tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13034896137786437352024-03-28T04:55:44.737-07:00Martin DowsingMartin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-87637180460576218072024-03-28T04:55:00.000-07:002024-03-28T04:55:05.780-07:00A Story from Echigo / 越後つついし親不知 / Echigo Tsutsuishi Oyashirazu (1964)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #107</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVN5m5S95mQPA9AOdcSeXkm8i3lqhYWyPRfFcANwV8EV74SFcsrA8AG1g04WEsE9Q5Ppyrucn-i6inqIT-IZ4ZjBWy3xBM6e08O8P_tfdBcDa2u-PM6uuWQJmEDYSOUMfxiv_YYJX48_vZc85A0AfXuNhVDad2kMgBuUiHGrfTml4WDI8il6u3-gDw9in/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-17h08m23s693.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="720" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVN5m5S95mQPA9AOdcSeXkm8i3lqhYWyPRfFcANwV8EV74SFcsrA8AG1g04WEsE9Q5Ppyrucn-i6inqIT-IZ4ZjBWy3xBM6e08O8P_tfdBcDa2u-PM6uuWQJmEDYSOUMfxiv_YYJX48_vZc85A0AfXuNhVDad2kMgBuUiHGrfTml4WDI8il6u3-gDw9in/w540-h239/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-17h08m23s693.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rentaro Mikuni and Yoshiko Sakuma<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 1930s Japan, Gonsuke
(Rentaro Mikuni) is working at a sake brewery in Fushimi, Kyoto when he
receives news that his mother is seriously ill. He is given compassionate leave
to return to his village in Echigo (a former province in the snowy area of
north-central Japan now known as Niigata Prefecture). As a colleague of Gonsuke’s
named Tomekichi (Shoichi Ozawa) is from the same village, Gonsuke asks him if
he has a message for his wife, Oshin (Yoshiko Sakuma). Tomekichi asks him to
tell Oshin that he’s just been promoted. This is news to Gonsuke, who was
already jealous of Tomekichi’s marriage to such an attractive woman as Oshin
and is now doubly displeased to hear that he’s been passed over for promotion
in favour of Tomekichi. </span></span></span></p><p><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAywVPRNYMYPsaFd2-nYAd9wQQGf7y4dwZRAOzRSRAfJDcuBflXARda92LDX6Rud35VKvpjMWSDFB6lkaE06ngegtnarqNzt8-rXyWIxWmmccM0lflaoytz0x7wwl3mwmZ2KsSRzbeczwxwTrKZdNi08hcN5kS6yzSkbiO-KpjUIzsVszSvK4HeTUkyQck/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h52m07s433.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAywVPRNYMYPsaFd2-nYAd9wQQGf7y4dwZRAOzRSRAfJDcuBflXARda92LDX6Rud35VKvpjMWSDFB6lkaE06ngegtnarqNzt8-rXyWIxWmmccM0lflaoytz0x7wwl3mwmZ2KsSRzbeczwxwTrKZdNi08hcN5kS6yzSkbiO-KpjUIzsVszSvK4HeTUkyQck/w542-h240/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h52m07s433.png" width="542" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eijiro Tono and Mikuni<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">On his way home,
Gonsuke stops off at an inn, where he falls into conversation with a fellow
customer (Eijro Tono) who it turns out used to be in the army with Gonsuke’s
elder brother. This lascivious old man tells Gonsuke tales of the brother’s
many sexual conquests while they were stationed in Russia together. Gonsuke
gets drunk with him before leaving and begins to brood about his own lack of a
sex life before completing his journey home. When he’s nearly reached the
village, he encounters Oshin walking home alone from her job weaving tatami
mats. He makes a clumsy pass at her but, finding himself rejected, he
rapes her in the snow. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">While Gonsuke was
committing this crime, his mother was dying; when he gets home, it’s already
too late. However, he seems not only indifferent to her death, but actually
full of himself for having managed to have his way with Oshin when there was
nobody around. After his mother’s funeral, he visits her and again makes
advances but is again rejected. His vanity wounded, he decides to get revenge
by telling Tomekichi that Oshin is having an affair with the foreman at her
workplace (Kei Sato)…</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkns-Ubsk9Dr0_drfkLgpt2SkZXEQbANyNTu7gvAEwOsZ_IzbNrigcrmLnp3CaaP8gKTZR0q6vSDWoYaDiHnu3P1xTHfl7KhJZ70g-f4PbzY_FHr4Zqhk4Ue9pTGt8TsyJXQlEv2eJxEJlDBY9JptgU_SI-0EeCzWrwmCFQG9JYcfJ1P2SLisX30nH3hDw/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h57m15s884.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="720" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkns-Ubsk9Dr0_drfkLgpt2SkZXEQbANyNTu7gvAEwOsZ_IzbNrigcrmLnp3CaaP8gKTZR0q6vSDWoYaDiHnu3P1xTHfl7KhJZ70g-f4PbzY_FHr4Zqhk4Ue9pTGt8TsyJXQlEv2eJxEJlDBY9JptgU_SI-0EeCzWrwmCFQG9JYcfJ1P2SLisX30nH3hDw/w533-h237/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h57m15s884.png" width="533" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sakuma and Mikuni<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">If that partial
synopsis rings a bell, that’s because this is a clever recycling of <i>Othello</i> – the setting and the
personalities may be considerably altered, but essentially Gonsuke is Iago,
Tomekichi is Othello, Oshin is Desdemona and the foreman is Cassio. Due to the way
the plot unfolds, it’s clear that this is no coincidence, especially if we take
into account that the film was based on a 1962 novel by Tsutomu Mizukami (or
Minakami), who would certainly have been familiar with the major plays of
Shakespeare. Mizukami was a fine writer whose other filmed novels include <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-temple-of-wild-geese-gan-no-tera.html">The Temple of Wild Geese</a></i>, <i>Bamboo Dolls of Echizen</i>, <i>Straits of Hunger</i> (aka <i>A Fugitive from the Past</i>) and <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/02/lake-of-tears-umi-no-koto-1966.html">Lake of Tears</a></i> (also starring Yoshiko
Sakuma). I recommend the Dalkey Archive’s English translation of <i>The Temple of Wild Geese</i> and <i>Bamboo Dolls of Echizen </i>in one volume if
you can find it. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The great thing about
this kind of story is that it could happen to people of any era or country, so
it has not dated at all and probably never will (unlike some of director
Tadashi Imai’s more topical pictures, such as <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/05/darkness-at-noon-mahiru-no-ankoku.html">Darkness at Noon</a></i>, for example). Partly for this reason, <i>A Story from Echigo</i> may be his best
film, in my opinion (not that I’ve seen them all). Another reason is that the
performances from all three principles are outstanding. Rentaro Mikuni was
always at his best in sleazy or unsympathetic roles, and he’s in his element
here, utterly convincing as a vulgar man with zero morals or empathy, but who
is, deep down, a sad and pathetic individual. Yoshiko Sakuma is every bit as
good playing the unfortunate victim of male lust and jealousy who does her best
to stand up to Gonsuke, but is ultimately placed in an impossible position.
