So Yamamura Movies

Somewhat reminiscent of The Incredible Journey and Milo and Otis -- though much harsher in its approach -- Antarctica focusses in on a team of sled dogs, owned by a team of snowbound Japanese researchers. A relief team is long overdue, forcing the dogs to fend for themselves. Eight of the dogs break free from their chains, roaming the Antarctic wastes in search of food and shelter. Only two of the dogs survive the ordeal, indication enough that this film is not specifically designed for the family trade. Based on a true story, Antarctica was a box-office smash in Japan, though this success was not repeated when the film was distributed internationally. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This speculative drama's original name, Prophecies of Nostradamus is perhaps more descriptive of the subject. Set in the year 1999, this feature dramatizes the events predicted by the great French seer. Disasters depicted included severely polluted air and water, crazed adults, war, and natural disasters. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This 25-million dollar epic collaboration accurately recreates the events that led to the Japanese attack on the American naval base during World War II. With Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the wheels are set in motion by Japan to plan the attack. After internal differences in the government, the Japanese quickly mobilize plans for the assault. Key American personnel ignored warnings of the possibility of Japanese aggression. The first part of the film divides scenes from both countries. Part two contains spectacular battle scenes of the bombing that destroyed the American naval base of operations in Hawaii. Governmental errors on both sides add to the confusion, but the Japanese ultimately carry out the deadly mission. The film did well in Japan, did not do well in the he United States, and took years to make back the production costs. It remains an insightful and well crafted World War II action drama that was the result of years of negotiations between the two countries. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this Japanese romance, a middle-aged divorcee eases her loneliness with a much-younger male prostitute and falls in love with him. He seems to fall for her too, and they move in together. Things go well, until he meets the lovely daughter of one of her friends. The fellow falls head-over-heels and proposes to the young woman. The poor divorcee decides to get revenge and so takes some nasty photographs of him and threatens to show his new love if he doesn't leave her. The young man becomes terribly upset and nearly goes mad with grief. Eventually the older woman realizes that she is wrong for harming him and gets rid of the photos. She then goes back to her lonely former life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A simple country doctor faithfully takes care of residents in his small village. He feels his lifetime of devotion to his patients has been negated in wake of modern medical advancements. When typhoid fever spreads through the farm community, he sadly observes the superstition and ignorance that accompanies the thoughts of the afflicted. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Takashi Fujiki stars as a rebel in this drama about life on the Yokohama waterfront by New Wave director Masahiro Shinoda. The rebel works as an errand boy for a shipping company and vents his frustrations by plucking on the guitar. His interpretations of popular trends in music are sometimes right-on, and sometimes not exactly. Bereft of his guitar, the rebel's modes of expression are not as effective in generating interest as the Yokohama docks themselves, a fascinating world in their own right. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Director Masaki Kobayashi uses the sharpest-edged knife in this cutting indictment of selfishness, greed, and the competition for the wealth of a dying man. A moribund business tycoon expresses his desire to finally see his three illegitimate children before he dies, but his wife blocks his request. She has no intention of letting some sentimental final meeting take away any of her due as wife and companion. Meanwhile, the sick man's secretary is brought into the picture when he decides to write her up as his mistress -- and thereby make her an heir to his fortune. Things go from bad to worse as the man approaches death and those around him struggle to keep their hand in his pot of gold. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Originally titled Ningen No Joken, No Greater Love is the first of Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi's Human Condition trilogy. Drawing from his own experiences, Kobayashi weaves the tale of a Japanese pacifist, trying to get by as best he can during World War II. Tatsuya Nakadai plays the leading role of a mine supervisor, whose kindly treatment of POW laborers incurs the wrath of his superiors. As the war in the Pacific rages on, Japan begins suffering heavy losses and military humiliations, yet still Nakadai adheres to his principles. Ultimately overwhelmed by events, Nakadai is horribly mistreated by the powers-that-be, then ordered to don a uniform and fight for his country. Originally released at 200 minutes, No Greater Love was followed in 1961 by the first of two sequels, Road to Eternity (see entry 23819) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As Yasujiro Ozu's final black-and-white picture, the 1957 Tokyo Twilight explores the emotional landscapes and nuances within a strained Japanese family. Two daughters - Akiko (Ineko Arima) and Takako (Setsuko Hara) - grew up under the sold guardianship of their father, Mr. Sugiyama (Chishu Ryu) after their mother walked out on the family. This created serious psychological problems for both young women that extended well into adulthood: Akiko now spends all of her free time haunting bars and pachinko parlors, looking for her boyfriend, while Takako withdraws from a severely dysfunctional relationship with her alcoholic husband, by whom she has one daughter. In time, Akiko meets a woman who claims to know her as an acquaintance from their childhood neighborhood, and senses that the lady might actually be her mother. This film ventures into slightly darker psychodramatic territory than much of Ozu's work, by courageously dramatizing and exploring issues such as maternal abandonment, broken families and substance abuse. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi