Video Library

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Vengeance is Mine
(Fukusho suruwa ware ni ari)

Credits: Director: Shohei Imamura; Screenplay: Masaru Baba; Producer: Kazuo Inoue; Music: Shinichirô Ikebe; Cinematography: Sinsaku Himeda. Cast Includes: Ken Ogata, Mayumi Ogawa, Rentaro Mikuni, Mitsuko Baisho, Nijiko Kiyokawa, Chocho Miyako.

Summary: From one of Japan's greatest directors comes a chilling fact-based horror story. For his riveting study of a serial killer, Shohei Imamura dives boldly into an amoral world where impulse is reason enough for grisly murder. Reenacting the 78-day crime spree that led to the arrest and execution of notorious killer Iwao Enokizu, this riveting film depicts sex and violence graphically but never gratuitously. Avoiding simplistic caricature, Ken Ogata portrays Enokizu as a man who excludes charm and calm as naturally as cruelty and rage. Based on police records and the prize-winning book by Ryuzo Saki, "Vengeance Is Mine" is highly disturbing yet always compelling.
In Japanese with English subtitles. Reviews.

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*Village of Dreams
(E no naka no boku no mura)

Credits: Director: Yoichi Higashi; Screenplay: Yoichi Higashi, Takehiro Nakajima. Cast Includes: Mieko Harada, Keigo Matsuyama, Shogo Matsuyama, Kyozo Nagatsuka.

Summary: Identical twin brothers, now successful artists, recall the summer of 1948 when they were eight years old and their Japanese village was a place full of wonder and magic. "The brats," as they were known, spend their days skinny dipping, fishing for eels and chasing birds in the woods - when they're not busy causing mischief at home or at school. This visually ravishing film follows their adventures with humor and Zen-like clarity - powerfully evoking the boys' vibrant sensations and emotions. In Japanese with English subtitles. Reviews.

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Violence at Noon
(Hakachu no torima)

Credits: Director: Nagisa Oshima; Screenplay; Taijun Takeda, Hajime Tamura; Music: Hikaru Hayashi; Cinematography: Akira Takada. Cast Includes: Hideo Kanze, Hideko Kawaguchi, Saeda Kawaguchi, Narumi Kayashima, Teruko Kishi, Hosei Komatsu, Akiko Koyama, Kei Sato, Ryoko Takahara, Taiji Tonoyama, Matsuhiro Toura, Fumio Watanabe, Sen Yano.

Summary: An intense drama, the story of a brutal sex murderer and the perverse sense of loyalty he inspires in his wife and in a woman he has previously raped. In Japanese, with English subtitles. Reviews.

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*The Visual Arts: Part I
(Program 7 of Japan: The Living Tradition series)

Credits: See entry for Japan: The Living Tradition.

Summary: Focuses on the use of wood by Japanese artisans. Discusses the Ise Shrine, Shinto shrines in comparison to Buddhist shrines, the Miroku statues of Buddha at Chuguji and Koryuji, the famed sculptor Unkei, woodblock printing and ukiyo-e, Izumo Shrine, Toshodaiji, Todaiji, Byodoin, Katsura Detached Palace, Kudara Kannon, Enjoji, Utamaro, Sharaku, and Hokusai.

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*The Visual Arts: Part II
(Program 8 of Japan: The Living Tradition seres)

Credits: See entry for Japan: The Living Tradition.

Summary: Focuses on Japanese artisans' use of clay, fiber, and metal. Discusses earthenware of the Jomon Period, haniwa of the Yayoi Period, pottery developed by Zen tea masters, calligraphy, murals in Buddhist temples, black and white ink paintings (sumi-e), Japanese style painting (yamato-e), Japanese scroll painting (e-maki-mono), the Ban Dainagon, the Shigi-san, the Genji scrolls, landscape painting, bronze bell-shaped objects called dotaku, bronze sculptures, steel sword making, and Nambu kettles. A special guest appearance by contemporary Japanese artist Mitsue Kakutani is included.

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Wataridori : Birds of Passage

Credits: Robert Nakamura; Visual Communications

Summary: Uses interviews and vintage photographs to explore turn-of-the-century Japanese immigration to America. Three Issei (first generation) discuss common experiences such as the Depression, prejudice, and the World War II internment of Americans of Japanese descent.

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When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(Onna ga Kaidan o Agaru Toki)

Credits: Director: Mikio Naruse; Screenplay: Ryuzo Kikushima. Cast Includes: Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Katô, Ganjiro Nakamura, Eitarô Ozawa, Keiko Awaji.

Summary: A young widow with an elderly mother and useless brother to support works as a madam in the Ginza district of Tokyo. As she approaches the age of 30, her life and career are at a crossroads. In Japanese, with English subtitles. Reviews.

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When Mrs. Hegarty Comes to Japan

Credits: Noriko Sekiguchi

Summary: As a student in Australia, filmmaker Noriko Sekiguchi formed a special relationship with Joyce Hegarty and her husband. The couple became her "second parents." Ten years later Mrs. Hegarty, now a widow, comes to visit Noriko in Japan. Mrs. Hegarty stays with the filmmaker's parents and the film documents her immersion into an alien culture. The filmmaker presents an exmination of cross cultural existence and exchange. Filled with quirky juxtapositions, generation gaps, and diverse outlooks on life. Noriko searches for her own identity shaped by two worlds. A film by Noriko Sekiguchi.

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Women in Japan: Memories of the Past, Dreams for the Future

Summary: This film introduces six women of diverse ages, backgrounds, occupations and regions of Japan. Each woman has spent significant part of her life abroad, speaking new languages and adjusting to new places. How have these travels led these six to their present work? How have their international experiences affected their sense of identity and their beliefs? WOMEN IN JAPAN includes candid and suprising conversations on each of these issures. Historical footage and scenes of contemporary Japan interpret the women's memories of the past and their dreams for the future. WOMEN IN JAPAN was filmed in five different locations in Japan in June 2001.

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Woman Soldier
(Faces of Japan - Program 18)

Credits: Dick Briglia and Masanori Nakasone. Hosted by Dick Cavett.

Summary: A look at Japan's Self-Defense Force, and female recruit Fumiko Ishikawa. Comments on Japan's fears about creating a strong army, and the limited role the SDF is expected in national defense. Transcript available.

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Woman's Place, A
(Journey into Japan)

Credits: Christopher McCullough

Summary: A look at the Geisha tradition in Japan. These entertainers, trained in song, dance and sophisticated conversation, are still employed for important functions.

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Working Together

Credits: Shibui Films

Summary: An introduction to the worldwide operations of the Nissan Motor Company, from its startup in 1933 to its fiftieth anniversary. Visits plants in Tennessee, Australia, Spain, Italy and Japan to show employee development and technical training, from manufacturing through distribution.