Gen Shimizu

Acting

Gen Shimizu

Born — Died

1907-01-01 — 1972-12-20

Place of birth

Tokyo, Japan

Known for

Acting

Credits

62 titles

Known for

Seven Samurai poster
8.5

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Seven Samurai

1954

Ashita Koso poster
NR

The 8th NHK Asadora. Starring Yumiko Fujita in a family drama. The first Asadora filmed in color.

Ashita Koso

1968

High and Low poster
8.4

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

High and Low

1963

Ultra Q poster
8.0

As supernatural events and monster attacks rock Japan, the military and government look to be overwhelmed. Three intrepid young investigators—two pilots and a reporter—take it upon themselves to study these unexplained phenomena in order to inform and protect the public.

Ultra Q

1966

Invasion of Astro-Monster poster
6.8

Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.

Invasion of Astro-Monster

1965

Yojimbo poster
8.1

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Yojimbo

1961

Film credits

1960s · 25 titles

High and Low poster
8.4

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

High and Low

1963

Invasion of Astro-Monster poster
6.8

Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.

Invasion of Astro-Monster

1965

Yojimbo poster
8.1

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Yojimbo

1961

Battle of the Japan Sea poster
6.4

Japan and Russia clash in what comes to be known as the Russo-Japanese War. An attempt by the Japanese fleet and army to take Port Arthur fails, and a Russian fleet bears down on the Sea of Japan. Admiral Heihachiro Togo sends his fleet to confront the Russians, with results which stun both nations. Meanwhile, Major Genjiro Akashi makes secret negotiations with the Bolshevik revolutionaries in Russia, negotiations that have repercussions far beyond the conflict at hand.

Battle of the Japan Sea

1969

Sanjuro poster
7.9

In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.

Sanjuro

1962

The Bad Sleep Well poster
7.7

In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.

The Bad Sleep Well

1960

Two in the Shadow poster
7.8

A man is involved in a fatal car accident, and though he is blameless, his company transfers him to a remote branch in a small town. Before he leaves, he gives the man's widow a large sum of money that she uses to move back to her hometown.

Two in the Shadow

1967

Admiral Yamamoto poster
8.5

As Japan joins in a political pact with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is appointed supreme commander of the Japanese fleet. With Japan headed inexorably toward war, Yamamoto, despite his misgivings, believes the only possible victory lies in destroying the American fleet by surprise at Pearl Harbor. The attack succeeds, but fails to sink the American carrier fleet. Thus Yamamoto must lead the Japanese navy into war with ever-diminishing likelihood of success.

Admiral Yamamoto

1968

Chûshingura poster
7.1

After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.

Chûshingura

1962

Japan Organized Crime Boss poster
7.4

Coming out of jail and hoping for a quiet life, Yokohama yakuza has to take the lead of his gang after the death of his boss. His small group is is taken in a crossfire between a big yakuza group from Osaka at war with the Tokyo alliance for the control of the city. He tries to keep to the old yakuza code but he is no match for the new thugs who live and fight without honor.

Japan Organized Crime Boss

1969

A Woman's Life poster
7.1

A woman remembers her own marriage when dealing with the love life of her son.

A Woman's Life

1963

The Demon of Mount Oe poster
6.5

A band of warriors journeys to Mount Oe to rescue abducted women from a demon, overcoming supernatural threats like a giant spider and a diabolical witch along the way.

The Demon of Mount Oe

1960

Yearning poster
8.1

War widow Reiko rebuilds and runs the grocery shop in the house of her husband's family. Many years later, their business is threatened by a newly built supermarket and Reiko's in-laws plan to convert their small shop into a supermarket, to her detriment.

Yearning

1964

Brand of Evil poster
7.7

A Jonan Station detective, Kikuchi, is framed for smuggling drugs and sent to prison. When he is paroled, he joins a private detective agency, where he is asked to investigate Mitsue Takazawa, the wife of a local trading firm president. While secretly conducting his own research, he finds out that Takazawa's husband is the one, responsible for Kikuchi's imprisonment, who also have set sights on Setsuko, a woman Kikuchi becomes romantically involved with.

Brand of Evil

1964

Beast Alley poster
7.0

Desperate to escape her grueling life caring for her paralyzed husband, Tamiko murders him and burns down their home to start anew. She is soon entangled in the dark web of an influential, elderly power broker, becoming his mistress and a pawn in his political schemes. As she descends further into a downward spiral of moral decay, Tamiko realizes that the freedom she sought is merely a new form of entrapment.

Beast Alley

1965

Thirst for Love poster
6.0

Natsuko, a Tokyo bar proprietress, and Yuki, a Kyoto Ryokan owner, vie for the affections of an advertising professional.

Thirst for Love

1966

Buddha poster
10.0

An Indian prince leaves his world of comfort and riches behind to wander and meditate for six years in search of spiritual enlightenment. Siddartha (Cojoin Hong) turns his back on the old religion when people are starving needlessly and holy rituals include human sacrifices. During his meditations, he is tempted by erotic dancing women, demons, and the evil machinations of his criminal cousin. Devastate to attain the spiritual perfection and become the Buddha. He travels to convert followers by his kindness and wisdom, gaining a multitude of believers when he stops an elephant from crushing a local priest. Buddha of course goes on to become one of the great religious leaders of the world.

Buddha

1961

Moment of Terror poster
5.9

When the only son of a working class woman is fatally struck by a car driven by the adulterous wife of a company president in a hit-and-run, the victim's mother changes her identity and infiltrates the couple's home to work as their maid, plotting to murder their similarly-aged son.

Moment of Terror

1966

Satan's Sword II: The Dragon God poster
6.5

The sequel to Daibosatsu tôge (1960) and the second of the trilogy follows the adventures of Ryunosuke Tsukue after he is blinded.

