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Masaki Kobayashi (小林 正樹, Kobayashi Masaki, February 14, 1916 – October 4, 1996) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter, best known for the epic trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961), the samurai films Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror anthology Kwaidan (1964).
Masaki Kobayashi was a Japanese director and writer known for his samurai and anti-war films. He was born in 1916 and died in 1996, and worked with actors like Tatsuya Nakadai and Kinuyo Tanaka.
- January 1, 1
- Hokkaido, Japan
- January 1, 1
- Tokyo, Japan
Masaki Kobayashi was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and producer who has directed twenty films in a career spanning 33 years. He is best known for The Human Condition Trilogy , the Academy Award–nominated horror film Kwaidan and the jidaigeki films Harakiri and Samurai Rebellion .
YearTitleOriginal TitleDirector1949The Yotsuya Ghost StoryShin'yaku Yotsuya kaidanNo1949Broken DrumYabure-daikoNo1952Youth of the SonMusuko no seishunYes1953Sincere HeartMagokoroYesPeople also ask
Who was Kobayashi Masaki?
Did Masaki Kobayashi make a samurai movie?
What films did Kobayashi make?
How long is Kobayashi's 'the human condition'?
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The Human Conditionfollows the journey of the well-intentioned, yet naïve Kaji who transitions from being a labor camp supervisor to an Imperial Army soldier and eventual Soviet POW. Constantly trying to rise above a corrupt system, Kaji time and time again finds his own morals an impediment rather than an advantage.
No Greater Love
1. Tatsuya Nakadaias Kaji 2. Michiyo Aratamaas Michiko 3. Chikage Awashimaas Tōfuku Kin 4. Ineko Arimaas Shunran Yō 5. Sō Yamamuraas Okishima 6. Keiji Sadaas Kageyama 7. Kōji Nanbaraas Kao (as Shinji Nanbara) 8. Akira Ishihamaas Chen 9. Kōji Mitsuias Furuya 10. Seiji Miyaguchias Wang Heng Li 11. Eitaro Ozawaas Okazaki 12. Toru Abeas Sergeant Watai 13. Masao Mishimaas Manager Kuroki 14. Kyū Sazankaas Cho Meisan
Road to Eternity
1. Tatsuya Nakadaias Kaji 2. Michiyo Aratamaas Michiko 3. Keiji Sadaas Kageyama 4. Kokinji Katsura as Sasa Nitōhei 5. Jun Tatara as Hino Jun'i 6. Michirō Minami as Yoshida Jōtōhei 7. Kei Satōas Shinjō Ittōhei 8. Kunie Tanakaas Obara Nitōhei
A Soldier's Prayer
1. Tatsuya Nakadaias Kaji 2. Michiyo Aratamaas Michiko 3. Tamao Nakamuraas Hinannmin no Shōjo 4. Yūsuke Kawazuas Terada Nitōhei 5. Chishū Ryūas Hinanmin no Chōrō 6. Taketoshi Naitōas Tange Ittōhei 7. Kyōko Kishidaas Ryūko 8. Ed Keene as Russian officer 9. Ronald Self as Chapayev 10. Hideko Takamineas a refugee
The film was based upon Junpei Gomikawa's six-part autobiographical novel of the same name, which strongly resonated with director Masaki Kobayashi. Like the novel's protagonist, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and stationed in Japan-occupied Manchuria. Self-described as a pacifist and socialist, he had refused to...
Noted for its length, The Human Conditionruns at nine hours, thirty-nine minutes (579 minutes) and would be the longest film in Kobayashi's career. The film was released as a trilogy in Japan between 1959 and 1961, while shown at various film festivals internationally. All-night marathons of the entire trilogy were occasionally shown in Japan; scre...
While the film earned considerable controversy at the time of its release in Japan, The Human Conditionwas critically acclaimed, won several international awards, and established Masaki Kobayashi as one of the most important Japanese directors of the generation. The British film critic David Shipman described the trilogy in his 1983 book, The Story...
No Greater Love at IMDbThe Road to Eternity at IMDbA Soldier's Prayer at IMDbThe Human Condition: The Prisoner an essay by Philip Kemp at the Criterion Collection- Jeremy Urquhart
- Senior Author
- 'Harakiri' (1962) Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita. Though the Academy Awards were pretty bad at recognizing non-English language films in decades past, it still feels like they should've made an exception for Harakiri.
- 'The Human Condition I: No Greater Love' (1959) Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima. Playing out like a prisoner of war film but with its main character as captor (in a sense) rather than captive, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love is the first and arguably best film in the trilogy.
- 'The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer' (1961) Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura. The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer brings The Human Condition trilogy to a harrowing and devastating close, following Kaji as he attempts to escape Manchuria after the Japanese forces are defeated there.
- 'Kwaidan' (1964) Starring: Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentaro Mikuni. As should be clear from the images shown above, Masaki Kobayashi was a director who liked shooting his films in black and white, even as late as the early 1970s.
A list of the best movies directed by Masaki Kobayashi, a Japanese filmmaker known for his social and political critiques. The list includes classics such as The Human Condition, Harakiri, Kwaidan, and Samurai Rebellion.
Kobayashi Masaki was a Japanese motion-picture director whose 9 12-hour trilogy, Ningen no joken (The Human Condition: No Greater Love, 1959; Road to Eternity, 1959; A Soldier’s Prayer, 1961), a monumental criticism of war, constitutes the best example of his films of social concern.
