Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, or Ozu?

Akira Kurosawa - Famous for directing Japanese epics Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Ran, along with countless other greats. Not only did Kurosawa direct some extraordinary action sequences, they were also some of the first action scenes of their kind in cinema. Possibly the most famous Japanese director of all time, and a classic auteur of cinema.

Kenji Mizoguchi - His 1953 period film Ugetsu (or Ugetsu Monogatari) is considered one of the greatest films of all time. He was a master of the long take, and was one of the first Japanese directors to gain recognition outside of Japan.

Yasujiro Ozu - Regarded for almost his entire life as too Japanese for other audiences, his films are, in fact, universal. His postwar films, especially Tokyo Story are regarded as some of the greatest films of all time. Instead of drastic changes or variations throughout his career, Ozu relied on themes only varying slightly, yet each unique.

Three masters of one of the best world cinemas, who's your favorite?

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Mubi

None of them made an anime film unless you count Dreams...or you're mocking the uninformed nvm

I'm inclined to say Kurosawa only because I've seen far more of his work than the other two. From Mizoguchi I've only seen Ugetsu and Sansho and from Ozu I've only seen Tokyo Story and Late/Early Spring. Bring on the recs.

I'm doing that thing.

I voted Eww...

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Kurosawa because he had the greatest range and variation.

Ozu is excellent but I find the pacing of his movies a bit too "imperfect" and they are all similar in theme and genre, Kurosawa made stuff like Dreams, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Ran and Hidden Fortress: the only link between each film is the Kurosawa-feeling that comes from all these films, much like Stanley Kubrick's films all exhale the Stanley Kubrick feeling.

And I have only watched three movies by Mizoguchi, my impression is that he had greater range than Ozu but less than Kurosawa. Though all his films that I have watched were excellent.

Also, I think you should change your statement from "one of the best world cinemas" to "one of the best cinemas", period, because Japanese cinema is pretty much on the same league as US cinema (at least in terms of quality: the best of Japanese cinema is as good or better than the best of US cinema).

Kurosawa is the greatest director of all time. Period.



Truly a great genius he was, ranking easily among the likes of Michelangelo, Beethoven and Homer. When I watch a film he made for the first time I instantly have the feeling of "I already watched a film like this in my previous life". He had the skill to make the strange seem familiar. Everything I watched from him always had the feeling of "a classic". Truly amazing.

A wise choice!

I have to see more of their movies to vote.

I didn't vote but anime is weird.

I never saw no Ozu.

I saw in a class Sword of the Bailiff. What a big bore that was.

I have seen three Kurosawa movies and they were alright especially Seven Samurai. He is the only one of the three influenced by Western filmmaking. Then Japanese directors after him were influenced by him. Japanese movies before him are pretty draggy and slow.

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It reminds me of a toilet paper on the trees
- Paula

There's no such a film as Sword of the Bailiff. The movie you're referring to is called Sansho the Bailiff and it isn't boring in any way! It's very poignant and touching. The violence shown in the movie has struck me more than the gorey or more visual violence in many other films. Moreover, camera work is top notch. I don't remember if the acting was great, but I don't remember it being bad neither. I've also seen Ugetsu, which is pretty good as well.

I know it's unacceptable, but I haven't seen any Ozu film yet. I'm looking forward to seeing The Tokyo Story, though!

I've seen several Kurosawa films, of which The Throne in Blood, Ran and A Silent Duel I liked the most. Dersu Uzala and The Seven Samurai are close, though. I have a lot more to see.

And the thing that's bothering me the most why in the world there's no Masaki Kobayashi here? He's always omitted yet he's a genious filmmaker. I've seen Seppuku, Samurai Rebellion, Kwaidan and Human Condition Trilogy and all of them are simply perfect. That's my favourite Japanese director.

^This. I've seen three of Kurosawa's films: Seven Samurai, High and Low, and Ran. The latter was definitely my favorite. The only Ozu I've seen is Tokyo Story, and unfortunately I haven't seen any of Mizoguchi's work.