Sakuma has some arduous scenes in this film, and you really have to take your
hat off to her. This may well be her most impressive performance. Shoichi Ozawa
is perhaps better known for playing leading roles of a more comic type in films
like Shohei Imamura’s <i>The Pornographers</i>
(1966) and Yasuzo Masumura’s <i>Chijin no ai</i>
(<i>A Fool’s Love</i>, 1967). In this more serious role, his character
changes dramatically throughout the course of the film, and he portrays this metamorphosis
extremely well. Eijiro Tono and Kei Sato make the most of their brief
appearances, while the film also benefits from the presence of two wonderful
old pros, Taiji Tonoyama and Tanie Kitabayashi, as two of the village elders.<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFVB9lUvy47FknRAYSjeI6ZVAC5dZmIBJ0uSng1WYxsrCxN3sOKkfcI67uNnmmm1MkIf522O74lDnIRiK646PSpJYTCp8c2kesUJ7AvChN5emXTTsDucG_SLbBcPp_Meps63n1g_1GIOIHepATzS8f20k92SQBZkfCjhtUVU0wSbCrz5An8ogRoWfzcp0/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-17h02m13s849.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="720" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFVB9lUvy47FknRAYSjeI6ZVAC5dZmIBJ0uSng1WYxsrCxN3sOKkfcI67uNnmmm1MkIf522O74lDnIRiK646PSpJYTCp8c2kesUJ7AvChN5emXTTsDucG_SLbBcPp_Meps63n1g_1GIOIHepATzS8f20k92SQBZkfCjhtUVU0wSbCrz5An8ogRoWfzcp0/w534-h237/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-17h02m13s849.png" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoichi Ozawa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The story is strong
stuff, and even contains a not-so-subtle hint of necrophilia at one point,
resulting in the film receiving an ‘Adult’ classification for its original
release. At the time it was made, Toei (the studio responsible) were deliberately
introducing more sex into their films in an effort to entice people away from
their TV sets and back into the cinemas. According to Japanese Wikipedia, it
was Toei president Shigeru Okada’s idea to feature Yoshiko Sakuma in a more
‘sexy’ role than she had previously played. Toei certainly promoted <i>A Story from Echigo</i> as an erotic film, though
it’s hard to imagine anyone being turned on by anything in it. In any case,
perhaps this element explains why such a fine film was largely overlooked as
far as awards go, scraping only a Mainichi Film Concours Best Screenplay award
(shared with another film) for Yasutaro Yagi (1903-87, not 1906-65 as IMDb
states). </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZI-tVZ2IpEuGl0hvoMDgaZK_NfBGGpJvmIEgXE10DHY_Q50g7mhD8qbHQW6Zi33QF6uYqZasgB05lNIXwotj5duvEHZipV9rOIintawh2hPK3q8E5xFNa_8_wDwBElG6QjU_BWTvcHOJinNoO2mgABBmfpUFuPB54uoILnEsjvg6Z8bDkh3ECn6h_c5A/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h56m34s910.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="720" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZI-tVZ2IpEuGl0hvoMDgaZK_NfBGGpJvmIEgXE10DHY_Q50g7mhD8qbHQW6Zi33QF6uYqZasgB05lNIXwotj5duvEHZipV9rOIintawh2hPK3q8E5xFNa_8_wDwBElG6QjU_BWTvcHOJinNoO2mgABBmfpUFuPB54uoILnEsjvg6Z8bDkh3ECn6h_c5A/w522-h232/vlcsnap-2024-03-27-16h56m34s910.png" width="522" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Composer Sei Ikeno and
Tadashi Imai’s frequent collaborator, cinematographer Shunichiro Nakao, also
deserve a nod for their fine work on this great film, which has an ending that
is both devastating and perfect. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Note on the title: In
the Japanese title, <i>Echigo Tsutsuishi
Oyashirazu</i>, Tsutsuishi is the name of the village the principal characters
come from, while Oyashirazu refers to the Oyashirazu Cliffs in the same area. </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Bonus trivia: The
village scenes were shot on location at Itoigawa in Niigata Prefecture.</span></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-40025143617135976622024-03-22T03:08:00.000-07:002024-03-22T03:08:05.975-07:00Osho /王将 (‘King of shogi’, 1962)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #106</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8TjgaboQC7Y_LASLPTZUV0pO4mpgV0kMP28BBDdPwRGp361p-4lhdVR1Ozx2_kapuRHE9SQODmHRXFbtaSIO9TNaQeW99vnxPIW_tuNtcv8dZ7U7O4_Fpy6-lqf8nAeK98CWpxl_onhsbV-SRTQg6FbAoxJw_anbkoOELInIUrhbHHD6XPyFh40oA16L/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-13h36m08s910.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8TjgaboQC7Y_LASLPTZUV0pO4mpgV0kMP28BBDdPwRGp361p-4lhdVR1Ozx2_kapuRHE9SQODmHRXFbtaSIO9TNaQeW99vnxPIW_tuNtcv8dZ7U7O4_Fpy6-lqf8nAeK98CWpxl_onhsbV-SRTQg6FbAoxJw_anbkoOELInIUrhbHHD6XPyFh40oA16L/w524-h221/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-13h36m08s910.png" width="524" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rentaro Mikuni<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Toei production
stars Rentaro Mikuni as Miyoshi Sakata (1870-1946), an illiterate sandal-maker
who went on to become the top player of <i>shogi</i>,
a Japanese board game similar to chess. When we first meet him, he’s living by
the railroad tracks in the Tennoji area of Osaka around 1900, and he’s so
obsessed with <i>shogi</i> that he neglects
his wife and children even when the family are struggling to get by. The only
things that he can read are the characters on the <i>shogi</i> pieces. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM4rRbZJU31IAz9R3hyphenhyphenGckZlAVKERE8gE5wus5kB2g6RTsY7jgMF9V91UAVzX4jPiRvTL2zLxL00ie4qWcVT0LoZnkB0pQ58aPF7H_fm_ojKxeJ9EYdRF7EbeygwdRjLnD2-rZWWw26j_ggVCfApXFLFbTGzmPyGZ9QQ3cmqxIVOn2etQPKg8m1L4AGzv/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h27m42s895.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyM4rRbZJU31IAz9R3hyphenhyphenGckZlAVKERE8gE5wus5kB2g6RTsY7jgMF9V91UAVzX4jPiRvTL2zLxL00ie4qWcVT0LoZnkB0pQ58aPF7H_fm_ojKxeJ9EYdRF7EbeygwdRjLnD2-rZWWw26j_ggVCfApXFLFbTGzmPyGZ9QQ3cmqxIVOn2etQPKg8m1L4AGzv/w512-h216/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h27m42s895.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chikage Awashima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">He and his wife Koharu (Chikage Awashima) are
followers of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, but she is more devoted than he; in
her despair, she frequently picks up an <i>uchiwa
taiko</i> (fan drum) and chants <i>namu-myoho-renge-kyo
</i>in an effort to improve their karma (the unhappy wife who seeks solace in
this particular form of religion became something of a cliché in Japanese films and may well have originated in the 1947 play by Hideji Hojo upon
which this film is based, although the real-life Sakata family were apparently not
members of this sect). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32JAlHkdgMj8ULHJ5uazBzqqS32SG7bXCZYQO-TDnqIy1rHkrxfPbFdKhtPxs34wG8gOfFRvXtlipfLoS-LVBTH8s1onmx3VBHepFPOtJi8EqtSetjPqWoguKCxWmP_dd-rhOMxLpDOSWtHQnOUv6z8Wxycj6eQ436C_2UR1iEU2VF8tNs4V6IMXu1sOW/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h24m52s104.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32JAlHkdgMj8ULHJ5uazBzqqS32SG7bXCZYQO-TDnqIy1rHkrxfPbFdKhtPxs34wG8gOfFRvXtlipfLoS-LVBTH8s1onmx3VBHepFPOtJi8EqtSetjPqWoguKCxWmP_dd-rhOMxLpDOSWtHQnOUv6z8Wxycj6eQ436C_2UR1iEU2VF8tNs4V6IMXu1sOW/w503-h212/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h24m52s104.png" width="503" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mikijiro Hira<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">After Sakata loses a game to Kinjiro Sekine (Mikijiro
Hira) on a technicality, things get so bad that Koharu comes close to
committing suicide on the railway tracks with their children. When her husband
realises what he’s nearly driven her to, he throws his <i>shogi</i> board and pieces onto the tracks and vows to give up the game
forever. However, shortly after this occurs, a couple of <i>shogi</i> enthusiasts (Taiji Tonoyama and Norio Hanazawa) arrive,
announcing they have decided to sponsor Sakata, and his career resumes. As the
years pass, he finds himself pitched against his arch-rival Sekine on a number
of further occasions, and gradually becomes the leading <i>shogi</i> player in the country, improving his family’s financial
situation in the process – but at what cost?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxyvDtQ9zm0lNC4tYCUuX47-8nORIbAMh9SgiFfagNoGX8cJFAEb8xIaHISABhTIlDa8othyAvcCX0LRWHAgX8CbXt1tzlBd4-qtqRlb89feRX7ipX_7vZqlV6y6DApeSSNaR_YP3Pr5NzeMwzZ6y-E43YiiCIk4e4KsFtOY6GouyFNXotJJqxAbiTkc7/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-15h00m08s715.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxyvDtQ9zm0lNC4tYCUuX47-8nORIbAMh9SgiFfagNoGX8cJFAEb8xIaHISABhTIlDa8othyAvcCX0LRWHAgX8CbXt1tzlBd4-qtqRlb89feRX7ipX_7vZqlV6y6DApeSSNaR_YP3Pr5NzeMwzZ6y-E43YiiCIk4e4KsFtOY6GouyFNXotJJqxAbiTkc7/w508-h215/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-15h00m08s715.png" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiji Tonoyama and Yoshiko Mita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This was director
Daisuke Ito’s third go at this story. His first had been in 1948 with
Tsumasaburo Bando in the lead, and his second in 1955 with Ryutaro Tatsumi (who
had originated the role on stage). The film opens with an impressive crane shot
of a bustling market lasting nearly two minutes and featuring hundreds of
extras (including Tetsuro Tanba as a candy floss seller at the very beginning!).
