The Bad Sleep Well 1960  N/R, 135 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Thriller
aka: The Rose in the Mud
The Worse You Are, the Better You Sleep
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Takeshi Kato, Takashi Shimura, Ko Nishimura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kyoko Kagawa, Chishu Ryu, Seiji Miyaguchi, Koji Mitsui, Ken Mitsuda, Nobuo Nakamura, Susumu Fujita, Koji Nambara
This indictment of the Japanese approach to business emphasizes the corruption at high levels through the story of Kiochi Nishi (Toshiro Mifune) who marries his boss Iwabuchi's (Masayuki Mori) daughter, Kieko (Kyoko Kagawa), to avenge his father's suicide, which can be traced back to Iwabuchi. But, as Kiochi plots revenge against Iwabuchi, Kiochi falls in love with Kieko just as Iwabuchi realizes who Kiochi really is.
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Floating Weeds 1959  N/R, 119 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: Ukigusa
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Cast: Ganjiro Nakamura, Machiko Kyo, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Haruko Sugimura, Ayako Wakao, Koji Mitsui, Hitomi Nozoe, Chishu Ryu, Haruo Tanaka, Yosuke Irie, Hikaru Hoshi, Mantaro Ushio, Kumeko Urabe, Toyoko Takahashi, Mutsuko Sakura
Komajuro (Ganjiro Nakamura) is a "floating weed"–the Japanese term for an itinerant actor–whose acting troupe is not headed for success. When the company arrives in a fishing village, Komajuro visits his ex-mistress, Kiyoshi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi), who happens to be the mother of Komajuro's grown son. Although he has never acknowledged his parentage, events transpire that bring Komajuro to the brink of telling the truth in this film about parents and children and just living life.
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The Hidden Fortress 1958 N/R, 139 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action / Comedy / Adventure
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Susumu Fujita, Takashi Shimura, Eiko Miyoshi, Kichijiro Ueda, Koji Mitsui, Toshiko Higuchi, Ikio Sawamura, Tadao Nakamaru, Rinsaku Ogata
The plot for this Japanese film effort influenced George Lucas in his "Star Wars" productions. Taking place in the 1500s, this is the story of two peasants caught up in an attempt by a general and a princess to flee the area in the midst of civil war.
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Woman in the Dunes 1964  N/R, 123 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara
Cast: Eiji Okada, Kyoko Kishida, Koji Mitsui, Hiroko Ito, Sen Yano, Ginzo Sekigushi
After missing his bus, a scientist (Eiji Okada) is offered a ride to town by locals who have chosen him to be the mate of a woman living in a sandpit. After being lowered into the pit, he discovers that he is trapped, but he philosophically accepts his fate. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film and Director.
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| 1. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
aka: The Rose in the Mud
aka: The Worse You Are, the Better You Sleep
2. Floating Weeds (1959)
aka: Ukigusa
3. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
4. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
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