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"Puns are the highest form of literature." -Alfred Hitchcock

Kobayashi films came a bit later and he wasn't as influential as these three were. They were The Big Three of the golden age of Japanese cinema.

In the Sign and Sound 2012 poll, Kobayashi received only 6-7 critics votes, compared to ca. 150 for Kurosawa, ca. 200 for Ozu and ca. 60 for Mizoguchi. This is a good measure of influence and historical importance.

I have watched about a dozen Kurosawa films, 6-7 Ozu's films (his most famous ones) and 3 Mizoguchi. From this sample I guess that Kurosawa had the greatest range and diversity.

All Japanese cinema is influenced by western film making. Kurosawa films look more western in fact, partly because modern Hollywood cinema is derived to a great extent from Kurosawa's classic work. In other words, Western films that look more Kurosawan!

Ever heard of Star Wars? That movie is simply a remake of a Kurosawa film. Ever heard of the films of Tarantino? Tarantino is greatly influenced by Leone and Leone himself is greatly influenced by Kurosawa. In fact, Kurosawa's Yojimbo was remade by Leone which began the whole spaghetti western genre.

Kurosawa was pure genius.

Watching Kobayashi's Harakiri right now. He started later but his films from 1959-1967 are essential. There are plenty of other Japanese directors we can discuss here and they deserve it. The point is the three in here are well-regarded but others equally should be heralded.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I know he was "trained" by Ozu but I probably rank as high (I know Itami is up there as well, and he's later still. Blasphemy!). I'm lucky enough to have seen every one of his major films on the big screen.

If only that kind of thing was available for the kinds of films I wanna watch. The closest I can get to seeing Ozu is Hirokazu Kore-eda, who I believe to be his cinematic successor.

The KINEMA JUNPO film magazine selected the top 200 Japanese movies of all time in a poll involving film critics:

