Yoshie Nakagawa

A Page of Madness

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.

The Cuckoo

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

In late 19th-century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that the praise he receives is only due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully joins him.

The Loyal 47 Ronin

This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.

Crossroads

After falling in love with a courtesan, Rikiya is blinded by ash during a fight in a brothel. Believing the blindness permanent and his opponent dead, Rikiya goes back home to his sister. Okiku, desperate to protect her brother who thinks himself a murderer, wants to sacrifice herself for him and become a prostitute to pay for Rikiya's treatment.

Castle of Wind and Clouds

A samurai returns to his homeland after a three year absence and finds his fiance is now one of the prince's concubines.

The Palanquin Carrier Magistrate

Two cowardly palanquin carriers know the culprit of a murder, but are too scared to report it to the police. In the meantime, an innocent man is arrested as the murderer and chaos ensues.

Chronicles of a Sea Country

Japanese silent film from 1928, co-starring Chojiro Hayashi and up-and-coming actress Kinuyo Tanaka.

A Page of Madness

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.

The Cuckoo

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

In late 19th-century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that the praise he receives is only due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully joins him.

The Loyal 47 Ronin

This 1932 adaptation is the earliest sound version of the ever-popular and much-filmed Chushingura story of the loyal 47 retainers who avenged their feudal lord after he was obliged to commit hara-kiri due to the machinations of a villainous courtier. As the first sound version of the classic narrative, the film was something of an event, and employed a stellar cast, who give a roster of memorable performances. Director Teinosuke Kinugasa was primarily a specialist in jidai-geki (period films), such as the internationally celebrated Gate of Hell (Jigokumon, 1953), and although he is now most famous as the maker of the avant-garde silent films A Page of Madness (Kurutta ichipeji, 1926) and Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928), Chushingura is in fact more typical of his output than those experimental works. The film ranked third in that year’s Kinema Junpo critics’ poll, and Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie noted that 'not only the sound but the quick cutting was admired by many critics.

Crossroads

After falling in love with a courtesan, Rikiya is blinded by ash during a fight in a brothel. Believing the blindness permanent and his opponent dead, Rikiya goes back home to his sister. Okiku, desperate to protect her brother who thinks himself a murderer, wants to sacrifice herself for him and become a prostitute to pay for Rikiya's treatment.

Castle of Wind and Clouds

A samurai returns to his homeland after a three year absence and finds his fiance is now one of the prince's concubines.

The Palanquin Carrier Magistrate

Two cowardly palanquin carriers know the culprit of a murder, but are too scared to report it to the police. In the meantime, an innocent man is arrested as the murderer and chaos ensues.

Chronicles of a Sea Country

Japanese silent film from 1928, co-starring Chojiro Hayashi and up-and-coming actress Kinuyo Tanaka.

Backward Flow

Nanjo Mikisaburo is a young samurai trying to restore his ruined family to its past glory. Enduring the contempt and disdain of high-ranking samurai, Mikisaburo devotes himself to the way of the warrior, mastering the literary and martial arts. His master Kurahashi Jupeita's daughter Misao feels for Mikisahuro who maintains his pride in the face of the arrogant samurai's scorn. She sympathizes with and encourages him. However this sympathy ignites a passionate love for her in Mikisaburo.

The Lamb

Film can be viewed on the National Film Archive of Japan YouTube channel under the title "【全篇】『小羊』1923年｜「はじまりの日本劇映画 映画 meets 新派・新劇・新国劇」より." In English, that would roughly translate to: "[Full length] "The Lamb" 1923 | From "The Beginnings of Japanese Feature Film: Film meets Shinpa, Shingeki, and Shinkokugeki"."

Undersea Girls

A semidocumentary film about female pearl divers and fishermen.