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Ikiru 1
is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written (with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni) by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. The screenplay was partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella ''The Death of Ivan Ilyich''. The major themes of the film include learning how to live, the inefficiency of bureaucracy, and decaying family life in Japan, which have been the subject of analysis by academics and critics. ''Ikiru'' has received widespread critical acclaim, and won awards for Best Film at the Kinema Junpo and Mainichi Film Awards. It was remade as a television film in 2007. Plot Kanji Watanabe has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for thirty years and is near his retirement. His wife is dead and his son and daughter-in-law, who live with him, seem to care mainly about Watanabe's pension and their future inheritance. At work, he's a party to c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film '' Sanshiro Sugata''. After the war, the critically acclaimed ''Drunken Angel'' (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. ''Rashomon'' (1950), which premiered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gondola No Uta
is a 1915 romantic balladDamian Cox and Michael Levine, "Looking for Meaning in All the Wrong Places: ''Ikiru'' (''To Live'')," ''Thinking Through Film: Doing Philosophy, Watching Movies'', Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. that was popular in Taishō period Japan. Lyrics were written by Isamu Yoshii, melody by Shinpei Nakayama. The lyrics of the song are presented as the advice of an experienced individual to younger souls regarding the fleeting nature of youth and the caution against missing the opportunities of youth when they are available and before they have passed with growing age. Lyrics Lyrics in Kanji and Hiragana: いのち短し恋せよ少女 朱き唇褪せぬ間に 熱き血潮の冷えぬ間に 明日の月日のないものを いのち短し恋せよ少女 いざ手をとりて彼の舟に いざ燃ゆる頬を君が頬に ここには誰れも来ぬものを いのち短し恋せよ少女 波に漂う舟の様に 君が柔手を我が肩に ここには人目も ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donald Richie
Donald Richie (17 April 1924 – 19 February 2013) was an American-born author who wrote about the Japanese people, the culture of Japan, and especially Japanese cinema. Although he considered himself primarily a film historian, Richie also directed a number of experimental films, the first when he was seventeen. Biography Richie was born in Lima, Ohio. During World War II, he joined the United States Merchant Marine and served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had already published his first work, "Tumblebugs" (1942), a short story.''Introduction'' by Leza Lowitz, in ''Botandoro'' by Donald Richie In 1947, Richie first visited Japan with the American occupation force, a job he saw as an opportunity to escape from Lima, Ohio. He first worked as a typist, and then as a civilian staff writer for the ''Pacific Stars and Stripes''. While in Tokyo, he became fascinated with Japanese culture, particularly Japanese cinema. He was soon writing movie rev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Happy Birthday To You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known as "Happy Birthday", is a song traditionally sung to celebrate a person's birthday. According to the 1998 ''Guinness World Records'', it is the most recognised song in the English language, followed by "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". The song's base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages. The melody of "Happy Birthday to You" comes from the song "Good Morning to All", which has traditionally been attributed to American sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893, although the claim that the sisters composed the tune is disputed. The song is in the public domain in the United States and the European Union. Warner Chappell Music had previously claimed copyright on the song in the US and collected licensing fees for its use; in 2015 the copyright claim was declared invalid and Warner Chappell agreed to pay back $14 million in licensing fees. History Patty Hill was a kindergarten principal in Louisville, Kentucky developing vario ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinephiles and public and academic libraries. Criterion has helped to standardize certain aspects of home-video releases such as film restoration, the letterboxing format for widescreen films and the inclusion of bonus features such as scholarly essays and commentary tracks. Criterion has produced and distributed more than 1,000 special editions of its films in VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray formats and box sets. These films and their special features are also available via an online streaming service that the company operates. History The company was founded in 1984 by Robert Stein, Aleen Stein and Joe Medjuck, who later were joined by Roger Smith. In 1985, the Steins, William Becker and Jonathan B. Turell f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noriko Honma
Noriko Honma (本間文子 ''Honma Noriko'') (29 November 1911 – 12 April 2009) was a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s. She was born in Hokkaido. She worked in many of Akira Kurosawa's films, first appearing in Kurosawa's '' Stray Dog'', then in ''Rashomon'' as the Miko, also in ''Ikiru'', ''The Seven Samurai'', ''Akahige'', and ''Dreams''. Noriko died in April 2009 at the age of 97. Partial filmography *'' Tsuzurikata Kyoshitsu'' (1938) - Mrs. Tanno *'' The Whole Family Works'' (1939) - Mrs. Ishimura *'' Stray Dog'' (1949) - Woman of wooden tub shop *''Sasameyuki'' (1950) - Itakura's mother *''Rashomon'' (1950) - Medium *''Mizuiro no waltz'' (1952) - Ms. Ômachi *''Atakake no hitobito'' (1952) *''Mother'' (1952) - Mino Hirai *''Ikiru'' (1952) - Housewife *''Fûfu'' (1953) *''Where Chimneys Are Seen'' (1953) *'' Tsuma'' (1953) *'' Haha to Musume'' (1953) *'' Botchan'' (1953) - Uranari's mother *''Ani imôto'' (1953) *'' Amongst the Girls in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atsushi Watanabe (actor, Born 1898)
