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 Burmese Harp 1956  N/R, 118 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Cast: Shoji Yasui, Rentaro Mikuni, Tanie Kitabayashi, Tatsuya Mihashi, Yunosuke Ito, Takeo Naito, Ko Nishimura
In the summer of 1943 Japan is losing the war when Pvt. Misushima (Shoji Yasui) is sent to convince a group of mountain fighters to surrender. They do not listen, the attack begins, and Misushima is the soul survivor. A Buddhist monk finds and takes care of him. Now, disguised as a Buddhist monk, Misushima buries the dead. With this act, he is changed forever and will enter the life of prayer as a monk.
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 Dolls 2002 N/R, 113 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Cast: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Chieko Matsubara, Kyoko Fukada, Tsutomu Takeshige, Kayoko Kishimoto, Kanji Tsuda, Yuuko Daike, Ren Osugi
Three stories about obsessive love intertwine in this film, which is modeled in the manner of the traditional, 300-year-old Buhraku doll theater performances that are loaded with symbolism.
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High and Low 1963 N/R, 143 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Thriller
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Isao Kimura, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Takeshi Kato, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yunosuke Ito, Minoru Chiaki, Yoshio Tsuchiya
Wealthy businessman Kingo Gondo is ordered to pay a ransom to the kidnappers of his son (Kyoko Kagawa). He is ready to pay the ransom when he finds his son safe at home. In a case of mistaken identity, his chauffeur's (Yutaka Sada) son is the kidnap victim. The kidnapper calls Gondo, admits that he made a mistake, and still demands the ransom money. Now, Gondo must decide between another person's safety and his own financial security.
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None But the Brave 1965  N/R, 105 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Sinatra
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tommy Sands, Brad Dexter, Tony Bill, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takeshi Kato, Sammy Jackson, Richard Bakalyan, Rafer Johnson, Jimmy Griffin, Christopher Dark, Don Dorrell
Japanese soldiers commanded by Lt. Kuroki (Tatsuya Mihashi) are stranded on an island during World War II when an American bomber crash lands on the island. The American crewmen survive the crash, and Chief Pharmacist's Mate Maloney (Frank Sinatra) saves the life of a Japanese soldier. Now a truce is called, but the truce is only temporary, and after the Americans fix their radio the battle continues.
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 Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970 G, 142 min.
Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Martin Balsam, So Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, Jason Robards, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, Wesley Addy, Leon Ames, Eijiro Tono, Takahio Tamura, Shogo Shimada, Frank Aletter, Koreya Senda, Junya Usami
The story of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, is well-told as the events leading to the attack are revealed–documentary style–from both the U.S. and Japanese viewpoints. The film begins with scenes from the perspectives of both countries as the diplomacy between Japan and the United States collapses. The second part of the film switches to the deadly mission and a spectacular re-creation of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The film won and Oscar for Best Special Visual Effects.
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What's Up, Tiger Lily? 1966  N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Adventure / Thriller
Director: Woody Allen, Senkichi Taniguchi
Cast: Tatsuya Mihashi, Mie Hama, Akiko Wakabayashi, Tadao Nakamura, Woody Allen, China Lee, John Sebastian, Susumu Kurobe, Sachio Sakai, Eisei Amamoto, Frank Buxton, Tetsu Nakamura, Osman Yusuf, Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone
Woody Allen dubbed Senkichi Taniguchi's Japanese film and replaced the original soundtrack with a new dialogue and entirely different plot. The result is a very amusing satire on spy movies. Suspense is centered on the ludicrous plot involving Suki Yaki (Akiko Wakabayashi) and Terri Yaki (Mie Hama) who try to prevent the evil Shepherd Wong (Tadao Nakamura) from getting his hands on a top-secret recipe for "the world's greatest egg salad."
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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 Burmese Harp (1956)
3. Dolls (2002)
4. High and Low (1963)
5. None But the Brave (1965)
6. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
7. What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)
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