Murder in a Hell of Oil

An Actor's Revenge

June 1935 •Japanese

An onnagata (female impersonator) of a Kabuki troupe avenges his parents' deaths. Remade in 1963 as Yukinojô Henge.

Ehon Taikōki - Amagasaki Kankyo

Invalid date •Japanese

The play "Ehon Taikōki" was originally written for the puppet theater (Bunraku) and staged for the first time in 1799 in Ōsaka at the Toyotakeza. It was adapted for Kabuki the next year by Nagawa Tokusuke I. The play consisted originally of thirteen acts, one act for each day that passed between Akechi Mitsuhide's murder of Oda Nobunaga and his death at the hand of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The tenth act is the only one which has survived. This act tells of an incident during the battle in which Mitsuhide was finally defeated.

A Story of Floating Weeds

November 1934 •Japanese

An aging actor returns to a small town with his troupe and reunites with his former lover and illegitimate son, a scenario that enrages his current mistress and results in heartbreak for all.

An Actor's Revenge

January 1963 •Japanese

In Edo Japan, a kabuki actor seeks revenge against the three men who drove his parents to their deaths years ago.

Sayonara

December 1957 •English

Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver (Marlon Brando) is reassigned to a Japanese air base, and is confronted with US racial prejudice against the Japanese people. The issue is compounded because a number of the soldiers become romantically involved with Japanese women, in defiance of US military policy. Ordinarily an officer who is by-the-book, Gruver must take a position when a buddy of his, an enlisted man Joe Kelly (Red Buttons) falls in love with a Japanese woman Katsumi (Miyoshi Umeki) and marries her. Gruver risks his position by serving as best man at the wedding ceremony.

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

October 1939 •Japanese

In late 19th century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that he is only praised for his acting due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated by this, 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 follows him.

Jack the Mouse: Noda Version

September 2005 •Japanese

Nezumi, Jack the Mouse is a Japanese urban legend. His passion for money drives a cynical, duplicitous coffin maker to take on Nezumi’s mantle. In this kaleidoscope of disguise and deception, society’s pretenses are destroyed in a melting pot of farce, social satire and courtroom drama. The mighty are brought low to everyone’s delight. Contemporary theatre genius Hideki Noda collaborates with Kabuki theatre at the invitation of celebrated actor Kanzaburo.

Two Portraits of MIYAGINO

May 2010 •Japanese

In Edo-era Japan, a ukiyo-e artist languishes in his master’s shadow. Creatively stifled, he finds consolation in the company of a prostitute, and becomes entangled in a love triangle. A mystery emerges involving two portraits and the sudden disappearance of the artist Sharaku. Helmed by Cannes-selected director Tatsuji Yamazaki, the film employs kabuki-inspired sequences and stylised sets.

Kabuki Akadō Suzunosuke

June 2022 •Japanese

Two young swordsmen, Akado Suzunosuke and Tatsumaki Rainoshin, arrive at the city of Edo in their quest to test and improve their skills. Soon they become involved in a conflict against a mysterious group of demonic criminals led by the king of hell, Taira no Masakado — a strugle to which both were destined since the moment they were born.

Yotsuya Kaidan

July 1923 •Japanese

Iemon

July 1928 •Japanese

Irohagana Yotsuya Kaidan

July 1927 •Japanese

Yotsuya Kaidan

July 1928 •Japanese

Oiwa Nagaya

August 1931 •Japanese

Shin Yotsuya Ghost Story

July 1932 •Japanese

Yotsuya Ghost Stories

January 1936 •Japanese

Irohagana Yotsuya Kaidan

June 1937 •Japanese

Shin Yotsuya Kaidan

March 1914 •Japanese

Yotsuya Kaidan

August 1921 •Japanese

Shin Yotsuya Kaidan

January 1925 •Japanese