Japanese Language Resources
See Also: Audiocassettes | Feature Films/Instructional Videos | Internet Resources
Feature Films & Documentaries
Minbo
Juzo Itami. 1 VHS cassette (123"):color, Japanese with English subtitles, feature film. Actors: Nobuku Miyamoto, Akira Takarada, Yasuo Daichi. Japan, 1994.
"This daring satire of the Japanese mob so outraged the "Yakuza" that real-life thugs viciously attacked the director, popular film satirist Juzo Itami (Tampopo, A Taxing Woman). Blending realism and raucous farce, Mimbo pits buffoonish criminals against a fearless female lawyer. Hired to protect a hotel against black-mailing mobsters, the courageous attorney rallies employees to figt back and win. In the lead role, the beguiling Nobuku Miyamoto - Itami's wife and the star of his hit films- is the epitome of female strength, wit, and intelligence. Filles with razor-sharp humor, delightful performances, and a crazed energy, this stylish film struck a nerve with the Japanese and became one of their country's highest grossing films." (from the video jacket).
Ran
Akira Kurosawa. 1 VHS cassette (160"):color. Japanese with English subtitles, feature film. Tokyo, 1985. Actors: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu and others.
"Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the epic masterpiece Ran. Set in 16th century Japan, an aging ruler, Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. This decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three, when Hidetora falls prey to the false flattery bestowed upon him by the two older sons and banishes the youngest when he speaks the truth. The ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora insane, destroying his entire family and his kingdom. Deep human emotion and outstanding acting combine to create one of the most acclaimed foreign films of all time." (from the video jacket)
Rashomon
Akira Kurosawa. 1 VHS cassette (83 mins.) : B&W. Japanese with English subtitles, Feature Film. Japan, 1950. Actors: Toshiro Mifune, Machiki Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura.
"A cinema classic, Rashomon introduced the Western world to the greatness of Akira Kurosawa and paved the way for fellow masters of the Japanese film industry. Characteristics of Kurosawa's humanism and innovative narrative style, this eloquent masterpiece illuminates the subjectivity of truth through flashbacks, vigorous editing, and luminous photography. Four different narrators describe the same brutal act- a woman's rape and her husband's consequent death-yet the facts elude us because each interprets the story to make himself appear in the best light. Through subtle gestures, Machiko Kyo (Ugetsu, Gate of Hell) conveys the woman's supreme loss at the hands of her attacker, played by Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood) with a savage heat. This visually rich tale poignantly confronts man's potential for kindness and corruption." (from the video jacket)
Rhapsody in August
Akira Kurosawa. 1 VHS cassette (98 mins.) : color. Japanese with English subtitles, Feature Film. Japan 1991. Actors: Sachiko Murase, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Richard Gere.
"From Akira Kurosawa, one of the great masters of Japanese cinema, director of the The Seven Samurai, Ran and Academy Award-winners Rashomon and Dersu Uzala comes the 29th film in his extraordinary career. Rhapsody in August looks back on a summer in Nagasaki, a summer of discovery for three generations, changing their lives forever. Four children are staying with their grandmother in Nagasaki when they are invited to visit their American family in Hawaii. But the grandmother has long-sleeping memories awakened by the invitation. The memories conjure up terrible images from August 9th, 1945 - the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Grandmother's stories lead the children back to a time and place never to be forgotten, as the past's dark secrets unravel before them. When an American cousin (Richard Gere) arrives, he too touches upon the secrets of a long forgotten past. He brings their cycle of discovery full circle, and old ghosts are finally confronted, though they may never be put to rest." (from the video jacket)
Safe and sound in Japan. Vols. 1 and 2
The Japan Foundation. Japanese, instructional video. Japan. Two episodes per videocassette. Accompanying print guide included in cassette box.
Slice of Japanese life
The Japan Foundation. 4 VHS cassettes : color. Accompanying print tapescript to years 1988-1990.
- Cassette 1: 1988 (Episodes 1-4)
- Cassette 2: 1989 (Episodes 1-4)
1) Arubaito
2) Miss
3) Report
4) Sakura Saku
- Cassette 3: 1990 (Episodes 1-4)
1) ?
2) Go sign
3) Travelling
4) And happening...
- Cassette 4: 1992 (Episodes 1-4)
1) Party
2) Good weather, isn't it?
3) I understand
4) The end.
Taxing Woman's Return, A
Juzo Itami. 1 VHS cassette (127 mins.) : color. Japanese with English subtitles, Feature Film. Japan, 1989. Actors: Nobudo Miyamoto.
"From Akira Kurosawa, one of the great masters of Japanese cinema, director of the The Seven Feature Film: "A Taxing Woman's Return is Juzo Itami's rousing follow-up to his 1987 hit A Taxing Woman. Nobudo Miyamoto (TAMPOPO), who also happens to be the director's wife, again stars as the tenacious tax inspector investigating a corrupt fundamentalist religious order (shades of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker). More epic in scope and action-oriented than its predecessor, A Taxing Woman's Return combines energy and humor with the stinging anger of authentic satire. As in all his previous films (The Funeral, Tampopo, A Taxing Woman) Itami creates a world peopled by characters who are slightly off-kilter; they are fully fleshed caricatures who possess all the comic shortcomings of everyday humans but who live somewhere beyond Toontown. With this film, there is no doubt that Itami is truly a Japanese Master." (from the video jacket)
Yan San and the Japanese people. Series 1
The Japan Foundation. 1 VHS cassette (#105). Japanese, instructional video. Japan, 1983.
Yan San and the Japanese people. Series 2
The Japan Foundation. 3 VHS cassettes (Episodes 14-26) : color. Japanese, instructional video. Japan, 1991. Accompanying print guides include:
1) Tapescript
2) Teacher's manual in Japanese and English
3) Teacher's manual in Japanese only
There are 3 cassettes:
Cassette 1: Episodes 14-19 (58 mins.)
Cassette 2: Episodes 20-21 (18 mins.)
Cassette 3: Episodes 22-26 (49 mins.)