Anime drew much from these anamneses and “Grave of the Fireflies” is one of the foremost samples of this tendency. Memories of the horrors of World War II had still quite a large impact in Japanese society and art. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1980) Itami’s dark and intelligent humor, which would characterize the rest of his career, is also present here, delivering some hilarious moments during the dramatic, in principle, main theme.ġ7. However, through this procedure, he highlights one of the most critical social issues of the 80s, that of modern people trying to maintain traditions as they are growingly influenced by western culture, particularly from the US. With an attention to detail that makes the film look like a documentary at times, Itami presents the Japanese funeral rituals. During their efforts, family secrets and tensions arise. Now the two of them have to choose a coffin, hire a priest, and in general, learn about all the proper rituals in order to hold a precise service.
Their lives change, however, when Chizuko’s father dies and they have to take care of the traditional funeral. In that fashion, it was a great sample of what would follow for one of the most successful filmmakers of the decade.Ĭhizuko and Wabisuke are a happily married couple living in Tokyo. Juzo Itami’s writing and directing debut was a huge success in Japan, winning five awards from the Japanese Academy and being one of the highest grossing films of the year. “Hachiko Monogatari” was the highest grossing film in Japan for 1987. Tatsuya Nakadai gives another memorable performance as Shujiro Ueno, although the dog is the one that actually steals the show. The movie, though, remains a melodrama for the most part. Seijiro Koyama included some comic notions resulting from the professor’s infatuation with the dog, which led him to sleep and even take baths together, to the point where his wife started worrying. The film revolves around the connection between the professor and Hachiko, portraying various events of their common life. The film is based on an actual story that occurred in 1932 in Tokyo, with an Akita dog waiting for his master, Professor Ueno, to return from his work, even after he had died, since that was their daily ritual until his death. Hachiko Monogatari (Seijiro Koyama, 1987) Furthermore, it made the particular breed of the dogs (Sakhalin huskies) very popular in the country.ġ9. The film was quite a hit in Japan, as it became the highest-grossing production of 1983. The film entailed splendid cinematography by Akira Shiizuka, wonderful music by Vangelis, and Ken Takakura providing the human element. The result is utterly magnificent, with two of the dogs, Taro and Jiro, being the actual protagonists.
Koreyoshi Kurahara spent three years shooting the movie, in order to present the harsh conditions of the South Pole as realistically as possible. Antarctica (Koreyoshi Kurahara, 1983)īased on a true incident about a Japanese scientific expedition to the South Pole in 1958, the original film revolves around a team of sled dogs that were left alone in Antarctica due to extreme weather conditions. I have made an effort to place the titles in order of quality, but due to the number of masterpieces included, the order could easily be different.Ģ0. Here are 20 of the best films of the 80s, with a focus on diversity. Lastly, Japanese animated film, or “anime” as it is commonly known, became part of the mainstream entertainment in Japan, experiencing a boom in production with artists like Mamoru Oshii, Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo. Takeshi Kitano shot his directorial debut, “Violent Cop” and Juzo Itami made three of the most successful movies of the decade. Seijun Suzuki and Shohei Imamura continued from where they had left off, each one in their respective fields.Ī number of new filmmakers emerged in the 80s. The lack of funds started a new trend, the direct-to-video productions, that drew many new artists due to the creative freedom it offered.Īkira Kurosawa continued shooting masterpieces, while another Kurosawa, Kiyoshi, started drawing international attention. The decline of the major studios that had started in the previous decade continued in the 80s, with Toho, Toei, Nikkatsu, and Shochiku barely hanging on.
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