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.
Birthday: February 14, 1916
Death: October 04, 1996
January 06, 1965
January 15, 1959
May 27, 1967
January 28, 1961
November 20, 1959
September 15, 1962
December 18, 1931
September 11, 1971
October 23, 1957
December 23, 1978
November 21, 1956
February 26, 1956
June 25, 1952
June 04, 1983
January 29, 1953
October 31, 1956
February 16, 1962
November 23, 1954
June 08, 1968
March 20, 1965
May 25, 1955
November 01, 1985
December 01, 1949
October 04, 1975
May 13, 2000
July 05, 1949
March 21, 1951
November 30, 1948
August 03, 1948
December 29, 1954
October 31, 1970
January 01, 1993
