
Masaki Kobayashi
Biography
Masaki Kobayashi (February 14, 1916–October 4, 1996) was a Japanese director.
Among his films is Kwaidan (1965), a collection of four ghost stories drawn from the book by Lafcadio Hearn, each of which has a surprise ending.
Kobayashi also directed The Human Condition, a trilogy on the effects of World War II on a Japanese pacifist and socialist. The total length of the films is over 9 hours. Other notable films include Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967). Harakiri won him an award at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, solidifying his place in the history of cinema.
In 1969, he was a member of the jury at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival.
He was also a candidate for directing the Japanese sequences for Tora! Tora! Tora!, once Akira Kurosawa left the film. But instead Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda were chosen.
Kobayashi, himself a pacifist, was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, but refused to fight and refused promotion to a rank higher than private.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Masaki Kobayashi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Acting (1 movie)
Directing (23 movies)

Kwaidan
1965

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
1959

Samurai Rebellion
1967

The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
1961

The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
1959

Harakiri
1962

Inn of Evil
1971

Black River
1957

Glowing Autumn
1978

I Will Buy You
1956

Fountainhead
1956

Youth of the Son
1952

Tokyo Trial
1983

Sincere Heart
1953

The Thick-Walled Room
1956

The Inheritance
1962

Somewhere Beneath the Wide Sky
1954

Hymn to a Tired Man
1968

Beautiful Days
1955

The Empty Table
1985

The Fossil
1975

Three Loves
1954

The Human Condition
1961
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Revenge Champion | 1931 | Screenplay |
| Broken Drum | 1949 | Screenplay |
| Three Loves | 1954 | Writer |
| The Human Condition I: No Greater Love | 1959 | Screenplay |
| The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity | 1959 | Producer |
| The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity | 1959 | Screenplay |
| The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer | 1961 | Producer |
| The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer | 1961 | Screenplay |
| The Human Condition | 1961 | Screenplay |
| The Human Condition | 1961 | Producer |
| The Inheritance | 1962 | Producer |
| Dodes'ka-den | 1970 | Executive Producer |
| Tokyo Trial | 1983 | Writer |
| The Empty Table | 1985 | Screenplay |
| Dora-heita | 2000 | Screenplay |
