The sixth installation in the Director's Series organised by Nani Cinematheque — the Japanese Director's Retrospective — showcases three iconic films from the rich tapestry of 1950s Japanese cinema. Here's a sneak peek on what to expect.

KILL (1968) directed by Kihacni Okamoto (B&W / 109 min)

Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Naoko Kubo, Shigeru Kôyama

Based on Shugoro Yamamoto's novel Peaceful Days, the same source as Akira Kurosawa's classic Sanjuro, Kill is the story of Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai) a disillusioned samurai who gives up his lifestyle to become a gangster. His soon meets Hanjiro Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) a farmer who aspires to be a samurai. The two become friends, but as fate would have it, find themselves on opposing sides of a clan war. Kill is an exaggerated comical exploration of what it means to be a samurai.

GODZILLA (1954) directed by Ishiro Honda (B&W / 98 min)

Cast Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata

Second only to King Kong vs Godzilla this film grossed over $2 million at the box office. The basic story was inspired from an actual incident in which Japanese ship — the Lucky Star, strayed too close to a nuclear test site, resulting in the death of several crew members due to radiation injuries. In the film, Japan is in chaos after several ships explode, prompting authorities to believe that the cause might be underwater mines or underwater volcanic activity. On an expedition headed by paleontologist professor Kyohei Yemani (Takashi Shimura) to Odo Island — close to where several of the ships sunk — authorities soon discover something far more devastating in the form of a 154-foot tall monster that must be stopped before he succeeds in his rampage.

FLOATING CLOUDS (1955) directed by Mikio Maruse (B&W / 123 min)

Floating Clouds is a drama based on the novel by the same name by Japanese author and poet Fumiko Hayashi. It is the story of Yukiko, a young woman, who has an affair with a married man while serving in World War II. After the war, she is devastated to discover that her lover has returned to his family and has no intention of keeping any of the promises he made to her. Centred on the question of belonging, Floating Couds is considered a masterpiece from the golden age of Japanese cinema.