was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films from 1921 to 1970. Career Starting out in Asakusa Opera, Watanabe shifted to film in 1921, joining Makino Educational Pictures, a precursor to Makino Film Productions. Moving to other studios, he eventually settled at Shochiku's Kamata studio in 1925 and eventually became established as a comic star, often appearing in Torajiro Saito's films. He eventually joined the revue company of Roppa Furukawa and made films at Toho. In the postwar era, he appeared in a number of films by Akira Kurosawa. Selected filmography *1921: ''Kyôdainaka wa'' *1922: ''Aa, Konishi junsa'' *1922: ''Aru shinbun kisha no shuki'' *1924: ''Shiragiku no uta'' *1924: ''Nemurerû daichî'' *1924: ''Mikazuki Oroku: zenpen'' *1925: ''Kagaribi no yoru'' *1925: ''Momoiro no toge'' *1925: ''Mahjong'' *1925: ''Umi no himitsu'' *1925: ''Koizuma'' - Rakugoka Koiasa *1925: ''Yôsei chi ni otsureba'' *1925: ''Aisai no himitsu'' *1925: ''Mikazuki oroku'' * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobuo Kaneko
was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1950 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is especially known for his role as Yoshio Yamamori in the ''Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' series. Kaneko started his acting career at the Bungakuza theater troupe in 1946. His film debut was in the 1946 film ''Urashimano Kōei''. In 1952, he appeared in the Akira Kurosawa film ''Ikiru''. He signed his contract with Nikkatsu film company in 1955 and he often played villains in action films. He was the host of a cooking program ''Kaneko Nobuo no Tanoshi Yushoku'' from 1987 to 1995 on TV Asahi. Selected filmography Film * ''Urashimano Kōei'' (1946) * ''Ikiru'' (1952) - Mitsuo Watanabe * ''The Garden of Women'' (1954) - Kihei Hirato * ''Sound of the Mountain'' (1954) * ''Floating Clouds'' (1955) * ''A Hole of My Own Making'' (1955) * '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yūnosuke Itō
was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1947 to 1979. Career Itō made his film debut at Toho in 1946, and although mostly a prominent supporting actor—playing memorable figures such as the novelist in Akira Kurosawa's ''Ikiru''—he also was cast in leading roles such as Kon Ichikawa's '' Mr. Pu''. He is acclaimed as "one of the...extremely talented character actors who populated Japanese movies in Shōwa_era.html"_;"title="he_Shōwa_era">Shōwaera,_playing_a_broad_range_of_roles." Itō_received_the_1962_Blue_Ribbon_Awards_for_Best_Supporting_Actor.html" "title="Shōwa_era">Shōwa.html" ;"title="Shōwa_era.html" ;"title="he Shōwa era">Shōwa">Shōwa_era.html" ;"title="he Shōwa era">Shōwaera, playing a broad range of roles." Itō received the 1962 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actor">Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actor for his dual role in the seminal ninja film ''Shinobi no Mono''. Film scholar Stuart Galbraith IV has not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobuo Nakamura
was a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles in the West were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's ''Ikiru'' (1952), and the hairdresser's henpecked husband in Ozu's ''Tokyo Story'' (1953). Nakamura was also famous for many notable contributions to Japanese modern theatre. In 1937, he founded the Bungakuza company along with Haruko Sugimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Masayuki Mori. Nakamura played Polonius in ''Hamlet'', Herod in Wilde's '' Salome'', Aleksandr Vladimirovich Serebryakov in Chekov's ''Uncle Vanya'', and Krapp in ''Krapp's Last Tape''. He also appeared in ''Macbeth'', ''The Merchant of Venice'', and ''The Cherry Orchard'' . In the 1950s and 1960s, he played major roles in Yukio Mishima's plays such as ''Rokumeikan'', '' My Friend Hitler'', and so on. In 1963, Nakamura left Bungakuza company and founded the NLT company with Mishima. His most famous and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamatari Fujiwara
was a Japanese actor. Fujiwara worked regularly and extensively with Akira Kurosawa, and was known for both being adept at comic acting, as well as being able to take on serious roles. Early life and career Early life Fujiwara was born on January 15, 1905, in Tokyo, Japan. Fujiwara's parents ran a printing business. The business did not go well, so at the age of 10, Fujiwara started working at a local confectionery store. By the age of 14 he had started selling timber for building and manufacturing in Shizuoka prefecture. A year later he returned to Tokyo to study as a pharmacist. Asakusa Opera Movement The Movement was started in 1916, and was part of the mass culture of the time. By the 1920s it had become very popular. His early life focused initially focussed on music, before he was known as a comic actor Perhaps inspired by this, Fujiwara enrolled at the Takinoga actor/martial arts school. Following graduation, he approached actor Kenzo Kuroki at Asakisa's kinrukan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bokuzen Hidari
was a Japanese actor and comedian born in Kotesashi Village (now part of Tokorozawa), Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Lower Depths'' and ''Ikiru''. Hidari was famous among Japanese audiences for his portrayals of meek, downtrodden men, and although a teetotaller, was renowned for his convincing drunk scenes (see esp. "Ikiru is a 1952 Japanese drama film directed and co-written (with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni) by Akira Kurosawa. The film examines the struggles of a terminally ill Tokyo bureaucrat (played by Takashi Shimura) and his final quest for meaning. ..."). Filmography References External links * 1894 births 1971 deaths People from Tokorozawa, Saitama Japanese male film actors {{Japan-film-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
