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Kwaidan [VHS]

Kwaidan [VHS]

Staring: Rentarô Mikuni , Michiyo Aratama , Misako Watanabe , Kenjiro Ishiyama , Ranko Akagi
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
A masterpiece of filmmaking artifice and mood-setting atmosphere, Kwaidan consists of four ghost stories adapted from the fiction of Greek-born Lafcadio Hearn (a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi, 1850-1904), who assimilated into Japanese culture so thoroughly that his writings reveal no evidence of Western influence. So it is that these four cinematic interpretations--perhaps more accurately described as tales of spectral visitation--are sublimely Japanese in tone and texture, created entirely in a studio with frequently stunning results. There are painterly images here that remain the most beautiful and haunting in all of Japanese cinema, presented with the purity of silent film, sparsely accompanied by post-synchronized sounds and music (by Toru Takemitsu) that enhance the otherworldly effect of director Masaki Kobayashi's meticulous imagery. When viewed in a receptive frame of mind, Kwaidan can be intensely hypnotic.

Each of the four stories find their protagonists confronted by spirits that compel them to (respectively) make amends for past mistakes, maintain vows of silence, satisfy the yearnings of the undead, or capture phantoms that remain frightfully e...

Samurai Rebellion [VHS]

Samurai Rebellion [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Toshirô Mifune , Yôko Tsukasa , Takeshi Katô , Tatsuyoshi Ehara , Etsuko Ichihara
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
This samurai classic, set in 18th-century Japan, combines great acting and thrilling action with thoughtful writing and direction. The magnificent Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, The Samurai Trilogy) stars as Isaburo, a renowned swordsman who is the essence of samurai loyalty until his overlord demands the return of a former mistress, Isaburo's beloved daughter-in-law. The injustice to his family forces Isaburo to take a heroic stand for individual freedom and moves him toward a revolt he can never win. Written by Shinobu Hashimoto (Rashomon) and directed by Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri, Kwaidan), Samurai Rebellion is "a clear departure from the norm...a compelling legend stressing one man's opposition to tyranny in an age when such opposition was unthinkable" (The New York Times). The bloody climax rages with power and emotion.
List Price: $29.95 Our Price: $8.95
Rebellion [VHS]

Rebellion [VHS]

Staring: Toshirô Mifune , Yôko Tsukasa , Takeshi Katô , Tatsuyoshi Ehara , Etsuko Ichihara
Director: Masaki Kobayashi

Kwaidan

Kwaidan

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Rentaro Mikuni , Michiyo Aratama , Misako Watanabe , Tatsuya Nakadai , Keiko Kishi
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Kwaidan is an engrossing masterpiece of four nightmarish tales in which terror thrives and demons lurk. Throughout each tale, director Masaki Kobayashi's handsomely conceived imagery conveys a sensual quality that immerses the viewer deep in the spiritual world. Combining visually stunning effects with beautiful use of color, Kobayashi has created a supernatural experience beyond the imagination.
List Price: $29.95 Our Price: $9.45
The Human Condition Part Two: The Road to Eternity (Ningen no joken II)

The Human Condition Part Two: The Road to Eternity (Ningen no joken II)

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Tatsuya Nakadai , Michiyo Aratama , Minoru Chiaki , Izumi Hara , Kaneko Iwasaki
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Second part of a trilogy. Conscientious objector Kaji, now forced to serve in the Japanese army during the Second World War, helps a friend defect to the Russians and nearly goes with him. But despite his opposition to war, Kaji does his best to serve as help and guide to the men in his charge, most of whom are doomed to fall to the relentless attack of Russian armored divisions.
Our Price: $49.95
Harakiri [VHS]

Harakiri [VHS]

Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Staring: Tatsuya Nakadai , Rentaro Mikuni , Shima Iwashita , Akira Ishihama , Tetsuro Tamba
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
In this grim yet exquisitely composed film, Kobayashi delves into the world of the 17th-century samurai, examining "the honor in death--and the death of honor" (Time). After an unemployed samurai is forced to commit harakiri before a feudal lord, his father-in-law returns to the scene, seemingly to play out the same agonizing suicide ritual. Tensions grow to excruciating levels, then find thrilling release as the elder warrior strikes out one last time against a cruelly rigid society.
List Price: $29.95 Our Price: $14.79