Japanese cinema has built up a reputation these days, but once upon a time there was a golden age for Japanese films in the 1950s. Some of the tropes, characters, and symbolism that still appear in island country movies still appear in movies, but they actually originated in the 1950s. It was at this time that Japan was also recovering from World War II, completely rebuilding cities that had been destroyed by warfare and bombing. The effects of the war penetrated the psyche of the directors and writers who worked immediately after the post-war era. This can be seen in the work of directors today.
Directors Yasujirō Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi and Kenji Mizoguchi are just a few directors who rose to international fame during this time. The American occupation of Japan diversified the stories and types of filmmaking funded by local studios. from Kurosawa Rashomonreleased in 1950, kickstarted a legendary era Japanese film history, one that has not been seen since. Several films made in this decade are now considered classics and land on the most prestigious lists for the best movies ever made. These are the best Japanese movies from the 1950s.
10/10 Floating weed
Floating weed was one of the last films Yasujirō Ozu made in his lifetime, and it was a remake of one of his own 1934 films. Although released more than 20 years after the original came out, the film would reach a status where it is now claimed to be one of the greatest films ever made and one of the underrated highlights of Ozu’s film career. In Floating weedIt’s the summer of 1958. A theater troupe arrives on an island to find new work in town, and the protagonist and owner meet a former flame, one who secretly had a son with him and he never knew it . However, his current lover, an actress in the group, doesn’t like the fact that his old love lives here, and makes it a mission to mark her status as his current girlfriend.
9/10 Early summer
Yasujirō Ozu released Early summer in 1951, which uses social realism to tell a story about Japan after the war. In the suburbs of Tokyo, an extended family lives together under one household. The elderly parents, their daughter Noriko, and her brother and his family all live in the same house, but when an elderly uncle comes to visit them, he exclaims that Noriko is not yet married. The plot then teases the status of women in post-war Japan, many of whom work and are divided between marrying or working, and the problems that arise when traditional perspectives meet modern ideologies. Noriko’s family is concerned about her not being married, leading to complications in her personal life.
8/10 Ugetsu
Ugetsu came out in 1953, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, but the story it was inspired by is a classic of Japanese literature. The storyline merges two stories from a 1776 book called Ugetsu. The film is thus set in the distant past during a period of Japanese history in the late 16th century, a period when civil war broke out on the island. In a farming village, a potter takes his brother-in-law on a journey to sell his merchandise. His brother-in-law dreams of becoming a samurai, and as they pursue the wealth and glory of trade, their lives are turned upside down by war and violence. As the potter continues to try to make money, he loses sight of what really mattered in the first place.
7/10 Hiroshima mon amour
Hiroshima mon amour is an early example of what could happen when two national cinemas collide and collaborate on a grand scale. The film was directed by a French director, Alain Resnais, written by a French author, Marguerite Duras, but co-produced by France and Japan. Hiroshima mon amour is technically part of the French New Wave, but it is also a Japanese film. In it, a French actress meets a Japanese architect. Filmed in both countries involved in the production, over the course of 24 hours, these two have a series of conversations and experiences that teeter between love and camaraderie as they discuss what is happening to them right now, including the Hiroshima bomb that is dropped.
6/10 Ikiru
One of Akira Kurosawa’s most famous films, Ikiru was originally inspired by a novella by Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The protagonist, Kanji Watanabe, is dying. He discovers that he has stomach cancer and will not live more than a year, and has worked for the government for three decades. Feeling estranged from his son, especially after his wife’s death, he decides to go to Tokyo and rediscover the meaning of life, even though his end is gradually approaching. Somewhere on the streets of Tokyo, he must learn the secrets of what it means to be alive before it’s too late.
5/10 Tokyo story
Tokyo story, directed by Yasujirō Ozu, was released in 1953 and is one of the director’s most recognizable films for cinema fans around the world. An aging retired couple decides to visit Tokyo and see their children who live there. They had five children in the course of their lives, and while one remained with them, the rest moved on with their lives. While visiting their children in Tokyo, they discover that the children believe they don’t have enough time for their elderly parents because of their jobs, insinuating clashing beliefs among the generations present. If something important happens to them, they may regret not making time for their parents.
4/10 Throne of Blood
Throne of Blood is one of Akira Kurosawa’s historical dramas, although the story for Throne of Blood draws inspiration from that of Shakespeare Macbeth and transplants it into a Japanese setting. Frequent Kurosawa associate Toshiro Mifune stars as a samurai working under a local lord. One day with a fellow samurai commander in the woods, they learn from a ghost that their future looks a certain way, but this prophecy contains ominous warnings. When Mifune’s character’s wife learns about the spirit’s message, she urges him to kill his lord, leading to a chain of events that loosely follow Macbeth’s storyline. Throne of Blood combines the traditional Shakespearean elements with the traditional Japanese Noh, a dramatic form that has been around for centuries.
3/10 Rashomon
One of the greatest Akira Kurosawa movies, Rashomon came out with a splash in 1950. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and even received an Academy Honorary Award. Like several of Kurosawa’s other films, Rashomon is a historical play set in the Heian era (798-1185) of Japanese history. Based on two short stories, an attack and murder take place in the woods. Different individuals have different accounts of what happened fueled by their self-interest. Rashomon explores their stories and what they have to say about the crime, asking the audience who really gets to tell a true story.
2/10 Godzilla
Although many may know the name Godzillaquite a few people haven’t seen the original Godzilla movie. It came out in 1954 and spawned a heavily edited American version that brought the franchise to life and made the monster a figment of contemporary popular culture. In Godzilla, a giant monster appears off the coast of Japan, sparking concern from local authorities. After decimating an entire village, the monster continues to wreak havoc in the area. The film has strong themes about the consequences of nuclear weapons and what a nuclear holocaust might look like, and the monster was created via a stunt performer wearing a suit.
1/10 Seven Samurai
by Akira Kurosawa Seven Samurai is one of the best samurai movies gracing theaters around the world. Released in 1954, this historical drama is set in the late 1500s of Japanese history and has inspired filmmakers around the world. In the year 1586, a village elder decides that they should hire samurais to protect them from bandits. With no money to hire the best samurai, the townspeople look for people willing to help them. As the villagers and samurai learn to work together to fight the looming threat, Seven Samurai features impressive characters and storylines full of action and drama.