1 / TOKYO STORY / 1953 / OZU
2 / SEVEN SAMURAI / 1954 / KUROSAWA
3 / FLOATING CLOUDS / 1955 / NARUSE
4 / SUN IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE SHOGUNATE / 1957 / KAWASHIMA
5 / BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR & HUMANITY / 1973 / FUKASAKU
6 / TWENTY-FOUR EYES / 1954 / KINOSHITA
7 / RASHOMON / 1950 / KUROSAWA
7 / SAZEN TANGE AND THE POT WORTH A MILLION RYO / 1935 / YAMANAKA
7 / THE MAN WHO STOLE THE SUN / 1979 / HASEGAWA
10 / THE FAMILY GAME / 1983 / MORITA
10 / STRAY DOG / 1949 / KUROSAWA
10 / TYPHOON CLUB / 1985 / SOMAI
13 / IKIRU / 1952 / KUROSAWA
13 / SUZAKI PARADISE RED LIGHT / 1956 / KAWASHIMA
13 / HIGH AND LOW / 1963 / KUROSAWA
13 / A FUGITIVE FROM THE PAST / 1965 / UCHIDA
17 / HARAKIRI / 1962 / KOBAYASHI
17 / INTENTIONS OF MURDER / 1964 / IMAMURA
17 / TOKYO OLYMPIAD / 1965 / ICHIKAWA
17 / THE CASTLE OF SAND / 1974 / NOMURA
17 / FAILED YOUTH / 1974 / KUMASHIRO
17 / NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND / 1984 / MIYAZAKI
23 / HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS / 1937 / YAMANAKA
23 / YOJIMBO / 1961 / KUROSAWA
23 / FIGHTING ELEGY / 1966 / SUZUKI
23 / FALL GUY / 1982 / FUKASAKU
23 / BOILING POINT / 1990 / KITANO
23 / UGETSU / 1953 / MIZOGUCHI
23 / CHIKAMATSU MONOGATARI / 1954 / MIZOGUCHI
23 / SHE WAS LIKE A WILD CHRYSANTHEMUM / 1955 / KINOSHITA
23 / FLOWING / 1956 / NARUSE
23 / SAMURAI VENDETTA / 1959 / MORI
23 / BRANDED TO KILL / 1967 / SUZUKI
23 / VENGEANCE IS MINE / 1979 / IMAMURA
23 / ZIGEUNERWEISEN / 1980 / SUZUKI
36 / HERE’S TO THE GIRLS / 1949 / KINOSHITA
36 / THE BALL AT THE ANJO HOUSE / 1947 / YOSHIMURA
36 / LATE SPRING / 1949 / OZU
36 / TILL WE MEET AGAIN / 1950 / IMAI
36 / THE LIFE OF OHARU / 1952 / MIZOGUCHI
36 / A BLOODY SPEAR AT MOUNT FUJI / 1955 / UCHIDA
36 / THE LOWER DEPTHS / 1957 / KUROSAWA
36 / THE CHASE / 1958 / NOMURA
36 / FLOATING WEEDS / 1959 / OZU
36 / GOOD MORNING / 1959 / OZU
36 / DESPERATE OUTPOST / 1959 / OKAMOTO
36 / HER BROTHER / 1960 / ICHIKAWA
36 / CRUEL STORY OF YOUTH / 1960 / OSHIMA
36 / THE GRACEFUL BRUTE / 1962 / KAWASHIMA
36 / PROXY WAR / 1973 / FUKASAKU
36 / THE WANDERERS / 1973 / ICHIKAWA
36 / THE YOUTH KILLER / 1976 / HASEGAWA
36 / MUDDY RIVER / 1981 / OGURI
36 / THE FUNERAL / 1984 / ITAMI
36 / HIMATSURI / 1985 / YANAGIMACHI
36 / MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO / 1988 / MIYAZAKI
36 / CURE / 1997 / KUROSAWA
36 / NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE / 2005 / SONO
59 / I WAS BORN, BUT… / 1932 / OZU
59 / WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET? / 1937 / OZU
59 / SINGING LOVEBIRDS / 1939 / MAKINO
59 / THE LIVE OF MATSU THE UNTAMED / 1943 / INAGAKI
59 / CARMEN COMES HOME / 1951 / KINOSHITA
59 / THE HUMAN CONDITION / 1959-61 / KOBAYASHI
59 / THE HUMAN VAPOR / 1960 / HONDA
59 / SANJURO / 1962 / KUROSAWA
