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Twin Sisters of Kyoto

In this Japanese drama, a dry goods merchant's daughter is surprised to discover that she has a twin sister. In rural Japan it was thought that twins bring bad luck, so the sister was abandoned at birth. Later her parents tell her that her sister was kidnapped. The woman doesn't believe this and when she eventually meets her twin, both women are involved in love affairs. The merchant's daughter is seeing an educated fellow. Trouble ensues when she begins suspecting that he may be more interested in her sister.

Twin Sisters of Kyoto

6.5 1963
Judo Life

Sonny Chiba's first martial arts film, a partially fictionalized judo biopic based on prominent judoka Shiro Saigo (Chiba), the second student of judo founder Jigoro Kano (Naoki Sugiura). Akira Kurosawa’s Sanshiro Sugata is based on the same character and shares some scenes, but Judo for Life focuses more on the martial arts philosophy and training, including scenes depicting how the protagonist learned his famous cat-like landing, coined the term judo, and trained with Tsunejiro Tomita (Hideo Murata). There’s also a slight yakuza film influence. The port street ambush scene is found in both films, but in Judo for Life it’s not Kano but a travelling yakuza that jumps out of the rickshaw. Entertaining and beautifully old fashioned, one does however with there were more shades of gray between good and evil, and a stronger ninkyo-like moral / honour conflict.

Judo Life

NR 1963
Miyamoto Musashi

In this first episode, we are introduced to Takezo, what Musashi used to be before he became the man of legend. His beginning are not exactly auspicious. He sides with the Toyotomi at Sekigahara, and as a result finds himself on the losing side of the historic battle. He and his friend Matahachi manage to escape the slaughter although the latter is wounded in his leg. They stumble across the young Akemi who makes her living with her mother Oko by robbing corpses of their armor and anything else they can sell. Oko takes it into her head to seduce Matahachi, which she does first by skillfully sucking the gangrene from his blood, and then just by sucking.

Miyamoto Musashi

7.3 1961
The Shepherd Girl

Julie Yeh Feng stars as Hsiu Hsiu, a beautiful singing shepherdess who falls head over heels in love with a handsome boatman named Liu Ta Lung. Unfortunately, she can't afford to marry her new beau because her father has racked up numerous debts due to his uncontrollable gambling addiction. And to make matters even more complicated, there's a rival suitor who promises to pay off all of her no-good father's debts on the condition that he is given Hsiu Hsiu's hand in marriage. She initially declines his offer, but starts to get jealous when she sees Ta Lung getting a little too close for comfort with another woman. In retaliation, she starts flirting with her possible benefactor/husband-to-be. But what Hsiu Hsiu doesn't know is that her jealousy isn't based on any actual unfaithfulness, but on an unfortunate misunderstanding!

The Shepherd Girl

9.5 1964
New Underground History of Japanese Violence: Vengeance Demon

A brother and sister live as outcasts from their hamlet due to a belief that mental illness runs in their family. A group of villagers plot to steal their property by beating and hanging the brother and gang-raping the sister. Believing the brother to be dead, scheming to kill the sister, and making both deaths look like accidents... unbeknownst to them, the brother survives and proceeds on a mission to slaughter those responsible in the hamlet.

New Underground History of Japanese Violence: Vengeance Demon

5.4 1969
Let's Be Happy Tonight

Hong Kong might be enjoying unprecedented prosperity in the late 1960s, but the poverty-stricken stories of the Tramp remain appealing. Cheng Kwun-min, veteran character actor best known in the era of Cantonese cinema as Elvis of the East, builds on his newfound stardom in the television era by teaming up with fellow members of the popular variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight to stage this Chaplin redux. The film offers several clever duplications of Chaplin's gags and Cheng's Charlie retains much of the Tramp's essence, in both mannerisms and the determination to remain dignified despite poor social standings. Cheng was so fond of playing the character he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his showbiz life with another turn as the Tramp, in Charlie Catches the Cat (1969).

Let's Be Happy Tonight

5.5 1968
The Hoodlum Priest

The first film in the 2 part series about Ryuzen, a renegade martial-arts priest who, in addition to breaking all the commandments against sex and gambling, opens his own gambling den in direct defiance of the local yakuza boss. Exciting action and a twisty plot this movie breaks new barriers in Japanese cinema. Katsu Shintaro is superb in one of his better non-Zato Ichi roles as he fights off the advances of a love-lorn woman and risks his life to defeat the powerful gambling boss who has a stranglehold on the town.

The Hoodlum Priest

7.3 1967
The Warlord and the Actress

A member of the Red Peony troupe, singer Tang Pei Hua (Yeh Feng) is renowned for her beautiful voice and appearances. Her beauty, however, invites the unwanted attentions of cruel and lecherous warlord Cao Lin (Zeng Mei). In order to escape Cao's grasp, Tang and her lover Lin Ke Qiang (Chin Han) decide to run away to the south where they can live freely. But their plan is uncovered by Cao, and Lin gets captured. In order to save Lin, Tang must sacrifice herself and entertain Japanese guests at a banquet, throwing herself into danger's way.

The Warlord and the Actress

10.0 1964