The drama tells the story of the Sanada family. Originally serving the Takeda Clan they ruled the northern district of Shinano. The story begins right after the death of Takeda Shingen, continues through the rise of Tokugawa Ieyasu who founded the Tokugawa shogunate and covers roughly the period 1580-1610.
Set in 19th century rural Japan, Empire of Passion follows an ill-fated love affair between a woman and a younger man, resulting in a spiral of guilt, despair, and insanity. When rumors of the affair start spreading, the husband becomes consumed with jealousy and seeks revenge, leading to tragic consequences. Directed by a cult director, this atmospheric film explores themes of adultery, desire, and the consequences of unfaithfulness.
In Death by Hanging (1968), a man is sentenced to death by hanging for a crime he doesn't remember committing. As the execution progresses, the story explores themes of racism, social injustice, and political satire.
Kleptomaniac Sonoko and young, beautiful Mitsuko begin an unusual love affair which develops fast into a kinky sexual love triangle when Sonoko’s husband gets involved.
Sing a Song of Sex is a provocative drama that explores themes of sexuality, university life, and the Vietnam War. The story follows a group of students who use their singing talents as a form of rebellion against societal norms. As tensions rise, the characters grapple with issues of love, death, and the complexities of their own desires.
Boy is a movie about a young boy who escapes from his abusive father and sets off on a journey to find his real mother. Along the way, he encounters various challenges and experiences that shape his understanding of the world and himself.
Violence at Noon is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The movie follows the story of a teacher who becomes a rapist and murderer, and the result is a disturbing and thought-provoking exploration of the nature of violence.
Masao is falsely accused and jailed for the murder of a loanshark to whom he owed a lot of money. His sister Kiriko makes the long trip to Tokyo, specifically to accost Otsuka, Japan's top criminal defence lawyer, and plead with him to take her brother's case. They live in Kitakyushu which, though a city, she contends that the local lawyers are not up to the job. Otsuka contemptuously brushes her off. A year passes. Masao has suicided in jail, his appeal having failed due to the lack of interest and competence of the local defence lawyer. Kiriko returns to Tokyo, planning revenge on Otsuka for refusing the case and causing her brother's death.
The loyal Sōma clan samurai Tange Samanosuke is attacked and mutilated as the result of a betrayal, losing his right eye and right arm. He then begins to lead the life of a nihilistic ronin, using the pseudonym Sazen.
Night and Fog in Japan (1960) is a powerful political drama set during the 1950s in Japan, depicting the struggles and conflicts within a group of leftist students. The film explores themes of ideology, loyalty, and betrayal amidst the fog of political turmoil.
Gang leader Nami (cult film legend Meiko Kaji) kills a member of a yakuza group and goes away to prison. Upon her release three years later, she’s a shamed woman confined to living in the shadowy world of sex clubs and street gangs. She returns to the city to live with her uncle, a billiard-hall owner, and after befriending pimp and ne’er-do-well Ryuji (Tsunehiko Watase), she gets a job working at a hostess club in the chic Ginza neighborhood, where the expensive shops and neon lights conceal a dark world of crime and sexual slavery. But when a rival gang attempts to muscle in on the club, Nami becomes enmeshed in a violent struggle that forces her to wield a skilled pool cue to defend her uncle’s business, and eventually a short sword to wreak bloody vengeance upon her enemies.
A unique black comedy set in Ginza Cinepathos, a long-established movie theater that closes at the end of March 2013 while being familiar to movie fans with its retro appearance and unique lineup. Unique guests visiting the theater draw a human pattern during breaks.
Emiko Hayasaka (Seiko Matsuda), who lives in Hawaii, has arranged a marriage with Akira Kuniyoshi (Shinji Yamashita), the son of the president of a hotel chain. Although Emiko is not yet ready to get married, Akira and both of her parents are enthusiastic about the matchmaking. During a summer vacation in Japan, Emiko is attacked with a knife by a boy, but is saved by Shinji Terao (Kiichi Nakai), a young man who happens to be passing by. Shinji is passionate about windsurfing and trains hard every day for the world championships. Emiko is attracted to him because of his sincerity, though he is not very sociable. Upon returning to Hawaii, she overcame her parents' objections and got him to break off his proposal to Akira. Meanwhile, the world competition is approaching and Shinji comes to Hawaii from Japan.
This is the sixth film in the Brutal Tales of Chivalry series
Towards the end of the Second World War, a downed U.S. pilot is captured and imprisoned by rural Japanese villagers, who await official instructions as to how to proceed with their “catch.”
14-year-old Sunaoko travels from Tokyo to Naha, Okinawa, with her father’s young fiancée Momoko in search of her half-brother whom she has never met. Their guide, a beer-guzzling ex-soldier, takes them to the locale’s tourist attractions, quickly delving into the underlying scars of the island’s wartime history.
Bungo is released from prison to find his son Kenichi in the care of strangers. Teruko, the woman originally looking after the boy, was forced to leave town and sell herself into prostitution. Bungo and Kenichi, in their search for Teruko, arrive in a new place and find work running a peddling stall for the upright Tatsumaki family. However, the drifting father and son soon find themselves caught up in a struggle for territory. Boss Negishi, the head of the yakuza family responsible for the death of the former Tatsumaki leader, will stop at nothing to take over the marketplace. Sickened by the injustice, Bungo takes on the rival boss knowing it might cost him his newly acquired freedom..
The last film in the series brings the tale to the doorstep of Pacific War, with the planning of the bombing of Pearl Harbor dominant in Nakano Spy School.