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ysxOscpEa117vxOH7BuFasSiUury6KT_zY44cqcMofwqa1u56aKSSHmOUPU132KCSxBH8O_-xM4YIQfUDil-6Fb8E6dw2lz2rdpbz29Bb6H-WT-UE-Vxiv0-DZy6MVGJEaYIghv4dconZ_V70uFDkhkGR4YHW_eZEdbboFab4RyEI8Bead9Ek_pC2PH/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-21-18h26m18s639.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ysxOscpEa117vxOH7BuFasSiUury6KT_zY44cqcMofwqa1u56aKSSHmOUPU132KCSxBH8O_-xM4YIQfUDil-6Fb8E6dw2lz2rdpbz29Bb6H-WT-UE-Vxiv0-DZy6MVGJEaYIghv4dconZ_V70uFDkhkGR4YHW_eZEdbboFab4RyEI8Bead9Ek_pC2PH/w493-h207/vlcsnap-2024-03-21-18h26m18s639.png" width="493" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tetsuro Tanba<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Ito is adept at the staging and blocking of scenes, and we are treated to some
great camerawork throughout, while Akira Ifukube’s music is also effective. The
sets are extremely well-designed and detailed, even featuring a convincing
replica of the original Tsutentaku (a tower with neon lights) which overlooked
Sakata’s neighbourhood from 1912-43. However, Ito’s weakness, in my opinion,
lies in his direction of actors, and he frequently allows or perhaps encourages
them to go over the top, a flaw which is certainly evident here. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXh-GYkKtx7EcTVIfR74-PuLjudMnDk4DwKJ9AQiDDs1UeldHPM9x_kplW9AvN0Ft-_4w3lF72bExUknX6vsLCQvs6qQko_QIKeX63T0eXw2vwnUdY-fUPeLerjzNMygP2czlPL91H10DaMC4ifSgwaoDHgsp1okxI-H3n1dtp3ks6gmACPFTgd_EseIV/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-22-09h55m06s079.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXh-GYkKtx7EcTVIfR74-PuLjudMnDk4DwKJ9AQiDDs1UeldHPM9x_kplW9AvN0Ft-_4w3lF72bExUknX6vsLCQvs6qQko_QIKeX63T0eXw2vwnUdY-fUPeLerjzNMygP2czlPL91H10DaMC4ifSgwaoDHgsp1okxI-H3n1dtp3ks6gmACPFTgd_EseIV/w533-h225/vlcsnap-2024-03-22-09h55m06s079.png" width="533" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsutentaku, Mikuni and Awashima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Rentaro Mikuni was a
highly talented actor, but also an eccentric. In <i>Osho</i>, he gurns and whines his way through his performance, hacking
up phlegm and affecting a grating, high-pitched voice. The fact that Sakata
also gets physically violent with his grown-up daughter Tamae (Yoshiko Mita)
when she tells him a few home truths means that he’s not only incredibly
irritating, but entirely unsympathetic too, and in my view this is highly
detrimental to the movie. Nevertheless, Mikuni seems to have had a hit in the
role and appeared in a sequel (directed by Junya Sato) the following year
(based on the play’s two sequels, I believe). It’s also worth noting that the
real Sakata was said to have been a dandy rather than the scruffy slob portrayed
here. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjHfIteKTyhYx5uDLPKT8A4ul1j-VbbCVr-3BrpuPIh8oueHkC3biZ0fGkfkujLpun5CrUAqQEyaz9pcsCgLvIqFdFD1wGW4cIkz7PRzzE0SAsLI6ZlnSBjIUtj0Q4hTT6xV4oyyE_aFd2aloDMgJvAXJbASrvFxhV6jD0SLLd6xPhdv7wj_hN0jepa1-/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h31m55s430.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjHfIteKTyhYx5uDLPKT8A4ul1j-VbbCVr-3BrpuPIh8oueHkC3biZ0fGkfkujLpun5CrUAqQEyaz9pcsCgLvIqFdFD1wGW4cIkz7PRzzE0SAsLI6ZlnSBjIUtj0Q4hTT6xV4oyyE_aFd2aloDMgJvAXJbASrvFxhV6jD0SLLd6xPhdv7wj_hN0jepa1-/w521-h219/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h31m55s430.png" width="521" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshiko Mita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The rest of the cast
are generally fine, though even Chikage Awashima overdoes it at one point. As
Sekine, Mikijiro Hira’s role feels underwritten and he’s left with little to do
– presumably this part was beefed up a bit for Tatsuya Nakadai when he
played the role in Hiromichi Horikawa’s 1973 remake opposite Shintaro Katsu
(which, unlike this version, has Sakata suffering from an eye disease as he did
in real life, possibly because Katsu had a knack for playing the
visually-impaired). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoYfuKgzKqDiOtPBG1yr87cXYV5MoipxzGMz-HXpt8kPz47JcNCRZNTs09kj3SA49kY7MV3dWm5yA9NHK5xf7wFGClWA04Xi1wHZdYthFdQmiBhlMpIfEX_7JtA58Ya4kyF_I7lItrBFQbqePoL6Qk2GNsCYHNbx23rIXpgqdol3zMQBB-SgD94hfy6fZ/s720/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h57m28s186.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoYfuKgzKqDiOtPBG1yr87cXYV5MoipxzGMz-HXpt8kPz47JcNCRZNTs09kj3SA49kY7MV3dWm5yA9NHK5xf7wFGClWA04Xi1wHZdYthFdQmiBhlMpIfEX_7JtA58Ya4kyF_I7lItrBFQbqePoL6Qk2GNsCYHNbx23rIXpgqdol3zMQBB-SgD94hfy6fZ/w519-h220/vlcsnap-2024-03-20-14h57m28s186.png" width="519" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonny Chiba<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">A young Sonny Chiba
appears towards the end as one of Sakata’s disciples; the other is played by
Hideo Murata, who had scored a huge hit a year earlier singing a song also
entitled ‘Osho’ and concerning the life of Sakata (perhaps it was that success
which had led to this version). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">If only Ito could have
reigned Mikuni in a bit, this film might have been a true classic. </span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-18133044260938941102024-03-12T04:48:00.000-07:002024-03-12T04:48:22.703-07:00Shroud of Snow / 雪の喪章 / Yuki no mosho (1967)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #105</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAs04wmfn2IHK12lFWvs5WYFF2amWiZG7yGkI3FYjAgksuMK2bvHcBWVMY1nZOfF4W6r_NEQGZ59sTA2_u-5DprzYFXCH2W_DfxORCoOc90ThN-25ecKVdfcwb79D8z16GPWd_li6Ff0dIG1CcqgznkefjBl2ST2xA_l7zinSA2RqFajv7cpsVBA7cHtj/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h57m11s280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAs04wmfn2IHK12lFWvs5WYFF2amWiZG7yGkI3FYjAgksuMK2bvHcBWVMY1nZOfF4W6r_NEQGZ59sTA2_u-5DprzYFXCH2W_DfxORCoOc90ThN-25ecKVdfcwb79D8z16GPWd_li6Ff0dIG1CcqgznkefjBl2ST2xA_l7zinSA2RqFajv7cpsVBA7cHtj/w537-h231/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h57m11s280.png" width="537" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayako Wakao<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
story begins in 1930 in Kanazawa, a city located on the west coast of Japan’s
main island and known for its production of gold leaf and heavy snowfall in
winter. Taeko (Ayako Wakao) has just married into the Sayama family, who have a
successful gold leaf business. Soon after the wedding, her husband, Kunio