59 / THE INSECT WOMAN / 1963 / IMAMURA
59 / PALE FLOWER / 1964 / SHINODA
59 / YEARNING / 1964 / NARUSE
59 / TOKYO DRIFTER / 1966 / SUZUKI
59 / JAPAN’S LONGEST DAY / 1967 / OKAMOTO
59 / THE PROFOUND DESIRE OF THE GODS / 1968 / IMAMURA
59 / THE HUMAN BULLET / 1968 / OKAMOTO
59 / BIG TIME GAMBLING BOSS / 1968 / YAMASHITA
59 / I, THE EXECUTIONER / 1968 / KATO
59 / BOY / 1969 / OSHIMA
59 / DOUBLE SUICIDE / 1969 / SHINODA
59 / IT’S TOUGH BEING A MAN / 1969-95 / YAMADA
59 / TAKE CARE, RED RIDING HOOD / 1970 / MORITANI
59 / RED PEONY GAMBLES HER LIFE / 1970 / KATO
59 / KAOYAKU / 1971 / KATSU
59 / WET SAND IN AUGUST / 1971 / FUJITA
59 / OUTLAW KILLERS: THREE MAD DOG BROTHERS / 1972 / FUKASAKU
59 / CONFIDENTIAL: SECRET MARKET / 1974 / TANAKA
59 / CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO / 1979 / MIYAZAKI
59 / KAGEMUSHA / 1980 / KUROSAWA
59 / CRAZY THUNDER ROAD / 1980 / ISHII
59 / CRAZED FRUIT / 1981 / NEGISHI
59 / NIPPON-KOKU FURUYASHIKI—MURA / 1982 / OGAWA
59 / P. P. RIDER / 1983 / SOMAI
59 / MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE / 1983 / OSHIMA
59 / THE GIRL WHO CUT TIME / 1983 / OBAYASHI
59 / LOVE HOTEL / 1985 / SOMAI
59 / RAN / 1985 / KUROSAWA
59 / COMIC MAGAZINE / 1986 / TAKITA
59 / CASTLE IN THE SKY / 1986 / MIYAZAKI
59 / TETSUO: THE IRON MAN / 1989 / TSUKAMOTO
59 / MOVING / 1993 / SOMAI
59 / SONATINE / 1993 / KITANO
59 / KIDS RETURN / 1996 / KITANO
59 / CRAYON SHIN-CHAN: ARASHI WO YOBU – MOURETSU! OTONA TEIKOKU NO GYAKUSHUU / 2001 / MIZUSHIMA
59 / THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI / 2002 / YAMADA
59 / BRIGHT FUTURE / 2003 / KUROSAWA
59 / RAMBLERS / 2003 / YAMASHITA
59 / SUMMER DAYS WITH COO / 2007 / HARA
106 / A DIARY OF CHUJI’S TRAVELS / 1927 / ITO
106 / CAPRICIOUS YOUNG MAN / 1936 / ITAMI
106 / SISTERS OF THE GION / 1936 / MIZOGUCHI
106 / THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTEMUM / 1939 / MIZOGUCHI
106 / SANSHIRO SUGATA / 1943 / KUROSAWA
106 / WARE MABOROSHI NO SAKANA O MITARI / 1950 / ITO
106 / EARLY SUMMER / 1951 / OZU
106 / LIGHTNING / 1952 / NARUSE
106 / MOTHER / 1952 / NARUSE
106 / JIROCHO SANGOKUCHI / 1952-54 / MAKINO
106 / GODZILLA / 1954 / HONDA
106 / STREET OF SHAME / 1956 / MIZOGUCHI
106 / CRAZED FRUIT / 1956 / NAKAHIRA
106 / THRONE OF BLOOD / 1957 / KUROSAWA
106 / TOKYO TWILIGHT / 1957 / OZU
106 / WASHI TO TAKA / 1957 / INOUE
106 / ENJO / 1958 / ICHIKAWA
106 / THE HIDDEN FORTRESS / 1958 / KUROSAWA
106 / GHOST STORY OF YOTSUYA / 1959 / NAKAGAWA
106 / LATE AUTUMN / 1960 / OZU
106 / WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS / 1960 / NARUSE
106 / HITO MO ARUKEBA / 1960 / KAWASHIMA
106 / TEN DARK WOMEN / 1961 / ICHIKAWA
106 / THE LAST WAR / 1961 / MATSUBAYASHI
106 / A WIFE CONFESSES / 1961 / MASUMURA
106 / FOUNDRY TOWN / 1962 / URAYAMA
106 / DESTINY’S SON / 1962 / MISUMI
106 / THE OUTCAST / 1962 / ICHIKAWA
