Ganjirō Nakamura II

Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.

Dir. Mikio Naruse · With Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan

A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.

Dir. Yasujirō Ozu · With Ganjirō Nakamura II, Machiko Kyō, Ayako Wakao

Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.

Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyōko Kagawa