(Toyota Fukuda), hires a new maid, Sei (Tamao Nakamura), apparently in an act
of charity as she’s an orphan and a distant relation of the family. Sei is of a
meek disposition, so Taeko is profoundly shocked when she catches Kunio in
flagrante with her. Kunio’s mother (Mitsuko Yoshikawa) apologises to Taeko on
behalf of her son, but explains pragmatically that it’s better than him
spending his money in the red light district. However, Taeko finds herself
unable to forgive Kunio so, when one of her husband’s employees, Guntaro
(Shigeru Amachi), confesses his love to her, she seems ready to run off to
Osaka with him and start a new life. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIHHJDolERbM0b6h-4svvD8NJphO978naStE4AHwlsOdNCynSK3no_Eg_e_Gt2JJwBd8zm9wTmwhzH3p7RkO64lGG0ClTW5-V3NLCT3XoLWhWzB8wc2IwOX-w4t1G6SD4P6n2tbjGFPDjIMih-za26K8djsXesak4qxHWiGoncVqe44Og6BkZ4DAzhxGd/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-16h12m34s215.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIHHJDolERbM0b6h-4svvD8NJphO978naStE4AHwlsOdNCynSK3no_Eg_e_Gt2JJwBd8zm9wTmwhzH3p7RkO64lGG0ClTW5-V3NLCT3XoLWhWzB8wc2IwOX-w4t1G6SD4P6n2tbjGFPDjIMih-za26K8djsXesak4qxHWiGoncVqe44Og6BkZ4DAzhxGd/w519-h224/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-16h12m34s215.png" width="519" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toyota Fukuda<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">When
Kunio discovers their plans, Guntaro ends up leaving without her, and Taeko
seems to have little choice but to stay with her husband and try to make it
work. While resigning herself to her fate, she cannot help having vindictive
thoughts, and when a series of tragedies occur – always during a heavy snowfall
– she wonders if she has willed them into existence. As the years pass, the
family’s fortunes take a dive, the war begins and events lead to an unexpected
reunion of sorts with Guntaro… <span> </span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg388KcjqnQFnTtxIXTysnfi0QlFaW3vo4nyxwPCxW0Ey1thparNy2U19GHWh6xugzKU_UycvTvRtwGSeEbIw8ffiO6nGGjda5jEQdjTOk_GMruJ3soYCQoQxOSsn5W4abMTKtMq1Nk-hfysrloRzfus9jzJzhWMX7Z7qAXmXoV1uemDOggtiFtX_qF-rq1/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-16h21m51s632.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg388KcjqnQFnTtxIXTysnfi0QlFaW3vo4nyxwPCxW0Ey1thparNy2U19GHWh6xugzKU_UycvTvRtwGSeEbIw8ffiO6nGGjda5jEQdjTOk_GMruJ3soYCQoQxOSsn5W4abMTKtMq1Nk-hfysrloRzfus9jzJzhWMX7Z7qAXmXoV1uemDOggtiFtX_qF-rq1/w535-h230/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-16h21m51s632.png" width="535" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamao Nakamura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvtuX4u92Tot9y_J7CALnxeUqG6-G-WIXTpJ2xgMIjjdA2pPp6cPRIrn1S9yYn7KpQ_aPUj6_AkYCTjM63MsXnhgYiMfxHOgQEWb7HtV6tvexxuOTHxyJDqobSKq91mYqRIHQAFmFDa10uqK16U8a_7r0_SQKJzxOEhPGHVkt8eSzWILpLapdWivY6Be2/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h52m36s332.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvtuX4u92Tot9y_J7CALnxeUqG6-G-WIXTpJ2xgMIjjdA2pPp6cPRIrn1S9yYn7KpQ_aPUj6_AkYCTjM63MsXnhgYiMfxHOgQEWb7HtV6tvexxuOTHxyJDqobSKq91mYqRIHQAFmFDa10uqK16U8a_7r0_SQKJzxOEhPGHVkt8eSzWILpLapdWivY6Be2/w528-h228/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h52m36s332.png" width="528" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shigeru Amachi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Revolving
around the intertwined destinies of the four main characters, <i>Shroud of Snow</i> is
not so much the story of a love triangle, but a love square. Despite a number of
dramatic events, it’s a strange, enigmatic film in content as the real drama happens
inside Taeko’s head. With no voiceover, the film relies heavily on the acting
talents of Ayako Wakao; fortunately, she’s adept at expressing the inner thoughts
and feelings of her characters, and gives her usual immaculate performance.
Nevertheless, I’d love to be able to read the original novel in order to
understand the film a little better, but unfortunately it’s never been
translated and appears to be out of print in Japan. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-6kamWfHPvWEdUipk4NNzy8thuuakOmgMWukif_WS3yxyYb6bXwv_XXY46o8ham_8R9TIeQUI9ofeSnUGJ9UPN-mjRxoK7wOs0EAK-eYkqt-bCsjs8NaDrvK4jx_qiDa218xWGGczcujprAbpQUADRmV-8Q25qI_cl2YDbSRpybjXzDb3gvMXlazj04s/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h50m32s162.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-6kamWfHPvWEdUipk4NNzy8thuuakOmgMWukif_WS3yxyYb6bXwv_XXY46o8ham_8R9TIeQUI9ofeSnUGJ9UPN-mjRxoK7wOs0EAK-eYkqt-bCsjs8NaDrvK4jx_qiDa218xWGGczcujprAbpQUADRmV-8Q25qI_cl2YDbSRpybjXzDb3gvMXlazj04s/w530-h229/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h50m32s162.png" width="530" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The
author, Mitsuko Mizuashi (1914-2003), was herself from Kanazawa, where her
father ran a gold leaf business before going bankrupt, after which the family
moved to Osaka. <i>Yuki no mosho</i>, published in 1962, was her best-known work and
the only one to be filmed, although she was a well-regarded writer nominated
for both the Akutagawa and Naoki prizes on several occasions. I suspect that
the task of adapting her novel must have been challenging and may be why it
uncharacteristically took Daiei five years to turn it into a film as well as the reason
it has not been filmed since. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD7JxjGTH1UssH4Or2afCpAiIcQch_iexohYi4ls0Jsq2tE8UdxwiDQjRPHUNuWBr0V6UD-iwK74BHMJHFk-v_6ZhnBaBZgysozgbDsQN-2BtAcnJACwH7k1y97JSLCvDZu3zcVoFZQNyhZMSLURPe0rWIjVd3LHROVN-CPTo9LQX4UqbII_WV_LB8mC3/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-17h05m54s740.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD7JxjGTH1UssH4Or2afCpAiIcQch_iexohYi4ls0Jsq2tE8UdxwiDQjRPHUNuWBr0V6UD-iwK74BHMJHFk-v_6ZhnBaBZgysozgbDsQN-2BtAcnJACwH7k1y97JSLCvDZu3zcVoFZQNyhZMSLURPe0rWIjVd3LHROVN-CPTo9LQX4UqbII_WV_LB8mC3/w522-h225/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-17h05m54s740.png" width="522" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The
director, Kenji Misumi, is well known for his Zatoichi and Lone Wolf and Cub films.
Although <i>Shroud of Snow</i> is far from a typical Misumi film, his direction is
impressive while seldom calling attention to itself. He extracts good
performances all round and pulls off some difficult shots wonderfully, such as
when we see flakes of gold leaf swirling about in the smoke from a fire.
