Drunken Angel

Starring - Takashi Shimura as Doctor Sanada, Toshiro Mifune as Matsunaga, Michiyo Kogure as Nanae, Reisaburo Yamamoto as Okada, Chieko Nakakita as Miyo, Eitaro Shindo as Takahama
Directed by - Akira Kurosawa
(1948) - B&W - 100 min

This is a classic movie - by perhaps the greatest filmmaker of all time, Akira Kurosawa. Dr. Sanada, played by Takashi Shimura (the leader in Seven Samurai), treats a petty criminal named Matsunaga (Toshiro Mifune) with tuberculosis, and tries to get him to work at treating his disease (stop drinking, smoking, get some rest, etc.) Meanwhile, another gangster gets out of prison and a feud breaks out between rival factions. A cool look at the underworld in Japan in post WWII, and the courage of a poor doctor, who is trying to cure another human, even if he is a criminal. We regret that the subtitles are difficult to read - but the story is pretty easy to follow.

Kurosawa's Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai
(1954) - B&W - 210 min
(English subtitle)

Starring - Toshirô Mifune as Kikuchiyo, Takashi Shimurai as Kambei Shimada, Yoshio Inaba as Gorobei Katayama, Minoru Chiaki as Heihachi Hayashida, Seiji Miyaguchi as Kyuzo, Isao Kimurai as Katsushiro, Daisuke Kato as Shichiroji
Directed by - Akira Kurosawa

Epic Kurosawa tale and the inspiration for the Hollywood classic - The Magnificent Seven.

A small farming village is about to be overrun with bandits - so they hire seven brave Samurai warriors to help them.

Enjoy the full film.

Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa Classic

Rashomon
(1950) - B&W - 88 min
With English Subtitle
Starring - Toshirô Mifune as Tanjomaru -the bandit, Machiko Kyô as Masako - the woman, Masayuki Mori as Takehiro, Takashi Shamura as the firewood dealer, Minoru Chiaki as the Priest, Kichijro Ueda as the Commoner, Fumiko Honma as the Spiritual Medium
Directed by - Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon is a tale about murder and rape - and a look at truth, justice and lies.

We witness four separate accounts of the crime, each different than the other. The film explores perception and reality. If you have read any Existential works by Jean Paul Satre, Soren Kierkegaard, or Martin Heidegger - this film will really get you thinking about man's search for TRUTH.

Rashomon is one his best films, and listed in most lists as one of the top 20 films ever made.

In case you are unfamiliar with Kurosawa's remarkable talent, he is the director of Seven Samurai - which is the inspiration for The Magnificent Seven, Yojimbo, which inspired Clint Eastwood's A Fistful of Dollars, and Hidden Fortress, which inspired George Lucas to make the Star Wars Trilogy.

So, here it goes. The full feature! So, happy viewing! (Sorry, not available for downloads)