106 / THE ELEGANT LIFE OF MR. EVERYMAN / 1963 / OKAMOTO
106 / THE THIRTEEN ASSASSINS / 1963 / KUDO
106 / WOMAN IN THE DUNES / 1964 / TESHIGAHARA
106 / RED BEARD / 1965 / KUROSAWA
106 / SEISAKU’S WIFE / 1965 / MASUMURA
106 / STORY OF A PROSTITUTE / 1965 / SUZUKI
106 / THE HITMAN / 1967 / MORI
106 / LIKE A SHOOTING STAR / 1967 / MASUDA
106 / A COLT IS MY PASSPORT / 1967 / NOMURA
106 / IT’S TOUGH BEING A MAN / 1969 / YAMADA
106 / GO, GO SECOND TIME VIRGIN / 1969 / WAKAMATSU
106 / GENDAI SEI HANZAI ZEKKYO HEN: RIYU NAKI BOKO / 1969 / WAKAMATSU
106 / DODES’KA-DEN / 1970 / KUROSAWA
106 / HAKUCYU NO SYUGEKI / 1970 / NISHIMURA
106 / MINAMATA / 1972 / TSUCHIMOTO
106 / THE MORNING SCHEDULE / 1972 / HANI
106 / MESUNEKOTACHI NO YORU / 1972 / TANAKA
106 / AKAI TORI NIGETA? / 1973 / FUJITA
106 / TORA SAN’S FORGET ME NO / 1973 / YAMADA
106 / SANRIZUKA: HETA BURAKU / 1973 / OGAWA
106 / STREET OF JOY / 1974 / KUMASHIRO
106 / SHIRANUI SEA / 1975 / TSUCHIMOTO
106 / GRAVEYARD OF HONOR / 1975 / FUKASAKU
106 / PREPARATION FOR THE FESTIVAL / 1975 / KUROKI
106 / IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES / 1976 / OSHIMA
106 / LULLABY OF THE EARTH / 1976 / MASUMURA
106 / HOUSE / 1977 / OBAYASHI
106 / THE DEVIL’S BOUNCING BALL SONG / 1977 / ICHIKAWA
106 / SHINJUKU MIDAREGAI: IKUMADE MATTE / 1977 / SONE
106 / MOUNT HAKKODA / 1977 / MORITANI
106 / RAPE! 13TH HOUR / 1977 / HASEBE
106 / THIRD BASE / 1978 / HIGASHI
106 / SHOUJO SHOFU: KEMONOMICHI / 1980 / KUMASHIRO
106 / STATION / 1981 / FURUHATA
106 / ATTACKED WOMEN / 1981 / TAKAHASHI
106 / ANGEL GUTS: RED PORNO / 1981 / IKEDA
106 / SOMETHING LIKE IT / 1981 / MORITA
106 / THE IMPERIAL NAVY / 1981 / MATSUBAYASHI
106 / TRANSFER STUDENT / 1982 / OBAYASHI
106 / BURST CITY / 1982 / ISHII
106 / THE MAKIOKA SISTERS / 1983 / ICHIKAWA
106 / INUJINI SESI MONO / 1986 / IZUTSU
106 / THE SEA AND POISON / 1986 / KUMAI
106 / VIOLENT COP / 1989 / KITANO
106 / THE STING OF DEATH / 1990 / OGURI
106 / A SCENE AT THE SEA / 1991 / KITANO
106 / THE ROCKING HORSEMEN / 1992 / OBAYASHI
106 / TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER / 1992 / TSUKAMOTO
106 / WHERE IS THE MOON? / 1993 / SAI
106 / SHALL WE DANCE? / 1996 / SUO
106 / TOKIWA: THE MANGA APARTMENT / 1996 / ICHIKAWA
106 / GAKKO III: THE NEW VOYAGE / 1998 / YAMADA
106 / FACE / 2000 / SAKAMOTO
106 / KAZA-HANA / 2000 / SOMAI
106 / SWING GIRLS / 2004 / YAGUCHI
106 / NOBODY KNOWS / 2004 / KOREEDA
106 / THE REASON / 2004 / OBAYASHI
106 / BREAK THROUGH! / 2004 / IZUTSU
106 / WHO’S CAMUS ANYWAY? / 2005 / YANAGIMACHI
106 / MEMORIES OF MATSUKO / 2006 / NAKASHIMA
106 / HULA GIRLS / 2006 / LEE SANG-IL
106 / WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS / 2005 / NEGISHI
106 / DEPARTURES / 2008 / TAKITA
106 / ALL AROUND US / 2008 / HASHIGUCHI
106 / CHILDREN OF THE DARK / 2008 / SAKAMOTO