Satan's Sword II: The Dragon God

1960

Assassination poster
7.1

In 1863, when American warships approach Japan, an enigmatic ronin becomes an important figure in a complex game of power between the Shogunate and the empire.

Assassination

1964

The Sun's Burial poster
6.5

In Osaka's slum, capricious folks without futures engage in pilfering, assault and robbery, prostitution, and the trading of ID cards and blood.

The Sun's Burial

1960

Attack Squadron poster
7.0

Lt. Col. Senda resists the idea of sending Japanese fighter pilots on suicide missions. He believes that what is really necessary for Japan to regain momentum in the war is for the air force to gather its most brilliant pilots into an elite squadron and use the unit to pinpoint attacks on the Americans. Disrespected by the kamikaze pilots who think the "non-suicidal" pilots are afraid, the unit redeems itself by stunning victories. But success leads the military leaders to expect too much of the unit, and new orders portend disaster.

Attack Squadron

1963

New News Reporter: The Trap of the Big City poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

New News Reporter: The Trap of the Big City

1966

Nerves for Victory poster
6.0

A young yakuza who respects obligation and humanity must face cruel and heartless turf wars leading to a fight to the death with his own brother.

Nerves for Victory

1966

Local Reporter poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Local Reporter

1962

1950s · 32 titles

Seven Samurai poster
8.5

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Seven Samurai

1954

Throne of Blood poster
7.9

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Throne of Blood

1957

Essay on Conflict poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Essay on Conflict

1959

Shimizukō kenka tabi poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Shimizukō kenka tabi

1957

Edokko sakura poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Edokko sakura

1959

Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae: hachi-nin no hanayome poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Zenigata Heiji torimono hikae: hachi-nin no hanayome

1958

The Mysterians poster
6.3

In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist.

The Mysterians

1957

Duel at Noon poster
NR

Judo movie.

Duel at Noon

1957

The Birth of Judo poster
NR

Centered on a young college student who puts his youthful passion into developing true judo and the fiery mentor he admires and studies under.

The Birth of Judo

1955

I Live in Fear poster
7.3

An aging foundry patriarch, gripped by terror of nuclear annihilation, tries to uproot his family to Brazil. When they petition to have him declared incompetent, a family-court counselor witnesses his obsession slide into ruin—and asks whether ignoring the atomic threat is any saner.

I Live in Fear

1955

Kuchibue o fuku wataridori poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Kuchibue o fuku wataridori

1958

Gate of Hell poster
7.1

Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.

Gate of Hell

1953

Tsuki no kōdōkan poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tsuki no kōdōkan

1956

Chi mojisen poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Chi mojisen

1958

Tokyo File 212 poster
5.1

A Communist spy ring in Japan is hard at work trying to sabotage the American war effort during the Korean War, using kidnapping, murder and a disturbed former kamikaze pilot. A U.S. secret agent, posing as a reporter, is dispatched to Tokyo to put a stop to these nefarious activities.

Tokyo File 212

1951

Where Might is Right poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Where Might is Right

1955

Ghost Man poster
6.7

A ghost man with his face hidden entirely by bandages is killing beautiful nude models. Detective Kindaichi investigates.

Ghost Man

1954

Ginji of the Seven Faces poster
NR

Yesterday a gentleman, today a student, tomorrow a stylish man in a casual kimono—Ginji, the pickpocket with seven faces, has his sights set on the gold watch of destiny. A tale of passion, love, human emotion, pistols, and thrills.

Ginji of the Seven Faces

1955

Bara no kōdōkan poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Bara no kōdōkan

1956

The Rust Cleaner Sings poster
NR

A passionate young man takes on a corrupt boss, determined to save innocent teachers and numerous orphans.

The Rust Cleaner Sings

1955

Tōkaidō no yarōdomo poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tōkaidō no yarōdomo

1958

The Stand in Hakone poster
7.0

A period film about a peasant revolt in the region near Mount Fuji, occasioned by high officials' depriving the farmers of their water rights.

The Stand in Hakone

1952

Tenryū shibukigasa poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Tenryū shibukigasa

1958

Akōgishi poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Akōgishi

1954

The Footmark of a Snow Fairy poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Footmark of a Snow Fairy

1958

Jirocho Fuji poster
7.4

Legendary yakuza Shimizu Jirocho and his 28 henchmen travel the unruly path from a 'Fire Festival' in Akiba to a decisive battle by the Fujigawa.

Jirocho Fuji

1959

Hana no kenkajō poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Hana no kenkajō

1953

Tower of Lilies poster
6.8

A group of Okinawan high school girls are drafted as nurses during the American invasion of the island. As the enemy army advances further, the situation for the girls becomes increasingly desperate as food and shelter run out and the number of injured climbs, leading to the film's tragic finale.

Tower of Lilies

1953

Daigaku no kotengu poster
NR

With his mother’s wishes and a young woman’s prayers in his heart, a spirited young man fights to uphold the honor of college judo.

Daigaku no kotengu

1952

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Coming Up of Kodokan

1953

Mangorō Tengu poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Mangorō Tengu

1957

No Time for Tears poster
9.0

Coach Shimamura of the hapless Sparrows baseball team is pleased to obtain a hot new pitcher named Onishi. But when Onishi begins a romantic relationship with the coach's daughter Michiko, Shimamura becomes angry with the young man, lashing out at him when he disobeys instructions during a game. In turn, Michiko becomes angry with her father, who becomes increasingly depressed. When a tragedy strikes the family, Coach Shimamura begins losing control of his life, just when his family and his team need him most.

No Time for Tears

1955

Series credits