Kaneto Shindô (1912 - 2012)
Kaneto Shindo was a rare director. He had a very long career of more than 60 years as a director and more than 70 years as a screenwriter. Furthermore, Shindo directed most of his wowks as an independent director. Shindo established his production company, "Kindai Eiga Kyokai" in 1950, which has survived until today. Although around 1960, Shindo and his company faced severe financial difficulties, the international success of "The Naked Island" saved them. Shindo directed more than 40 movies, and wrote more than 200 screenplays and nearly 200 teleplays. He was an extraordinarily prolific writer. It is probable that Shindo's independence as a director and the finance of his company were at least partially supported by Shindo's income as a writer.
Shindo's style was based on realism from his debut in 1951. However, in 1950s, Shido's realism was not so different from that of other directors. In 1960s, his style changed so that Shindo had become a unique director. Shindo had come to often describe actions of the characters in his movies as motivated by instinct rather than feelings. In particular, Shindo described "love" as a feeling derived from sexual desire. From 1960s to 2000s, sexuality was Shindo's subject matter in many of his movies. In such movies, Shindo intended to describe "love" in a more original/primitive form than usual, I suppose. When driven by instinct, a human acts like an animal. In this sense, heroes/heroines in Shindo's films are occasionally very brutal. which might make some audience feel unpleasant or irritated. Typical examples of such "brutal" characters are found in "Onibaba". Thus, it is quite reasonable that "Onibaba" is often referred to as Shindo's masterpiece.
(Filmography)
The filmography provides the items "Production year", "Japanese title", "English title", "Survival Status" (whether or not negative or positive exists), and DVD/Blu-ray availability. Titles of the movies ranked in Top_10 are in bold font.
(Note) Shindo's films are preserved in a complete form, thus the item "Survival Status" is omitted.
(Note) Some of the available DVD/Blu-ray titles are out of stock. Never fail to check subtitles, as well as region codes and format (NTSC or PAL) of the disc and your player, before purchasing DVD/Blu-ray discs.
(Filmography)
1951 Aisai monogatari (Story of a Beloved Wife)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1952 Nadare (Avalanche)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1952 Genbaku no ko (Children of Hiroshima)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese, USA (check Amazon video)
1953 Shukuzu (Microcosmo)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1953 Onna no issho (A Woma's Life)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1954 Dobu (Ditch)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1955 Okami (Wolf)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1956 Shirogane sinju (Double Suicide in Silver)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1956 Ryûri no kishi (A Shore of Exiles)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1956 Joyu (An Actress)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1957 Umi no yarodomo (Guys of the Sea)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1958 Kanashimi wa onna dakeni (Only Women Grieve)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1959 Daigo Fukuryu-Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1959 Hanayome-san wa sekai-ichi (The Best Bride in the World)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1960 Hadaka no shima (The Naked Island/The Island)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese, USA, UK, and more
1962 Ningen (Human)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1963 Haha (Mother)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1964 Onibaba (Devil Woman/The Demon/The Witch)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese, USA, UK, and more
1965 Akutô (A Scoundrel)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1966 Honnô (Lost Sex)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1967 Sei no kigen (Libido)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1968 Yabu no naka no kuroneko (Kuroneko/A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese, USA, UK
1968 Tsuyomushi onna to yowamushi otoko (Strong Women, Weak Men)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1969 Kagerô (Heat Wave Island)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1970 Shokkaku (Strange Affinity)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1970 Hadaka no jûkyû-sai (Live Today, Die Tomorrow!)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1972 Kanawa (The Iron Crown)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1972 Sanka (Hymn)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1973 Kokoro (Love Betrayed)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1974 Waga michi (My Way)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1975 Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (Kenji Mizoguchi:The Life of a Film Director)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1977 Chikuzan hitori tabi (The Life of Chikuzan)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1979 Kosatsu (The Strangling)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1981 Hokusai manga (Edo Porn)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1984 Chihei-sen (The Horizon)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: None
1986 Burakkubôdo (Black Board)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1986 Rakuyôju (Tree Without Leaves)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1988 Sakura-tai Chiru (The End of Sakura Party)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1992 Bokuto kidan (The Strange Story of Oyuki)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1995 Gogo no Yuigon-jo (A Last Note)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
1999 Ikitai (Will to Live)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
2000 Sanmon yakusha (By Player)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
2004 Fukurô (Owl)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
2008 Ishiuchi jinjô kôtô shôgakkô: Hana wa chiredomo (Teacher and Three Children)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
2010 Ichimai no hagaki (Postcard)
DVD/Blu-ray availability: Japanese
(My recommendations)
The three most internationally-known films:
"Hadaka no shima/The Naked Island" (1960);
"Onibaba" (1965);
"Kuroneko" (1968).
"Honnô/Lost Sex" (1966) as a good example of a movie in which "love" is described as derived from sexuality. This is an adult fable of a middle-aged-couple. The word "honnô" means "instinct".
"Chikuzan hitori tabi/The Life of Chikuzan" (1977)
In his peak years in 1960s and 1970s, Shindo had worked with the same cinematographer, Kiyomi Kuroda. This is their last collaboration and, according to Shindo, the best work of Kuroda, who died in 1978.
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