"Director: Kon Ichikawa"

• An Actor's Revenge (DVD + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (26/03/2018) from £14.92   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This wildy 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 (Gate of Hell) 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 Hollywood strings and cocktail jazz, An Actor's Revenge is a cinematic tour de force. Extras: New 4K restoration presented in High Definition and Standard Definition Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film and full film credits

• 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

• 47 Ronin | DVD | (25/11/2013) from £16.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind.

• 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

• Princess From The Moon | DVD | (13/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Toshiro Mifune stars in this enchanting film based on the traditional Japanese fairytale 'Kaguya' as the male half of a country couple who find a baby girl in the bamboo and raise her as their own until the truth is revealed when she is taken back...

• Kokoro (The Heart) | DVD | (23/02/2009) from £23.99   |  Saving you £-4.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Brimful with brooding psychological torment Kokoro is vintage Kon Ichikawa (An Actor's Revenge The Burmese Harp Tokyo Olympiad). Based on a novel by celebrated Japanese author Natsume Soseki the director foregrounds its themes of individual isolation and social estrangement most notably in a central protagonist stricken by existential demons and stranded by changing times. Why does Nobuchi (Masayuki Mori) visit the grave of his old friend Kaji (Tatsuya Mihashi)? Why is he so secretive with his wife Shizu (Michiyo Aratama)? And how does Nobuchi's friendship with the young student Hioki (Shoji Yasui) - for whom the older man acts as reluctant sensei - relate to his time with Kaji? As the Meiji Era draws to a close with the emperor's death and the suicide of General Nogi a fateful tale of tainted love failed friendship and redemptive honour unravels with tragic consequences. Though sometimes overlooked in the director's impressive oeuvre Ichikawa's profoundly beautiful rendering of Soseki's novel is a considerable work of cinema in its own right. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Kokoro for home viewing in the UK for the very first time.

• 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.

• Alone Across the Pacific | DVD | (23/02/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A powerful hymn to the human spirit Alone Across the Pacific - by renowned Japanese director Kon Ichikawa (An Actor's Revenge The Burmese Harp Tokyo Olympiad) - tells the extraordinary real-life story of one man's obsessive quest to break free from the strictures of society. In 1962 Kenichi Horie (Yujiro Ishihara) embarks on a heroic attempt to sail single-handed across the Pacific Ocean. Leaving Osaka in an ill-prepared vessel - The Mermaid - the young adventurer must overcome the most savage of seas the psychological torment of cabin fever and his mental and physical breaking point if he is ever to reach the fabled destination of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Using Horie's best-selling logbook as his source Ichikawa portrays the epic struggle of man against nature. 'Scope cinematography - with Horie isolated in the oceanic expanse of the frame - and a score by celebrated composer Toru Takemitsu add to the drama of a film for which Ichikawa received a Golden Globe nomination among other accolades. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Alone Across the Pacific for home viewing in the UK for the very first time.

• Japanese Classics Of Horror And Fantasy | DVD | (30/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A box set containing some of the best horror and fantasy films ever produced in Japan! Portrait Of Hell Created by premier Japanese novelist Ryunosuke Akutagawa (creator of Roshomon) 'Portrait of Hell' is a mesmerising look into humans creating hell on earth in their own unique ways. Must be seen to be believed! Illusion Of Blood From Shiro Toyoda director of the nightmarish 'Portrait Of Hell' comes a chilling story of love betrayal and vengeance. Tatsuya Nakadai stars as the selfish samurai Iyemon who after the loss of his lord has been left impoverished. He become outraged that his father-in-law intends to sell his two daughter's into prostitution. It is not love but respectability that Iyemon desires... Tokyo The Last Megalopolis When Masakado was executed for crimes against humanity over a thousand years ago his malevolent spirit refused to die with him merely becoming dormant and waiting for the chance to rise again. To disturb it is to awaken a terrible vengeance on the city of Tokyo. The demonic psychic Kato attempts to revive the slumbering evil and use its energy to plunge the city into a hell on Earth. It is up to a lone spiritual warrior Keiko a descendant of Masakado to stop the maniacal Kato before the spirit is released and the ancient curse is unleashed upon the world. Princess From The Moon Toshiro Mifune stars in this enchanting film based on the traditional Japanese fairytale 'Kaguya' as the male half of a country couple who find a baby girl in the bamboo and raise her as their own until the truth is revealed when she is taken back...