And the top movies in the magazine reader's pool:

01 SEVEN SAMURAI Akira Kurosawa
02 TOKYO STORY Yasujirô Ozu
03 IKIRU Akira Kurosawa
04 THE CASTLE OF SAND Yoshitaro Nomura
05 FLOATING CLOUDS Mikio Naruse
06 TWENTY-FOUR EYES Keisuke Kinoshita
07 A FUGITIVE FROM THE PAST Tomu Uchida
08 RED BEARD Akira Kurosawa
09 HIGH AND LOW Akira Kurosawa
10 MUDDY RIVER Kôhei Oguri
11 YOJIMBO Akira Kurosawa
12 LUPIN THE THIRD: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO Hayao Miyazaki
13 NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND Hayao Miyazaki
14 THE MAN WHO STOLE THE SUN Kazuhiko Hasegawa
15 HARAKIRI Masaki Kobayashi
16 I ARE YOU, YOU AM ME Nobuhiko Obayashi
17 CONTOS DA LUA VAGA Kenji Mizoguchi
18 LOVE LETTER Shunji Iwai
19 THE LIFE OF OHARU Kenji Mizoguchi
20 VENGEANCE IS MINE Shôhei Imamura
21 THE YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF Yôji Yamada
22 EARLY SUMMER Yasujirô Ozu
23 GODZILLA Ishirô Honda
24 THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME Nobuhiko Obayashi
25 FALL GUY Kinji Fukasaku
26 CASTLE IN THE SKY Hayao Miyazaki
27 THE INUGAMI FAMILY Kon Ichikawa
28 THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI Yôji Yamada
29 RASHÔMON Akira Kurosawa
30 THE SUN LEGEND OF THE END OF THE TOKUGAWA ERA Yuzo Kawashima
31 THE EMPEROR'S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON Kazuo Hara
32 TORA-SAN: OUR LOVABLE TRAMP Yôji Yamada
33 THE RICKSHAW MAN Hiroshi Inagaki
34 KIDS RETURN Takeshi Kitano
35 MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO Hayao Miyazaki
36 HUMANITY AND PAPER BALLOONS Sadao Yamanaka
37 SHALL WE DANCE? Masayuki Suo
38 TANGE SAZEN AND THE POT WORTH A MILLION RYO Sadao Yamanaka
39 THE FAMILY GAME Yoshimitsu Morita
40 ZIGEUNERWEISEN Seijun Suzuki
41 LATE SPRING Yasujirô Ozu
42 THE HIDDEN FORTRESS Akira Kurosawa
43 PASTORAL: TO DIE IN THE COUNTRY Shûji Terayama
44 SONATINE Takeshi Kitano
45 NOBODY KNOWS Hirokazu Kore-eda
46 THE CRUCIFIED LOVERS Kenji Mizoguchi
47 STRAY DOG Akira Kurosawa
48 DEPARTURES Yôjirô Takita
49 THE HUMAN CONDITION Masaki Kobayashi
50 HER BROTHER Kon Ichikawa
51 THE MAKIOKA SISTERS Kon Ichikawa
52 THE STORY OF THE LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS Kenji Mizoguchi
53 HULA GIRLS Lee Sang-il
54 THE NAKED ISLAND Kaneto Shindô
55 THE INSECT WOMAN Shôhei Imamura
56 THE YAKUZA PAPERS: BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY Kinji Fukasaku
57 THE DEVIL'S BALLAD Kon Ichikawa
58 TIMES OF JOY AND SORROW Keisuke Kinoshita
59 SANJURO Akira Kurosawa
60 THE ROCKING HORSEMEN Nobuhiko Obayashi
61 CHIZUKO'S YOUNGER SISTER Nobuhiko Obayashi
62 THE CHERRY ORCHARD Shun Nakahara
63 FOUNDRY TOWN Kiriro Urayama
64 ALWAYS - SUNSET ON THIRD STREET Takashi Yamazaki
65 AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON Yasujirô Ozu
66 WET SAND IN AUGUST Toshiya Fujita
67 BULLET TRAIN Junya Sato
68 THE YAKUZA PAPERS 3: PROXY WAR Kinji Fukasaku
69 CURE Kiyoshi Kurosawa
70 THE YOUTH KILLER Kazuhiko Hasegawa
71 KAMIKAZE GIRLS Tetsuya Nakashima
72 LOVE EXPOSURE Sion Sono
73 HANA AND ALICE Shunji Iwai
74 FIGHTING ELEGY Seijun Suzuki
75 THE IVORY TOWER Satsuo Yamamoto
76 BROTHEL NO. 8 Kei Kumai
77 DISTANT THUNDER Kichitaro Negishi
78 BREAK THROUGH! Kazuyuki Izutsu
