Downtown Huntsville Library
Warriors and Peacemakers - An International Film Series
Monday, December 7, 2026 5:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Harakiri (Japan, 1963)
When a mysterious ronin (a masterless samurai) appears at the gates of a powerful samurai family’s estate, asking to commit seppuku in their palace courtyard, they tell him the pathetic story of a man from his former clan who had earlier requested the same, hoping to dissuade him. He is unmoved, but before the ceremony can proceed, it is derailed by strange circumstances, prompting the ronin to tell his own story, a tragic tale of loss and vengeance.
Harakiri (known as Seppuku in Japan) has been considered one of the greatest Japanese films ever made since its release. It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi, one of Japan’s greatest directors, and stars Tatsuya Nakadai, one of Japan’s greatest actors.
Warriors and Peacemakers – An International Film Series
This film series explores people seeking peace in times of war and violence (or vice versa): a thematically-linked pair of films deconstructing the Japanese concept of Bushido (the way of the warrior) in both the ostensible peacetime of the early 1600s and in a Japanese POW camp in Java during WWII, and a pair of French films set during each of the two World Wars – following soldiers from enemy armies forging a self-made Christmas truce in WWI and civilians and clergy enduring German-occupied France in WWII.
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December 7: Harakiri (Japan, 1963)
December 14: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Japan/UK, 1983)
December 21: Joyeux Noel (France, 2005)
December 28: Leon Morin, Priest (France, 1961)
2nd Floor Events Room -- Downtown Huntsville Public Library
Questions: askus@hmcpl.org