Another plus is the score by Sei Ikeno, which is subtle and restrained yet makes
the most of the film’s dramatic moments. </span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Note on the title: A more
literal translation of the Japanese title would be something like ‘Snow
Mourning Band’. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Bonus
trivia: The gold leaf which covers Kyoto’s famous Kinkaku-ji (the Temple of the
Golden Pavilion) was made in Kanazawa. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGixEncvaLoGIsSUJeL1JTRqZUhxo8bwCdRLJTHqPc_Sw9WKPsTa7zZE5LTD6SHDrLYi6JPXWDRWaaDCeNadFDprntSy84XE_Cf7S4jX9zND-Z2rhJuI24pAjuI5zOqW91LSTPgcWjMJ9gSYinq9wGGL9Fe4ql6OoS9fZ_B9INu8CejdO-lvNnCawkwRqT/s853/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h29m59s662.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="853" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGixEncvaLoGIsSUJeL1JTRqZUhxo8bwCdRLJTHqPc_Sw9WKPsTa7zZE5LTD6SHDrLYi6JPXWDRWaaDCeNadFDprntSy84XE_Cf7S4jX9zND-Z2rhJuI24pAjuI5zOqW91LSTPgcWjMJ9gSYinq9wGGL9Fe4ql6OoS9fZ_B9INu8CejdO-lvNnCawkwRqT/w518-h223/vlcsnap-2024-03-11-15h29m59s662.png" width="518" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-22179148484050103622024-03-05T03:24:00.000-08:002024-03-05T03:24:23.788-08:00Forest of No Escape / 花実のない森 / Kajitsu no nai mori (1965)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #104</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGow6ro5x_63em1fqK0UefKsUHzx1OetBaTszei4G-4o6prE4mqUrWQ-uQjDcVYmwXeHHczRHnhGgQINNMZHUYkCtu7UnG7wI53bzCEuELRJ8N24_cgmCo7GYirh_mG-yToI0UHOJyulFoCjusB1xHN0W3SHYY3r94lA369DZYsM19dJm3ZEfuXVkx9ptf/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h34m00s277.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGow6ro5x_63em1fqK0UefKsUHzx1OetBaTszei4G-4o6prE4mqUrWQ-uQjDcVYmwXeHHczRHnhGgQINNMZHUYkCtu7UnG7wI53bzCEuELRJ8N24_cgmCo7GYirh_mG-yToI0UHOJyulFoCjusB1xHN0W3SHYY3r94lA369DZYsM19dJm3ZEfuXVkx9ptf/w525-h295/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h34m00s277.png" width="525" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayako Wakao<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Umeki (Keisuke Sonoi)
is a car salesman who gives a lift to two women whose car has broken down. He’s
immediately attracted by the beauty and well-dressed sophistication of one of his
passengers, Miyuki (Ayako Wakao), with whom he soon becomes obsessed, even
though she’s clearly out of his league. After Umeki questions a hotel clerk
about her, he is approached by Hamada (Eiji Funakoshi), who invites him for a
drink and confides that he is pursuing the same woman. The two men agree to
remain friendly rivals and exchange information about Miyuki, who is extremely
reticent about her private life. It turns out that she lives with her
half-brother, Hidemichi (Takahiro Tamura), who harbours an incestuous desire
for her. Umeki decides to install his current girlfriend, Setsuko (Kyoko
Enami), in their household as a spy by getting her to work as a maid there. It
becomes apparent that there are other men in Miyuki’s life as well, and the
feelings of obsession and jealousy she inspires in the various men competing
for her attentions soon leads to murder… </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-agZq-HTsWzvmjDzXZNULi76Cz0OZ5Rbp7bMfJC-RVWzqZDsamD90IoOxjvDEfPDg9PeuLtJiDCzOkDsD0vz3YA9osPK2Bj6xH9c06Zn5SEQEycXEiKRh1mKwDa9HTMox6WJ9zUinv1Re7hdevk7lSpKYuGXK6xx_L8B9vFFxkJZOliG-Sh1vH3Ippnd/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-05-10h30m50s616.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-agZq-HTsWzvmjDzXZNULi76Cz0OZ5Rbp7bMfJC-RVWzqZDsamD90IoOxjvDEfPDg9PeuLtJiDCzOkDsD0vz3YA9osPK2Bj6xH9c06Zn5SEQEycXEiKRh1mKwDa9HTMox6WJ9zUinv1Re7hdevk7lSpKYuGXK6xx_L8B9vFFxkJZOliG-Sh1vH3Ippnd/w528-h298/vlcsnap-2024-03-05-10h30m50s616.png" width="528" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Based on an
untranslated novel by Seicho Matsumoto, this Daiei production reunited star
Ayako Wakao with director Sokichi Tomimoto, with whom she had recently made <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/02/kemono-no-tawamure-frolic-of-beasts-1964.html"><i>Frolic of the Beasts</i></a>. He does a decent
but unremarkable job, while Wakao is terrific as usual, especially in a scene
in which she learns about a murder and you can really see the wheels turning in
her head as she processes the information. It's a masterclass in reactive acting.<br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOziKsdCHJPpqyFWHDhjA0saOJsH4Rij1cVlO0mwU_NGrszH76kL8gSFL-oPKln8ObrTZoNFLBUaQNbC80o5Ow_cIcmZveChtniVxS2ML9d17Hh9QCQNIuSMErE_eRU8KJ4EJK1zy8XJPkDhMqwSwp7bf3STiJq1xn0RSUpk3svpURI87qAmUMxTSM31rm/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h15m27s552.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOziKsdCHJPpqyFWHDhjA0saOJsH4Rij1cVlO0mwU_NGrszH76kL8gSFL-oPKln8ObrTZoNFLBUaQNbC80o5Ow_cIcmZveChtniVxS2ML9d17Hh9QCQNIuSMErE_eRU8KJ4EJK1zy8XJPkDhMqwSwp7bf3STiJq1xn0RSUpk3svpURI87qAmUMxTSM31rm/w515-h290/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h15m27s552.png" width="515" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keisuke Sonoi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">As the male lead, the
little-known Keisuke Sonoi is competent but lacking in star quality, while
Takahiro Tamura is a little over-the-top at times as the jealous and possessive brother. Eiji Funakoshi, on the other
hand, hits the right note as a man who has completely given himself over to his
obsession, while behind the horn-rimmed glasses of Miyuki’s fashion-designer
friend lurks Rieko Sumi, aka Natsuko from <i>Natsuko’s
Adventure in Hokkaido</i> (see previous review). <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUXM5Ct5A4c7THsd9u2ayOmRHjJq9O7jflmYMxBzPfdVUofhbaOb3Jfcm8dvFmI4QMb7SSnmDwo3j7siN6Sq04U9eEvHUUCDR4plKezvHn8LqpOJ_m7C56laPKoDIimnXyIBJooU4GCn_oubNETrIrqeEw1MF7rqHoqcOSOzwmEfXCttybJ0g5ZriFrYq/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-15h02m38s009.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUXM5Ct5A4c7THsd9u2ayOmRHjJq9O7jflmYMxBzPfdVUofhbaOb3Jfcm8dvFmI4QMb7SSnmDwo3j7siN6Sq04U9eEvHUUCDR4plKezvHn8LqpOJ_m7C56laPKoDIimnXyIBJooU4GCn_oubNETrIrqeEw1MF7rqHoqcOSOzwmEfXCttybJ0g5ZriFrYq/w501-h282/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-15h02m38s009.png" width="501" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiji Funakoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">As
Umeki's girlfriend, Kyoko Enami gives a strong performance in an
underwritten role - she was soon to become a major star after Ayako
Wakao hurt herself when she slipped in her bathroom and had to withdraw
from the title role of <i>Onna no toba</i> (<i>Lady Gambler</i>), leaving Enami to
step in and score a big hit which sparked a series of 17 films.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EBt-jbCEZ5huEEcP0rNpgAE3fa-lsCpB3ICR-MZxhffSJzP1AICwtoRoz0uBQnV1mgKyfYNJ7ejJOTBTeHOgQHfCuxxbzipUUp8XYp1WAXluvrMJpgk7AQD-lr9AL9vBKHFGRL8mlRQiEF9mmB-8w4Za0tl2HGqvlUi9anWm5To60sRolGePpsir8gBW/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h56m55s250.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EBt-jbCEZ5huEEcP0rNpgAE3fa-lsCpB3ICR-MZxhffSJzP1AICwtoRoz0uBQnV1mgKyfYNJ7ejJOTBTeHOgQHfCuxxbzipUUp8XYp1WAXluvrMJpgk7AQD-lr9AL9vBKHFGRL8mlRQiEF9mmB-8w4Za0tl2HGqvlUi9anWm5To60sRolGePpsir8gBW/w501-h282/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h56m55s250.png" width="501" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyoko Enami<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">As one would expect
from a Matsumoto story, there is a good twist at the end but, unfortunately,
there is also some very lazy writing – we get zero explanation of exactly how
Umeki manages to get Setsuko a job as Miyuki’s maid, for instance. It also
seems as if we’re supposed to take Umeki’s behaviour – which we would call