79 A GENTLE BREEZE IN THE VILLAGE Nobuhiro Yamashita
80 THE SUBMERSION OF JAPAN Shirô Moritani
81 MEMORIES OF MATSUKO Tetsuya Nakashima
82 MR. THANK YOU Hiroshi Shimizu
83 DOUBLE SUICIDE Masahiro Shinoda
84 THE RENDEZVOUS Kôichi Saitô
85 MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE Nagisa Ôshima
86 PRINCESS MONONOKE Hayao Miyazaki
87 SWING GIRLS Shinobu Yaguchi
88 THE LONG DARKNESS Kei Kumai
89 STILL WALKING Hirokazu Kore-eda
90 BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE TODA FAMILY Yasujirô Ozu
91 IMMORTAL LOVE Keisuke Kinoshita
92 KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE Hayao Miyazaki
93 GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE Shusuke Kaneko
94 BLOOD OF REVENGE Tai Katô
95 GONIN Takashi Ishii
96 GRAVEYARD OF HONOR Kinji Fukasaku
97 SPIRITED AWAY Hayao Miyazaki
98 STREET WITHOUT END Mikio Naruse
99 I LIVE IN FEAR Akira Kurosawa
100 HUSBAND AND WIFE Mikio Naruse
101 THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA Nobuo Nakagawa
102 THE CEREMONY Nagisa Ôshima
103 STATION Yasuo Furuhata
104 FIREWORKS Takeshi Kitano
105 THE HUMAN BULLET Kihachi Okamoto
106 A SCENE AT THE SEA Takeshi Kitano
107 THE HIDDEN BLADE Yôji Yamada
108 SUMMER DAYS WITH COO Keiichi Hara
109 THE DEMON Yoshitaro Nomura
110 MACARTHUR'S CHILDREN Masahiro Shinoda
111 SHE WAS LIKE A WILD CHRYSANTHEMUM Keisuke Kinoshita
112 RED PEONY GAMBLER: ORYU’S VISIT Tai Katô
113 THE EEL Shôhei Imamura
114 I JUST DIDN'T DO IT Masayuki Suo
115 LIGHTNING Mikio Naruse
116 INTENTIONS OF MURDER Shôhei Imamura
117 BOY Nagisa Ôshima
118 THE CATCH Shinji Sômai
119 RYUJI Toru Kawashima
120 SANSHO THE BAILIFF Kenji Mizoguchi
121 TOKYO OLYMPIAD Kon Ichikawa
122 TAKE CARE, RED RIDING HOOD Shirô Moritani
123 EUREKA Shinji Aoyama
124 THE FACE OF JIZO Kazuo Kuroki
125 CARMEN COMES HOME Keisuke Kinoshita
126 VACUUM ZONE Satsuo Yamamoto
127 YEARNING Mikio Naruse
128 JAPAN'S LONGEST DAY Kihachi Okamoto
129 WOMAN IN THE DUNES Hiroshi Teshigahara
130 THIRD Yoichi Higashi
131 THE FUNERAL Jûzô Itami
132 JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH Isshin Inudo
133 SISTERS OF THE GION Kenji Mizoguchi
134 STAKEOUT Yoshitaro Nomura
135 FAILED YOUTH Tatsumi Kumashiro
136 THE MAN WHO LEFT HIS WILL ON FILM Nagisa Ôshima
137 MOTHER Mikio Naruse
138 GIANTS AND TOYS Yasuzo Masumura
139 AKITSU SPRINGS Yoshishige Yoshida
140 SCATTERED CLOUDS Mikio Naruse
141 MIRRORED MIND Sogo Ishii
142 TYPHOON CLUB Shinji Sômai
143 LINDA LINDA LINDA Nobuhiro Yamashita
144 SUMMER TIME MACHINE BLUES Katsuyuki Motohiro
145 ONE MILLION YEN GIRL Yuki Tanada
146 I WAS BORN, BUT... Yasujirô Ozu
147 CAPRICIOUS YOUNG MAN Mansaku Itami
148 DRUNKEN ANGEL Akira Kurosawa
149 WHERE CHIMNEYS ARE SEEN Heinosuke Gosho
150 13 ASSASSINS Eiichi Kudo
151 THE AGE OF ASSASSINS Kihachi Okamoto
152 HEAT-HAZE THEATRE Seijun Suzuki
153 RING Hideo Nakata
154 SINGING LOVEBIRDS Masahiro Makino
155 TILL WE MEET AGAIN Tadashi Imai
156 SUSAKI PARADISE: RED LIGHT DISTRICT Yuzo Kawashima
157 GALAXY EXPRESS 999 Rintaro
158 A TAXING WOMAN Jûzô Itami
159 TOKIWA: THE MANGA APARTMENT Jun Ichikawa
160 AFTER LIFE Hirokazu Kore-eda
161 PULSE Kiyoshi Kurosawa
162 HUSH! Ryosuke Hashiguchi
163 THE BURIED FOREST Kôhei Oguri

