"Actor: Jun Hamamura"

• The Burmese Harp | Blu Ray | (13/02/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A rhapsodic celebration of song, a brutal condemnation of wartime mentality, and a lyrical statement of hope within darkness; even amongst the riches of 1950s' Japanese cinema, The Burmese Harp, directed by Kon Ichikawa (Alone Across the Pacific, Tokyo Olympiad), stands as one of the finest achievements of its era. At the close of World War II, a Japanese army regiment in Burma surrenders to the British. Private Mizushima is sent on a lone mission to persuade a trapped Japanese battalion to surrender also. When the outcome is a failure, he disguises himself in the robes of a Buddhist monk in hope of temporary anonymity as he journeys across the landscape – but he underestimates the power of his assumed role. A visually extraordinary and deeply moving vision of horror, necessity, and redemption in the aftermath of war, Ichikawa's breakthrough film is one of the great humanitarian affirmations of the cinema. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and honoured at the Venice Film Festival, The Burmese Harp is one of cinema's great anti-war classics, alongside La Grande Illusion (Jean Renoir), Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata/Studio Ghibli), Paths Of Glory (Stanley Kubrick), All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone), and The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin). Special Features: New, restored high-definition 1080p transfer officially licenced from Nikkatsu Newly translated optional English subtitles Exclusive video interview with scholar and filmmaker Tony Rayns Original Japanese theatrical trailer PLUS: A 40-page booklet with an essay by Keiko I. McDonald and rare archival stills

• The Sun's Burial | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Set in the post-war slums of Osaka The Sun's Burial follows the lives and fates of the denizens of this hellish ghetto. Pimps prostitutes drug addicts vagrants hustlers and gangsters struggle to survive amidst the poverty and decay of 1950's Japan. Unflinching in it's portrayal of life in these slums the film goes beyond a documentary-style realism to achieve a garish lurid Cinemascope aesthetic that is at once repulsive and yet mesmerising. It's a pitiless and dispassionate portrait of a living hell that lurks behind the facade of a prosperous new Japan a place where everything - food sex even blood - is simply a commodity to be stolen and sold.

• An Actor's Revenge | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This wildly melodramatic tale of a kabuki female impersonator who exacts a long-delayed revenge on the men who drove his parents to suicide is played out against a backdrop of comic rivalries between thieves in the Tokyo underworld. Kazuo Hasegawa plays the dual role of the actor and the thief in a film which celebrates his 300th screen appearance. A heady mixture of swooning romanticism and stylised action with a soundtrack that ranges from traditional Japanese music to lush Hollywo

• Naked Youth | DVD | (25/02/2008) from £11.48   |  Saving you £10.50 (110.64%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Oshima's second feature is a shocking tale of youthful delinquency in post Hiroshima japan. Conveying the pent up sexuality and disillusionment among Japan's post war generation it tells the story of teenage lovers Makato and Kiyoshi. She's a good girl gone bad dropping out of school and out of home; he's a violent hoodlum gambler and hustler. Making a living by performing shakedowns and attempting blackmail on unsuspecting middle aged men the film affords a bleak nihilistic take to the 'taiyo-zako' (Japanese cinema's 'delinquent youth' films). Often billed as Japan's Rebel Without A Cause but whereas Jame Dean's Jim Stark had the proverbial heart of gold Kawazu's Kiyoshi is filled only with rage and disgust. All of life's harsh realities await Makoto and Kiyoshi - this is no morality lesson or cautionary tale just a window into a terrible vision of humanity.

• Samurai Rebellion | DVD | (20/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sasahara (Mifune) has spent his life as a retainer in the service of his lord. Yet when his lord seizes his daughter-in-law for his own gratification Sasahara is brought into conflict not only with his master but also his oldest friend Asano (Nakadai)...

• The Burmese Harps | Blu Ray | (30/08/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  A rhapsodic celebration of song a brutal condemnation of wartime mentality and a lyrical statement of hope within darkness; even amongst the riches of 1950s' Japanese cinema The Burmese Harp directed by Kon Ichikawa (Alone Across the Pacific Tokyo Olympiad) stands as one of the finest achievements of its era. At the close of World War II a Japanese army regiment in Burma surrenders to the British. Private Mizushima is sent on a lone mission to persuade a trapped Japanese battalion to surrender also. When the outcome is a failure he disguises himself in the robes of a Buddhist monk in hope of temporary anonymity as he journeys across the landscape - but he underestimates the power of his assumed role. A visually extraordinary and deeply moving vision of horror necessity and redemption in the aftermath of war Ichikawa's breakthrough film is one of the great humanitarian affirmations of the cinema. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and honoured at the Venice Film Festival The Burmese Harp is one of cinema's great anti-war classics alongside La Grande Illusion (Jean Renoir) Grave Of The Fireflies (Isao Takahata/Studio Ghibli) Paths Of Glory (Stanley Kubrick) All Quiet On The Western Front (Lewis Milestone) and The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin) The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Burmese Harp.

• Burmese Harp, the | DVD | (21/02/2011) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A rhapsodic celebration of song a brutal condemnation of wartime mentality and a lyrical statement of hope within darkness; even amongst the riches of 1950s' Japanese cinema The Burmese Harp directed by Kon Ichikawa (Alone Across the Pacific Tokyo Olympiad) stands as one of the finest achievements of its era. At the close of World War II a Japanese army regiment in Burma surrenders to the British. Private Mizushima is sent on a lone mission to persuade a trapped Japanese battalion to surrender also. When the outcome is a failure he disguises himself in the robes of a Buddhist monk in hope of temporary anonymity as he journeys across the landscape - but he underestimates the power of his assumed role. A visually extraordinary and deeply moving vision of horror necessity and redemption in the aftermath of war Ichikawa's breakthrough film is one of the great humanitarian affirmations of the cinema.

• Gonza The Spearman | DVD | (30/08/2004) from £7.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (150.19%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A period drama adapted from the play by Monzaemon Chikamatsu (an 18th century playwright regarded as the Shakespeare of Japanese literature) telling of the tragic fate of handsome ladies man Gonza a master spearman in the Tokugawa Shogunate period. Forced to fight for his life when his repuation leads to false accusations of an affair with the daimyo's (local warlord) wife Gonza vows to clear his name. However in the process of proving his innocence love begins to take hold of th