stalking today – as perfectly normal, and the ease with which people provide
him with sensitive personal information about Miyuki is entirely unrealistic. Having
read a couple of books by Seicho Matsumoto (in translation), I wouldn’t be at
all surprised if these weaknesses are present in the original, especially as
screenwriter Kazuo Funahashi, who also adapted Mishima’s <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/02/kemono-no-tawamure-frolic-of-beasts-1964.html"><i>Frolic of the Beasts</i></a> and Tsutomu Mizukami’s <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-temple-of-wild-geese-gan-no-tera.html "><i>Temple of Wild Geese</i></a>, tended to be faithful to his literary
sources as far as possible. It’s perhaps also worth noting that Daiei seemed
to have a policy of restricting the running times of their films to around 90
minutes, which would have made any extra exposition challenging.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R9AGN3uHKuEerto1Ad3Zvdw40iB9LQI47kkdSZ1QOeRAFDLoTW5wzU5Yf3GHntXcEOqB-w1qQHRwGFVe6imSiqHhnqncSIJaMCHl4ulWWgNvDBhHK8P4xPzi-FcaPM1WfaGY9uoc5FKTkLyMai4_6_mo7ePMI7LhuMCfISABKn3a-toaa3ZIIgCQR_L2/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h22m51s586.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R9AGN3uHKuEerto1Ad3Zvdw40iB9LQI47kkdSZ1QOeRAFDLoTW5wzU5Yf3GHntXcEOqB-w1qQHRwGFVe6imSiqHhnqncSIJaMCHl4ulWWgNvDBhHK8P4xPzi-FcaPM1WfaGY9uoc5FKTkLyMai4_6_mo7ePMI7LhuMCfISABKn3a-toaa3ZIIgCQR_L2/w508-h286/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h22m51s586.png" width="508" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Featuring what sounds
like a musical saw, Sei Ikeno’s music is too often eccentric and distracting,
although it does become highly effective at the end when events reach their
climax. Overall, the film holds the interest fairly well despite its
unconvincing set-up, and it makes a pretty good vehicle for the great talent of
Ayako Wakao, who also changes hairstyles and clothes numerous times throughout.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNJeSwjSEiJbWn7NPRH7InsMaSPytL8vUuaoge581a2_XpeC532VE8BlXctN2GE6K9JfaBXQs7r4SCzNaPNnev3-8nUMaRC2oqC47_WaKG8F9nw940wrytQDVL5aexSiYqYCsOGuuVmgpMPAmWGmQ3Tez1aCn13JmDwK4t2LXJ2gZ5CBJ0r4kU2GA17uv/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h10m19s966.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNJeSwjSEiJbWn7NPRH7InsMaSPytL8vUuaoge581a2_XpeC532VE8BlXctN2GE6K9JfaBXQs7r4SCzNaPNnev3-8nUMaRC2oqC47_WaKG8F9nw940wrytQDVL5aexSiYqYCsOGuuVmgpMPAmWGmQ3Tez1aCn13JmDwK4t2LXJ2gZ5CBJ0r4kU2GA17uv/w519-h292/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-14h10m19s966.png" width="519" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The Japanese title can
be translated as either ‘Forest without Flowers and Fruits’ or ‘Forest without
Substance’; in my opinion, the latter reading makes more sense. In either case,
it’s a metaphor, so any tree fans out there may be disappointed to learn of the
absence of an actual forest. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW29JHUa6A70vEF1ZECIq3syXxTR7M2k8MFQkpaCtM8XQCaLudZiBAMIGJvRUR_tevvtpBCNcs-71FFpB7Iai5hbHpbyNoEJSxD8DDaMMpMH9cR8BHRVGV7Dp153ck3vWGzqIIuIsMfMb1pAsdXlKfKmm5zWo2mk4war4BQQP1iU9TFc-ZFdTP1sCqKzD/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-15h04m19s255.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW29JHUa6A70vEF1ZECIq3syXxTR7M2k8MFQkpaCtM8XQCaLudZiBAMIGJvRUR_tevvtpBCNcs-71FFpB7Iai5hbHpbyNoEJSxD8DDaMMpMH9cR8BHRVGV7Dp153ck3vWGzqIIuIsMfMb1pAsdXlKfKmm5zWo2mk4war4BQQP1iU9TFc-ZFdTP1sCqKzD/w517-h291/vlcsnap-2024-03-04-15h04m19s255.png" width="517" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Bonus trivia: In 1975, actor Keisuke Sonoi was sentenced to ten years in
prison for tax evasion.</span></span><p></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-39946658919600801872024-02-29T03:03:00.000-08:002024-03-05T03:25:47.016-08:00Natsuko’s Adventure in Hokkaido / 夏子の冒険/ Natsuko no boken (1952)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #103</span></span></p><p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1443" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzRZb348pxLpavzVZRGkwWuV-evNspHJhdKYvIAjRCTEbhsxeb-T-HRhWKBGOurnkQOSLREGREgHDdC7cTDxZzog2aoUXPhSENKc43QPEUlSxjBQMPWhCYxIie3oeOC0CofNu0gqCH86GbzoSs6DjnwkKqYr2RKlEUFjdhW41PmhOAufC75pmC9XkpDGp/w505-h379/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-14h22m50s120.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="505" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rieko Sumi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzRZb348pxLpavzVZRGkwWuV-evNspHJhdKYvIAjRCTEbhsxeb-T-HRhWKBGOurnkQOSLREGREgHDdC7cTDxZzog2aoUXPhSENKc43QPEUlSxjBQMPWhCYxIie3oeOC0CofNu0gqCH86GbzoSs6DjnwkKqYr2RKlEUFjdhW41PmhOAufC75pmC9XkpDGp/s1443/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-14h22m50s120.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Natsuko (Rieko Sumi) is
a spoiled and stubborn young woman bored by the various men chasing her and the
thought of becoming a housewife or socialite. Instead, she dreams of a man who
pursues his passion no matter what obstacles he must face. Unable to find such
a person, she decides to become a nun, but on her way to enter a convent in
Hokkaido she takes the ferry and meets Tsuyoshi (Masao Wakahara). He’s a hunter
returning to the island to shoot the bear which, according to the subtitles,
‘dismembered and killed’ his fiancée, Akiko (Keiko Awaji).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdK9V-Dgg2ZMMLwp_2yUe833H0Mlj14O93CF7PqKdHJ2XvuKKmQBmobNPhy6a5oorfzRF6XZkX-I9Xub2N0E-1sNQPWY-HkUOk_t2V7k1jyLfeG3NuheQdMNaoNA7ic_fwTFqs_Purf6Uqczejtjr2MI7o8RwT_N2_4milrgJFxZ8QCQ_-qlq3_RUhUum/s1428/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-14h38m07s810.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1428" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdK9V-Dgg2ZMMLwp_2yUe833H0Mlj14O93CF7PqKdHJ2XvuKKmQBmobNPhy6a5oorfzRF6XZkX-I9Xub2N0E-1sNQPWY-HkUOk_t2V7k1jyLfeG3NuheQdMNaoNA7ic_fwTFqs_Purf6Uqczejtjr2MI7o8RwT_N2_4milrgJFxZ8QCQ_-qlq3_RUhUum/w501-h379/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-14h38m07s810.png" width="501" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masao Wakahara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Convinced that she has
finally found the man of her dreams, Natsuko abandons the idea of becoming a
nun and decides to follow Tsuyoshi and help him to kill the bear whether he
likes it or not. When they reach Sapporo, Tsuyoshi tries to get rid of Natsuko
by dumping her on his journalist friend, Noguchi (Teiji Takahashi), who
promptly falls in love with her. However, she proves impossible to shake off and
follows Tsuyoshi into the countryside to the house of Akiko’s father, Juzo
(Takeshi Sakamoto), who accepts her as a guest. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEJKlWSZoeksr18ID7lmD1qsR1z8XbeZFVzzU7JWoC9su35rbk_-K4Hm7AIKWaDHjXnNjE4jMtdhWvSyK8jecIhOP44I8Ri1XmheRIenii56zsLXrDhrhPTM2vInc9PvK2cdauNWeLOMG7yyNWVnbGrYFLBvnt0hyLfjeTRxj73c8VKAILR4lvrQ5ZqUQ/s1432/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h10m07s459.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1432" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEJKlWSZoeksr18ID7lmD1qsR1z8XbeZFVzzU7JWoC9su35rbk_-K4Hm7AIKWaDHjXnNjE4jMtdhWvSyK8jecIhOP44I8Ri1XmheRIenii56zsLXrDhrhPTM2vInc9PvK2cdauNWeLOMG7yyNWVnbGrYFLBvnt0hyLfjeTRxj73c8VKAILR4lvrQ5ZqUQ/w495-h374/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h10m07s459.png" width="495" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoko Katsuragi and Takeshi Sakamoto<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Despite her efforts to
assist Tsuyoshi in his quest, Natsuko proves more of a hindrance than a help,
while Akiko’s younger sister, the 17-year-old Fujiko (Yoko Katsuragi), seems to
have become interested in Tsuyoshi herself and to regard Natsuko as a rival.
