Best Japanese-Language Movies & TV Series of the 1950s

Looking for the best Japanese-language movies and TV series of the 1950s? These 47 are the highest-rated on 3eyedraven, weighted by vote count so a handful of glowing reviews never beats a proven favourite.

Seven Samurai 1954 ★ 8.4
Ikiru 1952 ★ 8.3
Tokyo Story 1953 ★ 8.2
Rashomon 1950 ★ 8.0
Ugetsu 1953 ★ 8.0
The Hidden Fortress 1958 ★ 8.0
Sansho the Bailiff 1954 ★ 8.1
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity 1959 ★ 8.2
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love 1959 ★ 8.1
Throne of Blood 1957 ★ 7.9
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 ★ 7.8
Hiroshima Mon Amour 1959 ★ 7.7
Early Summer 1951 ★ 7.9
Godzilla 1954 ★ 7.6
The Burmese Harp 1956 ★ 7.8
Chikamatsu Monogatari 1954 ★ 7.8
Floating Clouds 1955 ★ 7.7
Floating Weeds 1959 ★ 7.5
Twenty-Four Eyes 1954 ★ 7.7
Equinox Flower 1958 ★ 7.4
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice 1952 ★ 7.5
Early Spring 1956 ★ 7.5
The Ballad of Narayama 1958 ★ 7.5
A Geisha 1953 ★ 7.5