FanFare

[TRAILER] In feudal Japan, Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka), the daughter of royal samurai Shinzaemon (Ichiro Sugai), secretly has a passionate romance with Katsunosuke (Toshirô Mifune), a man with a meager social standing. When the couple is found out, the law comes down hard on this breach of class: Katsunosuke is put to death and Oharu and her family are banished from the kingdom. Destitute and disgraced, Shinzaemon sells Oharu into prostitution, and she spends years searching for love. aka Saikaku ichidai onna [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 17, 2023 - 1 comment

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, residents of California descend into a wild panic, afraid that they might be the next target. Among them are Wild Bill Kelso (John Belushi), a crazed National Guard pilot; Sgt. Frank Tree (Dan Aykroyd), a patriotic, straight-laced tank crew commander; Ward Douglas (Ned Beatty), a civilian willing to help with the American war effort at any cost; and Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell (Robert Stack), who tries his hardest to maintain sanity amid the chaos. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Feb 2, 2023 - 8 comments

Against a backdrop of political intrigue, a sociopath samurai leaves a trail of bodies and vendettas in his wake. [more inside]
posted by Stuka on Oct 17, 2022 - 2 comments

Japanese peasants Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) and Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) try and fail to make a profit from a tribal war. They find a man and woman whom they believe are simple tribe members hiding in a fortress. Although the peasants don't know that Rokurota (Toshirô Mifune) is a general and Yuki (Misa Uehara) is a princess, the peasants agree to accompany the pair to safety in return for gold. Along the way, the general must prove his expertise in battle while also hiding his identity. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 1, 2022 - 7 comments

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back. [more inside]
posted by sapagan on Apr 21, 2021 - 0 comments

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view [content warning]. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb on Jul 14, 2018 - 4 comments

A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb on Jun 18, 2018 - 4 comments

An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb on May 2, 2016 - 4 comments

A village of farmers hires seven masterless samurai to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. Available to stream commercial-free to Hulu subscribers here; the film is also available for rent from iTunes, Amazon, and YouTube. [more inside]
posted by Ian A.T. on Jul 13, 2015 - 18 comments