I pre-ordered Zatoichi, and also ended up ordering Sansho the Bailiff, Rashomon, and the eclipse set Oshima's Outlaw Sixties.
Anyone have any insight into the quality of the films in any of the other Japanese eclipse sets? I was also considering the First Movies of Kurosawa set, Kenzo Mizoguchi's Fallen Women, and Masaki Kobayashi's Against the System.
I suspect I will eventually buy them all but will do it slowly as I just noticed they are all on Hulu, although I'm in Canada so I have to jump through hoops to get at Hulu in the first place.
I already own Nikkatsu Noir and was hoping there were more of those types of movies around, but I suspect most of them are single releases which I already own.
Mizoguchi's Fallen Women - Solid
Late Ozu - Solid
Postwar Kurosawa / First Films of Akira Kurosawa - The
Postwar set is wonderful, and all-around better than
First FIlms. Worth it for
The Idiot alone (
though a lot of people don't like that film).
Silent Naruse - Great, love love love this set!
Masaki Kobayashi Against the System - Releases for Kobayashi are harder to come by than some of these other directors, and he made a relatively small number of films. I've seen half the set, but can easily recommend it based on those films, as well as his general consistency. If you were a fan of the amazing Teshigahara set (
all three Kôbô Abe adaptations), you might be happy to know that
The Thick-Walled Room from this set was a Kôbô Abe screenplay.
The Koreyoshi Kurahara set is your answer for more Nikkatsu, though his films are fucking bananas. The closest thing in this set to Nikkatsu Noir is
Intimidation. The other crime films (
Warped Ones, Black Sun) in the set are heavily jazz-focused, and the rest are a romcom (
I Hate But Love), and a suspense-thriller (
Thirst for Love), both featuring Ruriko Asaoka at her best.