Etsuko Ichihara Movies
Veteran filmmaker and perennial iconoclast Shohei Imamura directs this darkly comic tale about love, redemption, and a man's beloved pet eel. The film opens with Takuro Yamashita (Koji Yakusho), a seemingly normal salaryman, learning that his wife might be having an affair. When he catches the couple in flaganto delicto, he freaks out and brutally stabs them both to death. Eight years later, Yamashita is released on parole into the care of a Buddhist priest living in rural Chiba prefecture. Far away from his former life, yet still plagued with memories of his crime, Yamashita decides to start anew by opening a barbershop on a quiet road next to a canal. Though inward looking and self-conscious, he eventually befriends a bumptious but good-hearted day laborer, and a construction worker who's obsessed with UFOs. His most fateful encounter though is with a woman named Keiko (Misa Shimizu), who he discovers unconscious following a suicide attempt. Looking to put a few of her own demons to bed, Keiko decides to stay in this sleepy corner of Japan and help her savior with his barbershop. Initially against the idea -- she bears a striking resemblance to his dead spouse -- he eventually agrees and even grows to like having her around. This film won the Grand Prix at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, (more)
The title refers to the radioactive fallout which descended upon ruined city of Hiroshima after the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Young bride-to-be Yoshiko Tanaka has the misfortune to be visiting Hiroshima on the day of the explosion. Incredibly, she is unhurt; she returns to her own village, across the bay from Hiroshima. Unfortunately, her townsmen have been profoundly affected by the "black rain"; over the next five years, the poison in their systems slowly but surely erodes their souls. In a tragic state of denial, Yoshiko's former friends insist that they can't be sick-it must be the girl who is bringing sickness to them. Now a pariah, Yoshiko's life is shattered as surely as if the bomb had disintegrated her upon impact. Director Shohei Imamaura, a onetime assistant to the great Ozu and the director of such Japanese classics as The Insect Woman and The Ballad of Narayama, never sensationalizes his material; the story is effective told in a muted, subdued fashion, allowing the horror to arise from the inner torment of the characters rather than being artificially imposed by camera trickery or "shock" cutting. Based on a novel by Masuji Ibuse, the black-and-white Black Rain won the Japanese equivalent of the Academy Award, along with several other honors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yoshiko Tanaka, Kazuo Kitamura, (more)
- 1977
Well-known actor Kazuhiko Hasegawa makes his first bow as a director in this film, which tells the story of Jun (Yutaka Mizutani), a young man who has endured an enormous amount of disappointment and frustration at the hands of his parents, despite their apparent love for him. Though they prevented him from going far with his schooling, they have set him up with a business (a snack bar) of his own. However, when they forbid him to have a serious affair with a girl who works for him, he goes somewhat berserk and knifes his father to death. His mother comes upon the bloody scene, and her confused and hysterical response is to try to kill him, but he kills her instead. Filled with remorse, he disposes of the bodies but cannot lay his guilt to rest. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryohei Uchida
A father and son prepare to die for their beliefs in this historical drama set in 18th century Japan. While Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) has been loyal to Japan's feudal system all his life, his beliefs begin to change when the local rulers demand that his son Yogoro (Go Kato) give up his bride, who has bore a child that will come to power upon the death of the current ruler. Yogoro dearly loves his wife, and Isaburo respects his daughter-in-law and does not want to be separated from his grandson. When Yogoro refuses to part with his wife and child, he and Isaburo are ordered to kill themselves. They refuse and instead challenge the forces of the feudal leaders to a fight to the death. Director Masaki Kobayashi's work on this film earned him the FIPRESCI Award at the 1967 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toshiro Mifune, Go Kato, (more)
- 1966
Bearing traces of both Frankenstein and the 1959 Georges Franju horror classic Eyes without a Face, the Japanese The Face of Another is a disturbing Japanese drama featuring Tatsuya Nakadai. His face horribly disfigured in an accident, Nakadai, a wealthy industrialist, commissions a special mask from a renowned plastic surgeon. Nakadai's wife fails to recognize her husband and makes advances to him, which effectively destroys their relationship. Driven insane, Nakadai turns to murder to compensate for the loss of his identity. The melodramatic elements of the film are neatly blended with moments of erotica and generous doses of existential philosophy. The Face of Another is another thought-provoking "documentary fantasy" from the director of the cult classic Woman in the Dunes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyo, (more)
- 1957
The Japanese Snow Country weaves a simple but deeply involving tale of a painter and the woman he loves. The painter falls hard for his latest subject, a beautiful geisha girl. Unfortunately, their relationship is compromised by the well-meaning intrusions of his family and friends. Like many of director Shiro Toyoda's best films, Snow Country takes a gentle, almost humorous squint at the question of individuality vs. conformity. The provincialism of the characters is emphasized by the vast expanses of snowy wastes surrounding the village where the story takes place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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