Accustomed to rural life, Fujiko skips along the mountain trails with ease
while Natsuko can barely keep up. Meanwhile, Natsuko’s grandmother, mother and
auntie (Chieko Higashiyama, Teruko Kishi and Sachiko Murase) want her back home
and are hot on her trail… </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Shochiku comedy
was the second Japanese feature film in full colour. As the process was so new
to Japan, some of the crew had to travel to Hollywood to get advice from the
experts there. Like many early colour films, subtlety was not the idea and the
costumes and backgrounds were designed to be as colourful as possible in order
to dazzle the cinemagoers of the day. Unfortunately, some brief parts of the
film are missing, although the soundtrack is complete apart from one sequence;
however, the vast majority of the film survives in excellent condition. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Natsuko’s
Adventure in Hokkaido</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> is a moderately amusing piece of fluff,
so it’s something of a shock to see that it was based on a novel by Yukio
Mishima, of all people. The book has not so far been translated into English, but
it appears that the film is actually quite faithful and the novel is a
similarly lightweight piece. In the <i>Asahi
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 19.85pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Although the story is set in Hokkaido, the main characters are young men and women from the city.<a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%97%E6%B5%B7%E9%81%93" title="Hokkaido"> </a>However,
in the city, young people cannot find anything worthy of their
energy. They leave Tokyo with different dreams. I am dissatisfied
with the fact that the current era does not provide the means of fulfilling
youthful dreams, so I wanted my characters to pursue their dreams among
the lakes and forests of Hokkaido, where present-day Japan feels more like
a foreign country. </span></i></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Fans of the writer
Haruki Murakami may also be interested to know that Mishima’s book is said to
have influenced Murakami’s novel <i>A Wild
Sheep Chase</i>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 游明朝; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 游明朝; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjp5rl2WsM-6lSQUXQlg6v3LYxOhJ12h2HxWskuGtsJBD32GpjAfWa7vqZlKzfpLe6bi3BSjO4lqFJz8B0NY5Ri5gNryMnWrnPP7zRTm71m_OjX9eXJXSdEcTkb0nbSDfUFerDIWinlefOIlJKmich8LWPzET-HJ2xYp-DY-FNqOEO2VIWEsmueramS3L/s1432/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h11m04s687.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1432" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjp5rl2WsM-6lSQUXQlg6v3LYxOhJ12h2HxWskuGtsJBD32GpjAfWa7vqZlKzfpLe6bi3BSjO4lqFJz8B0NY5Ri5gNryMnWrnPP7zRTm71m_OjX9eXJXSdEcTkb0nbSDfUFerDIWinlefOIlJKmich8LWPzET-HJ2xYp-DY-FNqOEO2VIWEsmueramS3L/w474-h356/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h11m04s687.png" width="474" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rieko Sumi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another surprising
aspect of the film is that the star of this expensive production is not
terribly well-known. Rieko Sumi (1928-2005) was from Hiroshima, where she
suffered exposure to the atomic bomb, though thankfully she made a full
recovery and became the first Miss Hiroshima in 1948, leading to her being
signed as a new face by Toho. Most of her leading roles were in the early ‘50s,
after which she was mainly relegated to supporting roles. I felt that she
failed to give much depth to her portrayal of Natsuko, who comes across as a
little too unsympathetic, and perhaps that indicates why her career as a
leading woman ended early. However, she contributed a moving cameo as an A-bomb
survivor who refuses to feel sorry for herself in Kozaburo Yoshimura’s <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-night-to-remember-sono-yoru-wa.html"><i>A Night to Remember</i></a>. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xmq-uniieTuA6WybXeHDAqTetm5-EU4J84CL-xZdg3R-9fmSnquRw7OrXnDJHuGgOxbIRj6gVIdY5n1wmWLNGezPMyqgvzcpj6fncOfxvW0FF7o7zSsfm0EQU1FzLmHaESqD9V9lpAZA9Nt48QO3gH-HGXcmDPXWiQm8Dl43Ll7XjAbz8NxrtuCL1Z_s/s1448/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h07m37s161.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1448" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Xmq-uniieTuA6WybXeHDAqTetm5-EU4J84CL-xZdg3R-9fmSnquRw7OrXnDJHuGgOxbIRj6gVIdY5n1wmWLNGezPMyqgvzcpj6fncOfxvW0FF7o7zSsfm0EQU1FzLmHaESqD9V9lpAZA9Nt48QO3gH-HGXcmDPXWiQm8Dl43Ll7XjAbz8NxrtuCL1Z_s/w479-h358/vlcsnap-2024-02-27-15h07m37s161.png" width="479" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoko Katsuragi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In <i>Natsuko’s Adventure in Hokkaido</i>, it’s Yoko Katsuragi who steals the
show as the coquettish Fujiko. Given that the film feels like an imitation of
the Hollywood style even down to avant-garde composer Toshiro Mayuzumi’s
uncharacteristically conventional music score, it’s ironic that Fujiko
explicitly criticises Natsuko’s American values at the end of the film. As the
Americans had just left when the film went into production, perhaps the
filmmakers were unable to resist having a dig at their former occupiers even as
they continued to enthusiastically absorb their culture. </span></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In regard to director
Noboru Nakamura, at this stage in his career he was just beginning to gain a
reputation as a reliable director of literary adaptations. On the basis of <i>Natsuko’s Adventure</i>, there’s little to distinguish
him from any other competent director, but his best work was yet to come in
films like <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2024/02/downpour-doshaburi-1957.html"><i>Downpour</i> (1957)</a> and <i>Koto</i> (1963). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Bonus trivia: actor Yoko Katsuragi married composet Toshiro Mayuzumi in 1953. </span></span><br /></div></div>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-87072610550342398312024-02-21T08:05:00.000-08:002024-02-21T08:05:42.448-08:00Lake of Illusions / 幻の湖 / Maboroshi no mizuumi (1982)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #102</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHqv93Si1q1d3kneBDwaYfWuM-lyP2f8n1Tc-MXhd4Yhfs1bJoAEOIoju_wLJif8tXcGIxv-R6YTykFG4r0rnn3b7aDosP54_7i8Tgvzs7ofCg5CY6dnx9rMUtKh6aOI4kPMpybBqYS0qqM7bEtJmArPo3_y5mQxakuwL5bxnsp_0f_qmIPFC2q7VlF03/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-14h21m47s291.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHqv93Si1q1d3kneBDwaYfWuM-lyP2f8n1Tc-MXhd4Yhfs1bJoAEOIoju_wLJif8tXcGIxv-R6YTykFG4r0rnn3b7aDosP54_7i8Tgvzs7ofCg5CY6dnx9rMUtKh6aOI4kPMpybBqYS0qqM7bEtJmArPo3_y5mQxakuwL5bxnsp_0f_qmIPFC2q7VlF03/w524-h295/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-14h21m47s291.png" width="524" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reiko Nanjo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Shinobu Hashimoto
