(Mostly) Forgettable Asian Movies From 1900 Through the 1950s
Since I have already created lists concerning the lesser enjoyable movie output from the west, I decided to do something similar concerning movies from Asia.
I do not mean to say that the pictures on this list are an absolute waste of time. Some of them make great B-pictures or are just ridiculously entertaining - at least if you like to think of yourself as someone with an ancquired taste. Others, well, others don't have any redeeming quality whatsoever and are simply bad.
On a side note, I am very much aware that movies from Asia (especially Eastern Asia) can often be quirky, strange or just downright different. I took that into account upon giving my verdict, but more than often I stumbled across a movie which, at least for me, just didn't cut it.
So, have fun browsing through what I, at least in some cases, consider to be the bad, boring, superfluous and/or way over the top kind of movies and don't hesitate to let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
I do not mean to say that the pictures on this list are an absolute waste of time. Some of them make great B-pictures or are just ridiculously entertaining - at least if you like to think of yourself as someone with an ancquired taste. Others, well, others don't have any redeeming quality whatsoever and are simply bad.
On a side note, I am very much aware that movies from Asia (especially Eastern Asia) can often be quirky, strange or just downright different. I took that into account upon giving my verdict, but more than often I stumbled across a movie which, at least for me, just didn't cut it.
So, have fun browsing through what I, at least in some cases, consider to be the bad, boring, superfluous and/or way over the top kind of movies and don't hesitate to let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTakashi ShimuraSôji KiyokawaIchirô SugaiWorld War II film about female volunteer workers at an optics plant who do their best to meet production targets."The Most Beautiful"
- DirectorsAkira KurosawaHideo SekigawaKajirô YamamotoStarsTakashi ShimuraKenji SusukidaMasayuki MoriTwo sisters, one a dancer and the other a script supervisor at a big movie studio, become embroiled in union activities when a strike is called in sympathy with striking railroad workers, one of whom boards with the sisters and their parents. The girls' father argues with them about their strike, but finds his views changing when he himself loses his job."Those Who Make Tomorrow"
- DirectorKiyohiko UshiharaStarsKeiju KobayashiTeruko AkatsukiKatsuko WakasugiWhen a young woman is named as the prime suspect in a murder, her girlfriend and her girlfriend's boyfriend set out to prove her innocence. Their investigation leads them to an isolated, creepy house in the middle of nowhere, where sinister goings-on abound."Rainbow Man"
- DirectorNobuo AdachiStarsChizuru KitagawaTakiko MizunoeDaijirô NatsukawaJewel thieves become interested in an invisibility formula invented by Professor Nakazato and want to use his invention to acquire a diamond necklace called the "Tears of Amour".."Transparent Man"
- DirectorFung FungStarsBruce LeeChau-Shui YeeHoi-Chuen LeeA 10-year-old orphan is raised by his uncle, groomed by a skilled thief, and becomes involved in trouble around a factory."The Kid"
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsSetsuko HaraMasayuki MoriToshirô MifuneA Japanese veteran, driven partially mad from the war, travels to the snowy island of Hokkaido where he soon enters a love triangle with his best friend and a disgraced woman."The Idiot"
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsAkemi NegishiTadashi SuganumaKisaburo SawamuraFrom June 1944, twelve Japanese seamen are stranded for seven years on an abandoned and forgotten island called Anatahan.
- DirectorKim ChunStarsYin PakCho-Fan NgYing Cheung13-year old Bruce Lee plays San, a child up for adoption. Finally accepted by his surrogate parents, he is faced with a dilemma when his real parents show up and want him back."The Guiding Light"
- DirectorRyôhei AraiStarsTakako IrieMichiko AiYoshitaro Sadato"Ghost-Cat of Arima Palace"
- DirectorBin KatôStarsTakako IrieYoshitaro SadatoMichiko Ai"Ghost-Cat of the Okazaki Upheaval"
- DirectorMotoyoshi OdaStarsSeizaburô KawazuMiki SanjôMinoru TakadaA crime spree breaks out in Tokyo following the revelation that one of Imperial Japan's invisible soldiers is still alive. When robberies turn to murder, a shrewd reporter, a nightclub singer and a clown resolve to stop the crimes."The Invisible Avenger"
- DirectorJi ZhuStarsWood-Yau CheungHark-Sun LauBruce LeeLee plays a young man who comes under the tutelage of a convict and must make hard choices about his life's direction."An Orphan's Tragedy"
- DirectorsMotoyoshi OdaIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi KoizumiSetsuko WakayamaMinoru ChiakiScout pilots for a fishing company are startled to discover a second Godzilla, whose battle with rival monster Anguirus threatens to destroy Osaka."Godzilla Raids Again"
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaAkemi NegishiMomoko KôchiA yeti terrorizes people on top of Mount Fuji."Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman"
- DirectorKôji ShimaStarsKeizô KawasakiToyomi KaritaBin YagisawaUFOs are seen around Tokyo. Because they look like giant starfish the aliens cannot approach us without creating panic. Hence one of them sacrifices itself and takes the form of a popular female singer. It/she warns mankind that a meteor will crash on Earth. While the approaching meteor causes hotter and hotter weather, mankind runs and builds a last-chance anti-meteor weapon."Warning From Space"
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsKenji SaharaYumi ShirakawaAkihiko HirataA mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wreaking havoc - at supersonic speeds.Rodan"
- DirectorShirô ToyodaStarsRyô IkebeShirley YamaguchiKaoru YachigusaLavish Japanese-Chinese coproduction based on an ancient Chinese legend about a man who falls in love with a snake goddess in human form."The Legend of the White Serpent"
- DirectorMasaki MôriStarsTomisaburô WakayamaAkemi TsukushiChieko SômaOiwa has been searching for the one who killed her father for a long time. She comes to Yedo and sees a man named Naosuke. The film is based on the kabuki classic: Toukaidou Yotsuya Kaidan (1826) written by Tsuruya Nanboku and is one of the most famous ghost stories throughout Japan."The Ghosts of Yatsuya"
- DirectorNobuo NakagawaStarsRyô IkebeAsami KujiIchirô ArishimaThe story of a professional nude model stalked by a bizarre, unknown man wearing a hideous mask."Vampire Moth"
- DirectorBin KatôStarsKôichi AiharaToshio ChibaJun Fujikawa"Ghost-Cat of Gojusan-Tsugi"
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsKenji SaharaYumi ShirakawaMomoko KôchiShortly after a giant robot destroys a village, aliens from outer space arrive offering friendship. Will the people of Earth tie these two events together?"The Mysterians - Earth Defense Force"
- DirectorGorô KadonoStarsJûzaburô AkechiShigeru AmachiHiroshi HayashiA samurai rescues a mischievous tanuki from hunters and sets it free. When the samurai's wastrel son hatches a plot to kill his father for his fortune, the magical tanuki is determined to protect its rescuer."Seven Mysteries"
- DirectorKatsuhiko TasakaStarsShintarô KatsuTakako IrieMichiko Ai"Ghost-Cat of Yonaki Swamp"
- DirectorMitsuo MurayamaStarsYoshirô KitaharaRyûji ShinagawaJunko KanôA ruthless serial killer with a peculiar method of stalking and killing his victims comes face to face with a police officer turned invisible by a scientific experiment. Who will emerge triumphant?"The Transparent Man vs. the Fly Man"
- DirectorsIshirô HondaMotoyoshi OdaStarsKôzô NomuraAyumi SonodaKoreya SendaOriginal Japanese version. Research in the Tohoku region comes across a monster known to the locals as the mountain god Baradagi."Varan, the Unbelievable"
