Uncategorized

Kinoshita’s Blu-Ray and DVD released

Let’s Toast the Young Lady (お嬢さん乾杯, 1949) To commemorate his 100th anniversary, Shochiku announced the release of Keisuke Kinoshita’s works on Blu-ray and DVD later this month. Blu-ray Twenty-Four Eyes (二十四の瞳, 1954) Carmen Comes Home (カルメン故郷に帰る, 1952) The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, 1958) DVD Twenty-Four Eyes (二十四の瞳, 1954) Carmen Comes Home (カルメン故郷に帰る, 1952) My First Love Affair (野菊のごとき君なりき, 1955) The Lighthouse (喜びも悲しみも幾歳月, 1957) The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, 1958) The River Fuefuki (笛吹川, 1960) Tragedy of Japan (日本の悲劇, 1953) The Garden of Women (女の園, 1954) Broken Drum (破れ太鼓, 1949) Let’s Toast the Young Lady (お嬢さん乾杯, 1949) The Army (陸軍, 1944) …

 
JAPANESE FILMS

Mistresses and Lovers

This is part seven of “Films of 1949” series (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). Though Imai’s “Green Mountain” captured the new spirit of the time, liberation from old era, the year 1949 was also at the entrance into another long turmoil; the Cold War. Joseph McCarthy gave his “Wheeling Speech” in February of 1950. Korean War also broke out in 1950. Yes, U.S. was also heading for the dark age. Inevitably, U.S. policy toward Japanese democracy quickly shifted to that of anti-communist.

 
Uncategorized

Keiko Tsushima (1926 – 2012)

Keiko Tshushima, a Japanese actress starred in many films and TV during 1950’s to 2000’s, died of cancer on August 1. She was 86. Tsushima is probably best known for her role of Shino in Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai”, which is considered one of the masterpieces among Japanese cinema. Other works include, Ozu’s “The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice”, Yoshimura’s “The Ball at the Anjo House” and Imai’s “Himeyuri Lily Tower”. She married Ichio Mori, the son of Iwao Mori, the executive at Toho cinema in 1958. Around this time, she started to appear in Japanese TV dramas more …

  / /