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The Burmese Harp Kon Ichikawa A Japanese army private in Burma is so revolted by the carnage of war that he refuses to return home. Dressed as a Buddhist monk, he remains to bury the dead. The first Japanese film to stress pacifism, Burmese Harp is remarkable for its pulsating black and white images and its humanist fervor. Criterion Collection edition. Restored hi-def digital transfer. Includes new interviews with the director and actor Rentaro Mikuni, original theatrical trailer, improved English translation, and an essay by critic and historian Tony Rayns. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1956, 116 mins. DVD | $44.95
47 Ronin (Shijushichinin No Shikaku) Kon Ichikawa To further celebrate this Japanese national legend, Toho Studios hired the great filmmaker Kon Ichikawa to direct this stylized version of the venerable story of the 47 Ronin. A group of legendary samurai unite to avenge the death of their feudal lord in an epic tale of war and honor. Starring Ken Takakura. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1994, 129 mins. DVD | $44.95
Dora-Heita Kon Ichikawa In 1969, Akira Kurosawa, Kon Ichikawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, and Masaki Kobayashi wrote the script for Dora-Heita, or Alley Cat, a story about a samurai with a bad reputation who is given the role of magistrate in the most corrupt district of Japan. After three decades, Ichikawa was finally able bring the screenplay to life. The simultaneously comic and magnetic Koji Yakusho (Memoirs of a Geisha) takes on the role of the sly warrior who perpetuates a debauched playboy persona in order to infiltrate the township government and weed out criminals. Based on a novel by Shugoro Yamamoto. In Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 2000, 111 mins. DVD | $44.95
Fires on the Plain Kon Ichikawa Ichikawa's powerful depiction of the inhumanity of war and passionate cry for sanity. A soldier, part of the retreating Japanese army, is forced to hide in the Philippine jungle, where he finds disease, death and cannibalism. Minimal dialog and intense visual images build to a work of immense power. Criterion Collection edition. Letterboxed. Restored hi-def digital transfer. Includes video introduction by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie, new interviews with Ichikawa and actor Mickey Curtis, original theatrical trailer, improved English translation, and an essay by critic Chuck Stephens. Japan, 1959, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
Revenge of a Kabuki Actor (AKA An Actor's Revenge) Kon Ichikawa A female impersonator in the Kabuki tradition seeks revenge against the villains who caused his parent's death. This complex tale, set in 19th-century Japan, involves numerous plot twists as it blurs the distinctions between illusion and reality. Japanese with English subtitles. Japan, 1963, 114 mins. DVD | $44.95
