Top Ten Japanese Films

Japanese film grew out of a fine tradition of theater and stage acting, unlike any seen elsewhere in the world. The style and proficiency of the Japanese tradition translated to a grandiosity and beauty unlike anything the world would see from another culture. The aesthetic mastery of film space by auteurs the likes of Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, or Ozu and the ability to turn animation even into masterpiece have made Japanese film one of the greatest national entries into the pantheon of world cinema. The list below is not the ten most intriguing, or ten most interesting, or ten most popular Japanese films ever made, but the ten Japanese films that I believe represent the most important aspects of the cultures contributions to film.

Chushingura - The 47 Ronin is a classic Japanese tale, originally Kabuki that found its way into a slew of film adaptations in the 20^th century. While not the first, nor necessarily the best, this version captures the tale the most fully and displays the action on a grander scale than any of its predecessors. Hiroshi Inagaki directed and starring Toshiro Mifune, the star of Japanese cinema at the time, it told the tale as well as any other film of the times.

Grave of the Fireflies - One of the saddest movies ever made, directed by Isao Takahata, one of Miyazaki's few peers, also a director for Studio Ghibli. It tells the tragic tale of a young boy and his younger sister trying to survive during World War II Japan. The sheer force of this film, actually enhanced by its animation, has brought the toughest of friends to tears. Brutally touching.

Hana-bi - Beat Takeshi is a highly regarded modern Japanese director who has managed to show up just about everywhere as a director, an actor, an author, a television host. His name is so common that he changed it to be more dynamic, but the cultural aspects of his importance aside, he's one hell of a good director, and probably helped form the modern definition of the Japanese crime drama/thriller genre. His work in Hana-bi displays this best.