Kabuki-za: Final Curtain

In May 2010, after over 80 years, the Kabuki-za in Tokyo was demolished to make way for a new theater due to open in the Spring of 2013. This film, made as the Kabuki-za was preparing to close, follows many of the greatest actors of Kabuki as they reminisce about their lives and past performances on that legendary stage. Ichikawa Danjuro XII, Onoe Kikugoro VII, Nakamura Jakuemon IV, Nakamura Baiygoku IV, Kataoka Nizaemon XVI, Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, Nakamura Kichiemon II, Bando Tamasaburo V, Matsumoto Koshiro IX, Ichikawa Ennosuke III, Nakamura Shikan VII, Sataka Tojuro IV and many of the greats of the Kabuki world appear in this 160 minute documentary. An invaluable document on the history of Kabuki, this film features many fascinating backstage sequences as well as interviews and short excerpts of performances. 160 minutes, colour, DVD, in Japanese with English subtitles