Friday & Saturday, November 29 & 30

THRONE OF BLOOD - Retranslated & Resubtitled
(Japan/1957/110 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

An atmospheric adaptation of Macbeth sets the story in medieval Japan during a period of feudal conflict. Toshiro Mifune stars as the proud warrior destroyed by his wife s murderous greed and impetuous lust for power.

Sunday, December 1

STRAY DOG  - Retranslated & Resubtitled

(Japan/1949/122 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

When a young homicide detective loses his gun to a pickpocket, a heated chase through Tokyo s underworld ensues. Rich in mood and detail, this superb mix of noir and neo-realism is both a thrilling crime drama and a complex character study.

Monday, December 2

I LIVE IN FEAR - Retranslated & Resubtitled

(Japan/1955/103 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

Toshiro Mifune is an aging industrialist driven to madness over fears of a nuclear attack in this caustic portrait of the atom age. His obsession with removing himself and his family to Brazil to escape the annihilation he assumes is forthcoming triggers an investigation into his mental health.

Tuesday, December 3

DRUNKEN ANGEL -  Retranslated & Resubtitled

(Japan/1948/98 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

A Yakuza (Japanese gangster) and an alcoholic doctor collide in this film noir classic about redemption and obsession. Matsunaga (Toshiro Mifune), the tubercular Mafioso, forms a strange bond with a disreputable doctor. The elder functionary tries to save the young hothead from his dangerous existence but is soon aligned with his seedy life.

Wednesday, December 4

THE BAD SLEEP WELL - Retranslated & Resubtitled

(Japan/1960/151 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

This expansive, complex story of corruption and revenge echoes Hamlet in its narrative thrust. Toshiro Mifune stars as a young executive who marries his boss s daughter in order to infiltrate the family, expose their corrupt business dealings and avenge the mysterious murder of his own father.

Thursday & Friday, December 5 & 6

HIDDEN FORTRESS

(Japan/1958/139 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

Acknowledged as a primary influence on Star Wars, Kurosawa s film delivers a deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action and humanist compassion on an epic scale. A general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides.

Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8

RASHOMON

(Japan/1950/87 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

Perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice Rashomon reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man s murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives a commanding performance as a bandit in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.

Monday, December 9

RED BEARD

(Japan/1965/199 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

Toshiro Mifune, in his last role for Kurosawa, gives a powerhouse performance in this austere testament to the goodness of humankind. Set in the 19th century, Red Beard chronicles the tumultuous relationship between an arrogant young doctor and a compassionate clinic director.

Tuesday, December 10

HIGH AND LOW

(Japan/1963/143 min./Black and White/Color/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

Based on Ed McBain s detective novel King s Ransom, High and Low stars Toshiro Mifune as an affluent shoe mogul whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper. Though when it turns out the criminal has snatched the wrong child a moral conundrum arises for the wealthy industrialist who is still expected to pay ransom: save his money and risk the child s life or save the child and risk his wealth?

Wednesday, December 11

YOJIMBO

(Japan/1961/110 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

In order to rid a village of corruption, the masterless samurai Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune) turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade both as A Fistful of Dollars and, more recently, Last Man Standing, this exhilarating hybrid of gangster narrative and Western tropes remains one of the most influential and entertaining genre-twisters ever produced.

Thursday, December 12

SANJURO

(Japan/1962/96 min./Black and White/Japanese with English subtitles/Feature)

In this companion piece and sequel to Yojimbo Toshiro Mifune returns as the swaggering, snarling swordsman who helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan s evil influences. A tightly paced, beautifully composed film that turns the image of a proper samurai on its ear.