, Yves Montand. Lots of "atmosphere." See MacClain dance in kimono and wig. Notebook on Cities and Clothes (1990 - Germany) D: Wim Wenders. Free form visual diary of Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto Penny Serenade (1941). Cary Grant, Irene Dunn. Brief interlude set in Japan (done in the studio), which includes an earthquake. . . Red Sun (1972 - Ital/Fr/Span). Mifune Toshiro, Charles Bronson, Ursela Andress, Alain Delon. Mifune as a Japanese samurai (ronin?) searching for family sword, who gets embroiled with cowboy Bronson while travelling through the American Southwest. Strange to see Mifune out of his element; his talents are largely wasted foiling for Bronson, but worth seeing. Rising Sun (1993 - US). Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Tia Carrere. Michael Crichton's flawed story of intrigue in a Japanese corporation, set in L.A. Roujin-Z (1995 - J). D: Hiroyuki Kitakubo; W: Katsuhiro Otomo. Not exactly "anime," but an animated film that satirizes high tech geriatric care in the future. (rev NYT 1/8/96). Samurai Cowboy (1993 - Can). Hiromigo Go, Catherine May Stewart. Stressed-out sarariiman buys a dude-ranch in Montana. Like City Slickers, but with Jse-US cultural misunderstandings on top of the urban-rural polarity. Sayonarra (1957 - US). Miyoshi Umeki. Marlon Brando finds love in occupied Japan. [Cf. Umeki's "good girl" role against Nancy Kwan in Rogers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song (1962). Chinese arranged marriage tale.] Seven Nights in Japan (1976). With Michael York as a Prince of Wales-type going AWOL, falling in love, and finally doing the honorable thing. Stopover Tokyo (1957). With Joan Collins & Robert Wagner. Spy tale filmed in Japan, but with Joan Collins and Robert Wagner, don't expect miracles. Cinemascope. Teahouse of the August Moon (1956). Marlon Brando plays Okinawan interpreter in post-war Japan. Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944 - US). Van Johnson, Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum. WWII action flick depicts first air raids on Tokyo. Academy Award (I think) for effects, but not filmed in Japan. Tokyo After Dark (1959 - US). Richard Long on the lam in Tokyo from unintentional homicide. Tokyo Decadence (1992 - J). D/W: Ryu Murakami. Depressing life of Tokyo S/M call girl Miko Nikaido. Not for the squeamish. Tokyo Joe (1949 - US). With Sessue Hayakawa and Humphrey Bogart. Not quite Casablanca, but Bogart will always be Bogart. American in post war Tokyo into smuggling to help ex-wife and child. Tokyo Olympiad. (1966 - J). D: Kon Ichikawa. Brilliant documentary of 1964 Olympics. At least two versions out. See the original 170m version, with minimal narration. Cinema verite masterpiece. Tokyo Pop (1988). New York punker Carrie Hamilton flies to Tokyo. Good on atmospherics. Tokyo Rose (1945 - US). Drama about famous female radio propagandist for the Axis during WWII. [Local Chicago lore has it that her children (?) relocated here and opened a large dry goods import store under the name of Toguri, which in 1997 is still a thriving business.] Walk, Don't Run (1966 - US). Cary Grant, Samantha Eggers. Very light romantic comedy, complete fluffery, but it was set in Tokyo and had some wonderful shots of Japanese street life and the Olympics. [A remake, by the way, of a comedy set in Washington, DC in wartime: The More the Merrier (1943), with Joel McCrea, Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn.] The Yakuza (1975 - US). D: Sidney Pollack. Robert Mitchum. Action in Japan; almost makes the Yakuza sound pretty honorable. Mitchum cuts off his own finger and loses the girl. You Only Live Twice (1967). Sean Connery. Akiko Wakabayashi. Tetsuro Tamba. Mie Hama. James Bond movie largely set in Japan, with plenty of misogynistic "Bond girl" moments. TITLES?: [Failed to find a title for only one of the many films mentioned with no title: ] The first film is a black-and-white horror movie from around 1960. I'm afraid I forgot the title but if someone else knows it please let us know. The film tells the story of an American businessman who lives with his wife in Japan. He gets involved with a mad Japanese scientist who is engaged in genetic experiments that have turned his own sister into a monster. With the help of his beautiful female assistant the scientist uses the American as a subject for his experiments. He poisons him with an unknown substance which leads to a change in the businessman's personality and causes a second head to grow out of his shoulder... As a horror movie the film is not particularly stimulating but you might find it interesting because of its references to Japanese culture as seen from a Western point of view. I remember for example one scene in which public baths are explained almost in a scholarly tone.