Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_480x270/public/hero-images/mifune.jpg?itok=QcIvNefB)
Mifune : The Last Samurai
The on and off-screen character of Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s first international movie star, is explored in this illuminating documentary exploring the life and legacy of this mercurial icon.
Director: Steven Okazaki
Overview
Nearly 20 years after his death, Toshiro Mifune remains a true giant of Japanese cinema. Rich with archive footage and personal reminiscences from family and friends, this Keanu Reeves-narrated documentary shines a light on both the man and the actor, starting with his childhood and military service, through to his early years in the popular ‘chanbara’ action movies that he would later draw on for a string of masterpieces made with legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
Featuring contributions from Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, Mifune: The Last Samurai reveals him as a formidable and mercurial talent, both onscreen and off, and an influence that still resonates through world cinema.
Related
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/powell.jpg?itok=kEpa0KYh)
Vision, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell Vision, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell
Short documentary 2024 41 mins Director: Nic Wassell
Discover the unrealised visions and passion projects of revered British filmmaker Michael Powell, in this fascinating documentary featuring Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Anselm-02_1920.jpg?itok=IumdrCkA)
Anselm Anselm
Biopic 2023 94 mins Director: Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders' stately and beautifully scored study of Anselm Kiefer.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Flavio-03.jpg?itok=ya-CdsJe)
Flavio Flavio
Documentary 1964 11 mins Director: Gordon Parks
Photographer Gordon Parks’ remarkable film depicts a day in the life of an industrious 12-year-old boy living in the impoverished favela slums of Rio de Janeiro.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Everything-at-Once_01.jpg?itok=AlL8KHwm)
Everything at Once Everything at Once
Documentary 2021 103 mins Director: Alberto Fuguet
A peek behind the scenes at the homoerotic photography zine Kink, which has cultivated an intimate style employing non-professional models.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/otatc-1920.jpg?itok=tXKJQsiJ)
Of Time and the City Of Time and the City
Documentary 2008 74 mins Director: Terence Davies
Brilliantly mixing archive film and music, Liverpool-born director Terence Davies reflects with wit and wisdom on a times of change, for good or ill
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Cymande-07.jpg?itok=iFSBFMpj)
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande
Documentary 2022 90 mins Director: Tim MacKenzie-Smith
The incredible story of a band you may never have heard of but whose sound has influenced generations with their irresistible rhythms and message of peace.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/audition.jpg?itok=4mROE-20)
Audition Audition
Horror 1999 115 mins Director: Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike burst to international prominence with this deeply disturbing tale of a deadly young woman who turns the tables on her middle-aged suitor.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/image-w1280%2520%25281%2529.jpg?itok=wF2rFXxh)
Good Morning Good Morning
Comedy 1959 94 mins Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu's cheerful comedy about the silliness of everyday chatter.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/kwaidan_4.jpg?itok=WIkIpgA-)
Kwaidan Kwaidan
Anthology 1964 183 mins Director: Masaki Kobayashi
This stunningly beautiful anthology of Japanese ghost stories is one of the most meticulously crafted supernatural films ever made.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Maborosi%25201.jpg?itok=7iJKXeZN)
Maborosi Maborosi
Drama 1995 109 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Koreeda’s first fiction feature is an exquisite meditation on loss, loneliness, uncertainty, and coming to terms with the past.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/After-Life-1.jpg?itok=BrVXeFwW)
After Life After Life
Drama 1998 119 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Koreeda's lyrical fantasy challenges the viewer to reflect on the experiences that most make life worth living.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/sonatine.jpeg?itok=2q2wBWtY)
Sonatine Sonatine
Crime 1993 94 mins Director: Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano's masterful and meditative gangster film, about a yakuza sent to the beautiful beaches of Okinawa where he has time to ruminate on his fate.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/After-Love-headroom.jpg?itok=mdXkugIU)
After Love After Love
Drama 2021 90 mins Director: Aleem Khan
In this knockout feature debut from Aleem Khan, Bafta-winner Joanna Scanlan is the woman who discovers her late husband’s secrets.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Damsels-in-Distress_04.jpg?itok=itoCZrvO)
Damsels in Distress Damsels in Distress
Comedy 2011 99 mins Director: Whit Stillman
Greta Gerwig shines as a college student challenging the male dominated culture on campus, in Whit Stillman’s sweet, eccentric and frequently hilarious comedy.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Sex-lies-and-videotape_05.jpg?itok=7oRHapOi)
sex, lies, and videotape sex, lies, and videotape
Drama 1989 100 mins Director: Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderberg’s audacious debut, starring James Spader and Andie Macdowell, is an intimate exploration of sexual desire, and a landmark of 90’s American independent filmmaking.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Bottle-Rocket-01.jpg?itok=3v6BuE4i)
Bottle Rocket Bottle Rocket
Comedy 1995 91 mins Director: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson's rarely screened debut ditches the kitsch in favour of surprisingly subtle comedy, in this tale of a criminally inept gang led by Owen Wilson.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/ama-gloria-01.jpg?itok=SeT-WRGY)
Àma Gloria Àma Gloria
Drama 2023 84 mins Director: Marie Amachoukeli
Six-year-old Cléo spends a final summer with her beloved nanny Gloria, in this profoundly moving story of chosen family, duty and innocence lost.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_32x18/public/hero-images/Morgiana-01.jpg?itok=NwFN0AiD)
Morgiana Morgiana
Crime 1972 97 mins Director: Juraj Herz
Delirious gothic tale of terror from Czech New Wave master Juraj Herz, about a jealous sister with dark desires and splintered minds.