After Japan surrendered, although the film law was abolished, strict censorship still existed, but the US military occupation authorities replaced the government censorship. Conscious Japanese film artists, who were deeply educated by war and occupation, put forward the demand of democratization of films in order to defend the democratic rights of the country. In 1946, Keisuke Kinoshita and Akira Kurosawa made their first democratic films, Morning at Osang's House and Worth Our Youth. The scripts of these two films were written by Eijir? Hisaita who was persecuted during the war. At the same time, Tadashi Imai, who actively participated in the student movement in the dark age of fascism, also made public enemies according to Shan Zhi's strategy and Toshio Yasumi's play, which took an important step on the road to democratization. On the other hand, as an organizational guarantee, film studios have set up trade unions, demanding not only higher wages, but also democratic rights in management and filming. However, American occupiers and film monopoly capital absolutely prohibit the development of democratic forces. 1948, Dongbao Company is going to dismiss 1200 employees in the name of rectification, and clean up the employees and progressives in the enterprise. This attempt was opposed by Dongbao Trade Union, and all the workers went on strike, which was supported by progressive cultural groups. The strike lasted 195 days. Finally, encouraged by the American occupation forces, a large number of troops equipped with planes, tanks and machine guns were dispatched to surround and suppress the Anken Village Studio, the stronghold of Dongbao Trade Union. The strike ended with 20 trade union cadres voluntarily withdrawing from Dongbao Company, including producer Ito Noboru, director Satsuo Yamamoto, Fumio Kamei, Nan Tianqing and playwright Yukio Yamagata. Finally, the union tried to reduce the number of layoffs to a minimum.

After the war, the Japanese independent film production movement flourished and reached its peak in the mid-1950s. A group of artists who quit Dongbao, such as Satsuo Yamamoto, formed the Nova Film Association. Kozaburo Yoshimura and Caneto prodigy, who left Songzhu Company to seek creative freedom, organized the Modern Film Association. These two organizations became pioneers of independent production after the war, and made a series of realistic films called Social School. Mainly includes: Tadashi Imai's No, We Want to Live (195 1), Echo School (1952), Turbid Flow (1953), and here is the spring water (1955). Satsuo Yamamoto's vacuum zone (1952), sunless streets (1954) and the song of scooter (1959); Home City has been replaced by a cloud floating around the world (1953), a sister (1955) and a half-brother (1959); Hideo Sekigawa's Listen, the Murderer's Voice (1950) and Hiroshima (1953); It's always good to be alive by Fumio Kamei (1956); Kozaburo Yoshimura's Before Dawn (1953); Orphans under the Atomic Bomb (1952) and Miniature Painting (1953) by Caneto prodigy; So the crab boat in the mountain village (1953). By the end of 1950s, the Japanese film market was completely monopolized by six companies: Dongbao, Matsuzaka, Daying, Dongying, Nissho and Xindongbao. Independent filmmakers's films are facing the dilemma of not being able to meet the audience, which has caused serious economic losses, and the whole independent film production movement is on the verge of despair. Some talented artists have been reabsorbed by big companies.

Rashomon

After Japan surrendered, due to social unrest and lack of materials, the film quality gradually improved, and it was not until 1949 that it gradually embarked on the road of revival. Although big companies take an exclusive attitude towards making progressive works and are keen on making a large number of pure entertainment films, they can't completely ignore the artistry of their works. Yasujirō Ozu's Late Spring, Kozaburo Yoshimura's Waltz at Noon, Keisuke Kinoshita's Broken Drum and Tadashi Imai's Castle Peak were all filmed at 1949. In particular, Broken Drum opened up a new way for Japanese films in the form of satirical comedy. In addition, Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) won the Venice International Film Festival Award with 195 1. Since then, Japanese films have attracted international attention. Following Rashomon, Teinosuke Kinugasa's Hell's Gate (1953), Kenji Mizoguchi's West Crane Generation (1952) and Rain Moon Story (1953) also won awards at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival respectively, creating opportunities for Japanese films to enter the international market. Carmen's House directed by Keisuke Kinoshita is the first Japanese color film.

After 1949, about 10 years, the most obvious tendency of Japanese films was the revival of literary films and the increase of works describing social problems. Mikio Naruse's Lightning (1952), Brother and Sister (1953), Floating Clouds (1955) and Rude (1957) are regarded as excellent literary films. At the same time, due to the improvement of the audience's appreciation ability, the six major companies had to invite a group of successful directors to shoot some meaningful works of art. For example, Yasujirō Ozu's Mai Qiu (195 1), Tale of Tokyo (1953) and Flowers on the Other Side (1958); Kenji Mizoguchi's "The Story of Jinsong" (1954); Kurosawa's Live( 1952), Seven Samurai (1954) and Cobweb Palace (1957); Keisuke Kinoshita's Japanese Tragedy (1953), Twenty-four Eyes (1954) and Mountain Festival Examination (1958); Kozaburo Yoshimura's River of the Night (1956); Tadashi Imai's Before Reunion (1950); Mr. KonIchikawa (also translated by Apu, 1953) and Bowen (1958); Heinosuke Gosho's "Where there are many chimneys" (1953); Shir? Toyoda's The Good Couple (1955) and so on, have been highly praised. Therefore, film critics believe that these films, together with a series of progressive films made by independent filmmakers, constitute the golden age of Japanese postwar films in 10.

During this period (1956), the film "The Sun Family" was also filmed, and the main works are: The Season of the Sun, The Room of Punishment, Crazy Fruit and so on. These works are all adapted from the novels of young writer Shintaro Ishihara, describing the rogue life of a group of "Sun clan" (young people born into middle-class families after the war). They have neither clear ideals nor basic moral concepts, but only aimless resistance and anarchist actions, expressing dissatisfaction with everything. The central content of the film is nothing more than expressing "sex and violence". The bad influence of these films on the younger generation has been severely condemned by public opinion. Therefore, the popular "Sun Shi family movies" soon declined. Of course, its exposure of social problems is still preserved in some later works.