"Actor: Mikijirô Hira"

• Little Norse Prince | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Horus a young boy in the European Iron Age recovers the Sword of the Sun from the rock giant Moog and learns from his dying father that he must return to his ancestral territory. In the process he defends a village from the attacks of Grundewald a warlord/ice demon and befriends the enigmatic Hilda a lonely and beautiful girl who sings haunting songs to conceal her terrible secret... The delicately beautiful 'Taiyo No Oji' to use its original Japanese title was the first movie

• The Shape of Night | Blu Ray | (24/03/2025) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A young woman from the countryside (Miyuki Kuwano of Oshima's Cruel Story of Youth) falls in love with a handsome hoodlum (Mikijiro Hira, Sword of the Beast), who pushes her into a life of prostitution. When his sleazy superiors catch sight of her, she finds herself trapped inside the gaudy maze of city nightlife. Directed by Noburo Nakamura, a veteran of the Shochiku studio's signature Golden Age family dramas, The Shape of Night was made as a reaction to the radical film styles of the Japanese New Wave. With its lush cinematography full of saturated colours, a lyrical tone and its story of love leading to inescapable tragedy, it has been compared to the films of Douglas Sirk, while also acting as a precursor to the work of Wong Kar-wai.★★★★★ a lyrical, nearly Wong-kar Wai-like counterpart to ardent work by Oshima or Imamura Film Commentkept me continually gripped and often surprised David BordwellThe camera angles and movements, the colour scheme and editing all work brilliantly to illustrate her constant sacrifice and lead us to emotionally internalise the gaudy city as a dazzling parade that always leads her back to her situation. Stylistically the film anticipates the Wong Kar-wai of In the Mood for Love and echoes Douglas Sirk at his most stirring. Nick James, Sight and Sound

• The Shape of Night (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (29/04/2024) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A young woman from the countryside (Miyuki Kuwano of Oshima's Cruel Story of Youth) falls in love with a handsome hoodlum (Mikijiro Hira, Sword of the Beast), who pushes her into a life of prostitution. When his sleazy superiors catch sight of her, she finds herself trapped inside the gaudy maze of city nightlife. Directed by Noburo Nakamura, a veteran of the Shochiku studio's signature Golden Age family dramas, The Shape of Night was made as a reaction to the radical film styles of the Japanese New Wave. With its lush cinematography full of saturated colours, a lyrical tone and its story of love leading to inescapable tragedy, it has been compared to the films of Douglas Sirk, while also acting as a precursor to the work of Wong Kar-wai.★★★★★ 'a lyrical, nearly Wong-kar Wai-like counterpart to ardent work by Oshima or Imamura' - Film Comment'kept me continually gripped and often surprised' - David Bordwell'The camera angles and movements, the colour scheme and editing all work brilliantly to illustrate her constant sacrifice and lead us to emotionally internalise the gaudy city as a dazzling parade that always leads her back to her situation. Stylistically the film anticipates the Wong Kar-wai of In the Mood for Love and echoes Douglas Sirk at his most stirring.' - Nick James, Sight and SoundProduct FeaturesLIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:High-Definition digital transferUncompressed mono PCM audioVisual essay on the artistic upheavals at Shochiku studios during the 1960s by Tom MesNew and improved English subtitle translationReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time TomorrowLimited edition booklet featuring new writing by Chuck Stephens Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markingsMore to be confirmed!

• Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (20/07/2020) from £21.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This first film by the legendary HIDEO GOSHA (Sword of the Beast) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films. An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, Three Outlaw Samurai is a classic in its own right. In it, a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (TETSURO TAMBA) becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (ISAMU NAGATO and MIKIJIRO HIRA), hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate. With remarkable storytelling economy and thrilling action scenes, this is an expertly mounted tale of revenge and loyalty. Special Features: High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri

• Princess Raccoon | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs Of A Geisha) stars in the latest film from master film maker Seijun Suzuki; a magical musical adaptation of a well known Japanese folktale. Ziyi stars as Tanuki-hime a raccoon spirit princess who falls in love with Amechiyo (Jo Odagiri) a human prince banished from his father's kingdom. With numbers ranging in style from Kabuki to operetta to rock 'n' roll and designs to set the imagination on fire Suzuki's dream project is one of the year's most vibrant entertainments. An extravaganza of sight sound music and romance that will amaze the senses and delight the heart.

• Pistol Opera | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Killing With Style!!! Stray Cat is number three. She wants to be number one. Pistol Opera is an extreme tale of a female assassin's surreal rise up the ranks of the criminal underworld. Legendary director Seijun Suzuki reworks his own Branded to Kill thirty-three years later into a totally new jaw-dropping experience!

• Zipang | DVD | (14/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Zipang is a sumptuous visual feast. Set in a kind of alternative Japan where modern technology meets ancient legend the film tells of the quest for the mythical Zipang land of gold. A motley band of renegades discover the keys to this magical kingdom. Unfortunately they also attract the attention of a beautiful female bounty hunter who has her sights set on their leader the handsome Jigoku. With supernatural ninja warriors astonishingly choreographed sword-play and wildly unpr