Videoteca

publicJP

The Cold-Hearted Sea 1984
A film adaptation of the novel of the same title written by Hiroshi Hatayama (畑山博).

Fireflies in the North 1984 star_border 5.3
Set in the icy wilderness of Hokkaido during the early days of the Meiji era, where the brutal warden of Kabato Prison terrorizes convicts sentenced to forced labor to build the roads needed to open up the territory.

The Geisha 1983 star_border 6.4
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles - between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza. Momokawa was sold to Yokiro at age 12, and despite being the top geisha, her many complicated relationships provide unending challenges throughout her glamorous but turbulent life.

The Legend of Sayo 1982 star_border 6.3
Sayo has just celebrated her sixteenth birthday when she attends a temple festival. On her way back she sees a large cherry tree which is infamous for the legend of dead white horse. When her fiancé returns from war and visits her he comes across a white horse which he takes in. The man also does not see himself engaged anymore as his family has lost its wealth.

Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather 1982 star_border 6.3
Onimasa is the egocentric boss of a small yakuza clan on Shikoku Island, whose criminal duties conflict with his self-image as a chivalrous samurai. His struggles with his boss, the Shikoku Godfather, and the tumultuous life of his adopted daughter, Matsue, form the backdrop of this epic tale of justice, obedience, and bloody vengeance.

Willful Murder 1981 star_border 7.3
The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?

Magistrate of the Floating World 1981 star_border 6
Kodaira Mochizuki has come from Edo to keep Horisoto secure.

Gassan 1979
Akira leaves for the Mt. Gassan foothills before winter's onset, visiting the local temple and interacting with the residents all while falling for fair Fumiko.

Love and Separation in Sri Lanka 1976
A Japanese businessman is sent to Sri Lanka and meets a beautiful Japanese woman with a past. They befriend an old Japanese-Indian widow who has an estranged son in Japan.

Cape of the North 1976
A Swiss nun falls in love with a Japanese engineer.

Sandakan No. 8 1974 star_border 7.6
A young journalist interviews an elderly woman about being forced into prostitution in Borneo at a brothel called Sandakan No. 8.

The Fossil 1974 star_border 6.8
An industrialist is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is on a trip to Europe at the time, and a glimpse of a Japanese woman in that setting causes him to fantasize about her as the personification of his impending death. As his dialogue with his imagined mortality continues, he actually meets the living woman who is the template for his fantasy, and together they tour rural churches. Gradually he comes to some kind of peace about the diagnosis. When he returns to Japan, he is met with a series of challenges which profoundly test the lessons he has learned.

Inn of Evil 1971 star_border 6.3
The story takes place in feudal Japan, when any commerce with the rest of the world was strictly prohibited. An idealist suddenly appears in an isolated inn (the one that the title refers to), the head-quarters of a group of smugglers, with stolen money intended to ransom his loved one who is forced to work in a brothel.

Man on a False Flight 1971 star_border 5.5
The clerk of a trading company happens to have a large sum of money from his company in his possession. His girlfriend pressures him into fleeing with the money...

Detective Story: A Brother's Rule 1971
Iwabuchi of the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division cooperates with Kubo of the Foreign Affairs Division in re-investigating the case of a foreign drug addict's death at the request of Kubo.

Banner of the Young 1970
The final part of the trilogy. It is about a younger brother, Suekichi. He learned well the lessons that life taught his older brothers. Therefore, he does not think to study, but strives for material well-being alone. To make a career, he ruthlessly pushes his colleagues with his elbows. For him, the high ideals of trade union activists Jiro and Saburo are an example of old-fashioned thinking, naive behavior.

Momi no Ki wa Nokotta: Ranshin 1983
A human drama based on the "Date Riots".