True lovers and connoisseurs of cinema simply cannot ignore the works of such a mysterious, peculiar and rich country like Japan. This country is a true miracle of economic and cultural development, distinguished by its national cinema. Japanese paintings are an original and distinctive phenomenon. On the one hand, they preserve national traditions, on the other hand, due to the integration of cultures, Japanese cinema experiences a significant influence of the Western and American film industry, which is reflected in its aesthetic system.
Tradition and Innovation
Japanese films are especially traditional and at the same time full of new trends. Cinema fans will surely have such names of Japanese directors as Akira Kurosawa, Takeshi Kitano and Hideo Nakata - they are the legends of national cinema. The Japanese films of these iconic directors are famous, loved and easily recognizable. A great many European and American remakes have been created from their work. In order to better know the Land of the Rising Sun and its culture, it is worth revising more films of different genres, it is they who will open the curtain of Japanese cinema.
Japanese fighters
What kind of cinema can do without such spectacular and impressive films as action movies, where heroes fight villains, then cars explode here, buildings collapse and bullets fly!
Watching Japanese action movies should start with a little preparation, after which you plunge headlong into the wonderful world that cinema offers the viewer. Japanese traditions and individual mentality are successfully represented by Gerard Kravchik in the film "Wasabi", in which Jean Reno played the main role in 2001. It is intriguing that the film was shot illegally on the streets, and the actors were attacked by jubilant fans. In the story, Detective Jean Reno travels to Japan, where after the death of his beloved Mako, he will have a part of the inheritance and a daughter, of whom he still did not know anything. But, as you know, big things are happening near big money ...
Zatoichi is a samurai action that describes the events of the 19th century. The film was released in 2003 and recreated the story, at first glance, of an ordinary Japanese man playing dice and peacefully spending his life. In fact, this is a skillful and accurate fighter whose blade is dangerous and beautiful in battle. It is with him that the main character will have to go through many trials and survive in fierce battles.
Youth and classic action
Be sure to watch the 1962 film directed by Masaki Kobayashi "Harakiri". He was awarded a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival and talks about the events of 1639. A samurai from Hiroshima appeared at the gates of the narrator’s house with the clear intention of performing the ceremony, and members of the local clan want to know the truth.
Director Takashi Miike made two films about ordinary boys from high school Crows: The Beginning and Crows: Continued. These youth action movies will appeal to lovers of confrontations and battles, where the struggle is for honor and respect.
Another impressive film by Akira Kurosawa is The Judo Genius, released in 1965. Sansiro Sugata wants to learn jiu-jitsu and gets pulled into the local showdown of martial arts schools. Such plot intrigue is often used in Asian cinema. The majority of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fighters are built on competitions or confrontation of various martial arts schools.
Erotic and exotic
There is much to say about this genre that is quite popular today. The fantasy of Japanese directors has no boundaries, as well as their creative delights, which Japanese viewers offer adult films.
Adults should not let children see the screens when watching the films “Tokyo decadence” (1991) and “Kinoproba” (1999), as well as “Empire of Senses” by Nagisa Oshima (1976), “Kite is a Girl- the killer ”Yasuomi Umetsu (1988) and“ Tokyo Erotica ”by Takahisa Dziedze (2001).
Japanese classic movies
The best Japanese cinema is presented by the works of world famous directors.
The film "Seven Samurai", released in 1954, has become a real black and white classic. Akira Kurosawa recreated the events of the 16th century - the terrible times of civil wars. Devastation, pain, robbery, suffering ... But there are seven courageous samurai who are ready to rally the people and fight back atrocities, albeit at the cost of their own lives.
Liked by many, the drama “Late Spring” was released in 1949. Director Yasujiro Ozu told the story of an elderly man who raised his daughter alone and wished her a happy future. This life drama makes the heart beat faster and exposes the emotions accumulated in the soul, this is really a worthwhile movie. Most Japanese dramas are deliberately, theatrically dramatized.
The anti-war story of a young Japanese man who, by coincidence, was in the midst of military operations of the Second World War on the lands of China, tells Masaki Kobayashi in the movie "Human Destiny" (1959).
One of the greatest films is Yasujiro Ozu’s family drama, Tokyo Story. This is a story about oriental traditions, a subtle description of life and attitude to elders. There is no pathos, here reigns respect and reverence.
The 1963 film "Woman in the Sands" brought its director Hiroshi Tesigahara a special prize in Cannes. This is the story of a young entomologist, a mysterious woman and a strange hut.
Japanese horror movies
The Japanese make great horror films in which everything from music and shadows to the characters themselves is so organic and real that you want to scream in horror and not take your hands from your eyes - the movie is so realistic. Japanese horror films are peculiar, completely unlike thrillers and horror movies of Hollywood and European directors.
In 1998, Hideo Nakata made a special film - “The Bell” - about a popular school horror story, where after watching a strange tape all viewers receive a phone call and hear that they will die soon. That sounds awful, but that is exactly what happens. Everyone dies, while with frozen horror on their faces. We can say that viewing the cassette activates a curse, one can get rid of it only by letting it look to another, thereby passing the curse.
The 2003 feature film Shimizu Takashi's “Curse” is a story about the last minutes of life and the restless soul of a hero who died from a violent death. The ghost avenges and sows death, from his curse there is no salvation. “Curse 2” and “Curse 3” are no less exciting and chilling, a strange aftertaste remains for a long time from viewing them.
The Puppeteer by Yong-ki Zhong is a description of many people's fears. After all, at least once everyone had the thought that they were being watched and watched, which made him dry in his mouth, fettered him, and gave goosebumps on his back. What is behind this? ..
In Lee Wu-Cheola's film “The Cello,” even the music is deadly. An entire family perishes in a closed house, under mysterious circumstances, to the sounds of strange music.
No happy end
Japanese cinema was largely influenced by the national traditional theater. This influence is especially noticeable on projects of the 40-50s, after theatricality disappeared from the video, but contemplation, leisurely and minimalism remained in the dialogs. It is with these epithets that modern cinema can be characterized.
Due to the peculiarities of national color and aesthetics, Japanese films are far from clear to everyone. For the most part, only paintings that are understandable to a person with European thinking fall into the world rental. A distinctive feature of the films of Japanese filmmakers is the lack of a happy climax, most often the main character dies.