Long thought to be one of the lost treasures of Japanese cinema that had been Read More »
Tag Archives: Chiezo Kataoka
Singing Lovebirds AKA Oshidori utagassen (1939) Masahiro Makino, Chiezô Kataoka, Ryôsuke Kagawa, Takashi Shimura
Oharu is in love with ronin who lives next door, but he is being pursued by two of the town beauties. Read More »
Hero of the Red Light District AKA Yôtô monogatari: hana no Yoshiwara hyakunin-giri (1960) Tomu Uchida, Chiezô Kataoka, Yaeko Mizutani, Isao Kimura
A successful textile industrialist from the provinces, who is beloved by his employees for his kindness Read More »
13 Assassins AKA Jûsan-nin no shikaku (1963) Eiichi Kudô, Takayuki Akutagawa, Chiezô Kataoka, Kôtarô Satomi
A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her Read More »
Capricious Young Man AKA Akanishi Kakita (1936) Mansaku Itami, Chiezô Kataoka, Shôsaku Sugiyama, Sôjin Kamiyama
Akanishi Kakita moved from the countryside to a big city. Read More »
Shinsengumi Last Days of the Shogunate AKA Shoretsu shinsengumi – bakumatsu no doran (1960) Yasushi Sasaki, Chiezô Kataoka, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Yatarô Kurokawa
Near the end of the Edo period, a military force known as Shinsengumi guards the Shogun. Read More »
A Bloody Spear on Mount Fuji (1955) Tomu Uchida, Chiezo Kataoka, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata, Chizuru Kitagawa
A samurai travels to Edo with his two servants. On their way, they meet many people and encounter great injustice. Read More »
Morning Breeze in Edo (1960) Hideaki Onishi, Chiezô Kataoka
The sole survivor of a shipwreck searches for missing members of a family. Read More »
Doto no taiketsu / Showdown at the Great Tone River (1959) Yasushi Sasaki, Utaemon Ichikawa, Chiezô Kataoka, Action, Drama
One of the great stories from Japan’s rich history comes to life in this true tale of the bloody showdown between two rival yakuza gangs in the 1840’s. The battle between Boss Sukegoro of Iioka and Boss Shigezo of Sasagawa has been portrayed many times, most notably in the first Zatoichi film, where the blind man befriends the tubercular ronin Hirate Miki, before cutting him down in one of the great duels in cinema history. This all-star extravaganza pulls out all the stops, with appearances by virtually all of the great actors and actresses from Toei’s studio at the time. Ichikawa Utaemon’s portrayal of the kind-hearted, noble yakuza boss Shigezo of Sasagawa contrasts sharply with the devious Sukegoro of Iioka. Corrupt as he may have been, his men were all willing to give up their lives for him.
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