If you assign point to the positions in these rankings we could get a picture of how the Japanese film critics and film buffs rank their greatest directors.

Akira Kurosawa clearly dominates both lists.

In the reader's list, Ozu, Kobayashi and Mizoguchi are even dominated by Miyazaki, who has 8 films at the top 100.

Finally, note that Sancho the Bailiff doesn't show up in the critics list.

Also, here is the top foreign movies (in relation to Japan) according to the readers of the magazine: http://mubi.com/lists/foreign-movies...inejun-readers

Tell Japan to get an account so he can vote then!

I have assigned points to each position in the two rankings and compiled rankings of some of the major Japanese directors (in the critics poll, the first ranked movie had 106 points, the last ones, tied at 106 place, had 1 point, readers poll was similar but more continuous):



The monster, Kurosawa, clearly dominates both lists. He was indeed a genius in rational film making ("rational" would be the construction of films that tell a well constructed story and whose plots make logical sense, in contrast to more "intuitive" directors such as Tarkovsky).

Ozu was second in the critics poll and third in the readers poll. The greatest animator of all time, Miyazaki, was the third in the critics poll and second in the readers poll. Mizoguchi was ranked in fourth place out of these directors in both lists.

Note also the films by Yamada, which is a director who won four Japanese academy awards for best film. He didn't do very well in the critics poll but in the reader's poll he bested Kobayashi and Kitano.

Quoted from a post of Guaporense in another thread:
"The fact is that there are around 200,000 movies in existence. A professional film critic with 20 years experience has watched around 10,000 movies, or 5% of the total. And also, he didn't watch most of these movies several times in order to really master every one. That means that critics are also not able to differentiate the greatest movies since they haven't watched more than a small fraction of all movies and also they brains cannot reliably store their impressions of every movie they watched so when they vote for the top 10 greatest movies they vote for the conventional choices (Citizen Kane, Tokyo Story, Vertigo, Godfather, etc)."

So does this not apply to this poll?