Part one of two.

A Japanese family weathers much hardship after their military uncle comes to live with them during WWII.

A film that begins with wit and comedy when a husband tries to hide and mask his drinking, which his Jesus freak and very Christian wife dislikes, by...

An episodic film about life in and around a rural police station and the people it serves.

Father of nine children cannot find a job. Despite their aspirations, the children are encouraged by both parents to hold down menial jobs and...

Japanese film based on the life of writer Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-1896).

A Fond Face from the Past is also set in a rural community, specifically a village outside Kameoka, near Kyoto. In some ways this short,...

The premature death of a young mother serves as inspiration for her husband and son.

A "slice-of life" film about a group of high school girls in 1940s Japan.

This film attempts to reconstruct the tension of the Battle of Shanghai through an episode in an understated way, introducting its story in a...

Wartime propaganda filmed by the Japanese in occupied China, Shirley Yamaguchi portrays an orphan rescued from the streets by a kindly Japanese...

Part two of two.

In this semi-documentary, an older locomotive driver is tasked with training younger ones and is currently training two in particular. The old man is...

The year is 1936. Ōhinata-mura was a very poor village between deep valleys. Soncho, the village head is trying to collect the village taxes from...

Venice Film Festival 1939

Song of the White Orchid was a co-production of Toho and Mantetsu, the railway that served the colonial region of Manchuria, and the first film in...

This is the story of a woman who enters the world of sales. She works at a company in Ginza as a typist. She determines that she needs money for her...