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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The Idiot 1951  N/R, 166 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Masayuki Mori, Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, Takashi Shimura, Yoshiko Kuga, Chieko Higashiyama, Eijiro Yanagi, Minoru Chiaki, Chiyoko Fumiya, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Mitsuyo Akashi
Akira Kurosawa was a fan of Dostoyevsky and brought his version of the story to the screen. However, the transition from Russian culture to Japanese was not entirely successful. A man returning from a war is branded an idiot due to epilepsy. Love triangles ensue with tragic results.
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Rashomon 1950  N/R, 88 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Machiko Kyo, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Fumiko Honma, Daisuke Kato
This great philosophical story is built around a murder. Told in flashbacks, the key is the constructive memories of those who were part of the incident. At the end, it is impossible to tell who told the true story because each person saw it from only one point of view. The film was presented an Honorary Academy Award (for 1951) as Best Foreign Film.
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Ugetsu 1953  N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Cast: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sakae Ozawa, Mitsuko Mito, Kikue Mori, Ryosuke Kagawa, Sugisaku Aoyama
Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) are lowly potters in 16th-century Japan. Both decide to pursue their dreams: Genjuro heads to the city to get rich and is taken in by a noblewoman, and Tobei becomes a samurai warrior. The wives, who were left behind, have their own dreams. The sights, sounds, and mix of fantasy and realism combine to make this a an excellent film.
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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. The Idiot (1951)
3. Rashomon (1950)
4. Ugetsu (1953)
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