Yasurō Shiga
Acting
Known For
An onnagata (female impersonator) of a Kabuki troupe avenges his parents' deaths. Remade in 1963 as Yukinojô Henge.
An Actor's Revenge
This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.
The Loyal 47 Ronin
Period film from 1934.
With a Single Sword Bale
A mournful masterpiece by Kinugasa Teinosuke
Two Lanterns
short film about Banchō Sarayashiki.
Banchō sarayashiki
A melodrama about a businessman's relations with the three women in his life.
Family Meeting
The first half of the movie depicts a man's jealousy of his best friend and the woman he love. The second part depicts a hero who is ready to put the past behind him and risk his life for his friend.
Genpei the Carp
No description available.
Yukinojō henge, Kanketsu-hen
Two cowardly palanquin carriers know the culprit of a murder, but are too scared to report it to the police. In the meantime, an innocent man is arrested as the murderer and chaos ensues.
The Palanquin Carrier Magistrate
No description available.
Chûshingura - Zempen: Akahokyô no maki
Bored Hatamoto film #8
Bored Hatamoto on Mt. Fuji
A melodrama by noted auteur and father of director Yoshitaro Nomura, Hotei Nomura. This is apparently the first adaptation of Izumi Kyoka's The Romance of Yushima.
The Genealogy of Women
No description available.
The Woman and the Pirate
Japanese film from 1924.
Village Pasture
Japanese film from 1925.
The Little Traveling Entertainer
Japanese film from 1924.
A Woman from the Genroku Era
No description available.
Iemon
Japanese drama from 1934. A major production of Shochiku Studio, directed by Hiroshi Shimizu.
Mother of the East
Ryôma Sakamoto unites the Choshu and Satsuma clans and paves the way for the Meiji Restoration.