Harakiri (1962) Winner of the Cannes Special Jury Prize, Masaki Kobayashi's drama centers on samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo, who arrives at a lavish manor and asks to commit hara-kiri on the grounds. But the vengeful warrior is harboring a secret. A new political climate finds the once-powerful samurais wandering the country begging estate owners to allow them to commit suicide on their properties, when what they really want is a handout. This one has been remade with the title: Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011)  The Reluctant Saint (1962) Maximilian Schell stars as Giuseppe Desa, a 17th-century Italian peasant who becomes a Franciscan friar after his mother pressures a hesitant abbot to accept her son into the monastery -- and a bishop takes a shine to him. Upon being ordained a priest (thanks to a string of remarkable events), Giuseppe begins to levitate while praying, leading some to believe that his miraculous power is the work of the devil. The Gene Krupa Story (1952) Sal Mineo plays Gene Krupa, the charismatic musician who took the jazz world by storm. With his best pal, Krupa leaves his hometown for New York City, where he's recognized for his talents as a drummer. But in addition to fame, Lady Luck also brings him an addiction to drugs, by way of a singer whom he beds. Krupa's career halts when he ends up in jail, but he gets a second chance on music and life when he's freed. The Artist (2012) This modern-day silent film artfully recounts the poignant end of the silent-movie era in the late 1920s. The story contrasts the declining fortunes of a silent-screen superstar with his lover's rise to popularity as a darling of the "talkies." |
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