13 Assassins (Japan, 1963)

A sadistic daimyo rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the daimyo is the Shogun's younger brother, he will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the daimyo. 

Having seen Takashi Miike's amazing remake from 2010, I was very excited to jump into the original. It did not disappoint one bit. It has a very accessible, straightforward plot with 13 men wanting vengeance, and the first half of the film builds up the story while the second delivers the blow against the evildoers. In lack of better words, the film felt very modern and I could definitely see this being made today. It struck me how faithfully Miike adapted the film, nothing needed to be changed. He added a lot of gore, but the original excels in beautiful cinematography. 

Genre: Adventure/Action. 2h5min

The Insect Woman (Japan, 1963)

Tome is born into poverty in rural Japan, in the late 1910s. Chuji, her father, dotes on her; her mother is less faithful. Tome becomes a neighbor's mistress, works at his mill as World War II rages, and has a daughter. After an affair with a mill supervisor, Tome goes to Tokyo to seek her fortune. Tome's a maid at a brothel, learns trade from the madam, enjoys the protection of a businessman whose mistress she becomes, and is soon herself the boss. As Chuji ages and Nobuko grows up with her own ideas, can Tome's self-preserving schemes provide continued comfort?

With The Insect Woman, Shohei Imamura (The Eel, Black Rain) let's us follow a woman on a not so uplifting journey through life. We really develop sympathy for her, but also see her in a different light when she goes through some rough periods of time. Tome goes from innocent youth to hardened woman in charge. Imamura got the title from the idea of an insect that keeps making the same mistake over and over again yet doesn't give up, and like the insect, Tome always finds herself in another dark place but keeps on going. 

Genre: Drama

High and Low (Japan, 1963)

A wealthy businessman is told his son has been kidnapped and he will have to pay a very large sum for him to be returned safely. It is then discovered that his son is safe at home: the kidnapper took his chauffeur's son by accident. The kidnapper says this makes no difference: pay up or the child dies. This leaves him with a moral dilemma, as he really needs the money to conclude a very important business deal.

Akira Kurosawa thought his big thriller High and Low was gonna reduce the number of kidnappings in Japan and act like some sort of deterrence, instead, to his big surprise, he was criticized for their increase. High and Low is a suspenseful detective story where everything that easily could have been a slog to watch are exciting and really invites you to follow the bread crumbs. The cast is once again a Kurosawa's Greatest Hits with Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai and Takashi Shimura in the lead roles, all contributing in making this noir something truly special.

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery

Castle of Owls (Japan, 1963)

The Iga ninjas are a dying breed as Toyotomis rule allows Japan to experience some peace. Juzo, an Iga ninja who had vowed revenge for the death of his family, is hired by a rich weapons merchant to assassinate Toyotomi, restarting his quest for blood. In his way are rival ninja, and his once best friend who has decided to become a government vassal. The main plot centers around the conflicts that confront Juzo.

Sometimes, one can just have the need for a ninja flick. Castle of Owls (a.k.a. Owl Castle) meets that need with classic shinobi stealth action, meaning of course a lot of lurking behind shoji walls and assassinations from the dark. At first I thought it would have an outdated cheese factor but it was an entertaining watch. I would love a remake of this because there aren't nearly as many shinobi-themed films as there are samurai-themed ones. 

Genre: Drama

An Actor's Revenge (Japan, 1963)

While performing in a touring kabuki troupe, leading female impersonator Yukinojo comes across the three men who drove his parents to suicide twenty years earlier, and plans his revenge, firstly by seducing the daughter of one of them, secondly by ruining them.

A tale of vengeance, lies, deceit and murder. An Actor's Revenge is a powerful story about a man who's whole being is to seek revenge for his parents death. A lot of really stylistic imagery and settings drastically improves the themes of actors and theaters. It's also wild how actor Kazuo Hasegawa plays both of the two main characters, switching personality from scene to scene, something I don't think was very common back then. 

Directed by Kon Ichikawa (The Burmese Harp), who'd established himself as one of the big directors as early as the 50's, which are widely known as the Golden Age of Japanese cinema.

"I've made various types of films: period dramas, modern dramas, films set in the Meiji period. But I don't make any distinctions between them - they're all films. True, with a period drama, there are certain conventions. With a modern drama, there is a different style of shooting. So you have to make changes according to the genre, but I never think, 'This is a period drama, so I have to shoot it in such and such a way.' Films are films. If you don't understand that, then you start filming lies".

- Kon Ichikawa

Genre: Drama