(1918-2018) had one of the most impressive track records in screenwriting,
including as it did not just many of Kurosawa’s best films, but also other
cast-iron classics such as <i>Hara Kiri</i>
(1962) and <i>Sword of Doom</i> (1966),
together with a long list of other excellent pictures. In 1973, he formed his
own production company, making two films in collaboration with Toho – <i>Castle of Sand</i> (1974) and <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/06/mount-hakkoda-hakkado-san-1977.html"><i>Mount Hakkoda</i> (1977)</a> – both of which
were big hits. These were followed by <i>Village
of Eight Gravestones</i> (1977) for Shochiku, an even bigger hit, so when he
and his production company asked Toho to co-produce <i>Lake of Illusions</i>, which he would write and direct, he was in an
excellent position to get what he wanted and was given a free hand. As
Hashimoto had also directed two previous features, they must have felt the risk
to be minimal, and their optimism was such that the film was planned as Toho’s
50<sup>th</sup> anniversary celebration work. However, they probably failed to
take into account that many of Hashimoto’s previous screenplays had been written in
collaboration with others (which he himself always maintained was the best way)
or under the firm guiding hand of top directors such as Yoshitaro Nomura, Masaki
Kobayashi, Tadashi Imai, Kihachi Okamoto and others. Furthermore, Hashimoto was
an eccentric, as anyone who reads his book <i>Compound
Cinematics – Akira Kurosawa and I</i> can easily see. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCxlM5vZtwXNqsiAnB-zcYP9i_k2LLEcQxiXEBtVayOqSf_a0Bzit0NcCq6vmk0nrjmqCt95G0yWvASfrJvs-SVTPxB23Pj82kqPrR6b22g6KqRWhVylXtQoKeLjvv8fIvc4jwnFaW8cgiqjfccM6XPxyDqNEq00qrVE9viOjmUhkWt-gbsVa0Z0GUGei/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m55s032.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCxlM5vZtwXNqsiAnB-zcYP9i_k2LLEcQxiXEBtVayOqSf_a0Bzit0NcCq6vmk0nrjmqCt95G0yWvASfrJvs-SVTPxB23Pj82kqPrR6b22g6KqRWhVylXtQoKeLjvv8fIvc4jwnFaW8cgiqjfccM6XPxyDqNEq00qrVE9viOjmUhkWt-gbsVa0Z0GUGei/w534-h301/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m55s032.png" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Ryu<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The genesis of <i>Lake of Illusions</i> is downright peculiar.
As <i>Castle of Sand</i> had featured a lot
of walking and <i>Mount Hakkoda</i> a lot of
marching, he figured that it was time for a film with a lot of jogging. According
to Japanese Wikipedia, Hashimoto also wanted to develop a story which included
three elements – an image of a woman in traditional Japanese dress plunging a
knife into a man; a statue of Kannon, the 11-faced Bodhisattva of mercy,
located near Lake Biwa; and, randomly, computer technology. He spent two years
working on the screenplay, but even he wasn’t convinced that he had
successfully combined the three elements when the film went into production. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa1vR7X6gSfw7I3R9euxvuiRrh8ODKR889Ia4g-n4pfltqtOeCFGDruJpSGIPhLaTOYEIK_Z1RPatANBRCxWBmAhU0QMuFDGW7hYMCU5lx6jW4Bddmziq3BaOIDDtVuRyNai64cFDw2QigdRhqvdVFjxzxnMXjVJMMy3ZQUVxaQfLq7i-fotJkWxe2gQk/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-14h17m37s035.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYa1vR7X6gSfw7I3R9euxvuiRrh8ODKR889Ia4g-n4pfltqtOeCFGDruJpSGIPhLaTOYEIK_Z1RPatANBRCxWBmAhU0QMuFDGW7hYMCU5lx6jW4Bddmziq3BaOIDDtVuRyNai64cFDw2QigdRhqvdVFjxzxnMXjVJMMy3ZQUVxaQfLq7i-fotJkWxe2gQk/w537-h303/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-14h17m37s035.png" width="537" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reiko Nanjo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The central character
is Michiko, a 22-year-old woman who works in a weird theme hotel where she has
to dress in character as Oichi, a woman from the past who came to an
unfortunate end (played by Keiko Takahashi in a flashback sequence). Michiko has no interest in history and is doing the job purely
for the money and planning to leave as soon as she has reached her savings
goal. Her main duties are actually providing baths and sex to wealthy
businessmen, something she finds tolerable as long as she’s ‘Oichi’ and not
Michiko. She adopts a stray dog, whom she dubs ‘Shiro’, and goes for long runs
with him along the shores of Lake Biwa on her days off, meeting a mysterious flute player (Daisuke Ryu) along the way. When Shiro is found
dead from a head wound, she becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer and
getting revenge… </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy-BEc5la9VXrVfsS5C3t-8RXxeEhQmL9cFsILeKIfpoqePTaG-nWtanwsOSxEXlrBtS2WaKy6hV4eVG9mLZrfpzopKcU9EeYV2o9L_ycGyBDPpiElevQevX0wejnoSa19XB5ehwybJ1zl2XfJG8pnsKV2uBj_gtcXWTZ3OemPHegSc0JbPijORYGMV0N/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-17h44m45s273.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy-BEc5la9VXrVfsS5C3t-8RXxeEhQmL9cFsILeKIfpoqePTaG-nWtanwsOSxEXlrBtS2WaKy6hV4eVG9mLZrfpzopKcU9EeYV2o9L_ycGyBDPpiElevQevX0wejnoSa19XB5ehwybJ1zl2XfJG8pnsKV2uBj_gtcXWTZ3OemPHegSc0JbPijORYGMV0N/w536-h301/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-17h44m45s273.png" width="536" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Hashimoto held open
auditions for the part of Michiko. Out of 1,627 applicants, a young model named
Reiko Nanjo was chosen, seemingly for her good looks, athleticism and
willingness to disrobe. Unfortunately, she had no real acting experience, and
Hashimoto was asking too much of a novice to carry the weight of such a huge
part in a major production. The film features endless scenes of Nanjo jogging –
she reportedly ran 4,500 km while playing Michiko – as well as constant
close-ups of her, usually wearing the same sullen expression. Nanjo deserves
respect for her hard work but, in her hands, Michiko comes across as a bit of a
brainless bimbo, which was presumably not the intention. Perhaps a more
experienced director could have provided better guidance, but here she seems
over-exposed and under-directed, and she received poor reviews and few offers of work once the film
was released. However, Akira Kurosawa (perhaps taking pity on Nanjo) gave her a
small part in <i>Ran</i>, and she
subsequently enjoyed a decade of modest success as an actress in TV dramas
before quitting the entertainment industry and vanishing from public life. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewN-j8IIXlakD4cGq9v7KVvGta4aIxUcSLD8r9HnsQ6tfculm_c6WBtlPyL4rP8x1SxSh0tzeY9Sjy-DTll8mlmo36qKy0DsavFfbfoHZYRig2lUeSNCr6ZLoFky_ujnAHuKJ7cnVvjKjvxyRauemUNIBtPZhYT2S_69xw2hVcqHPXhu2HbIf4nHyohJi/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m14s181.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewN-j8IIXlakD4cGq9v7KVvGta4aIxUcSLD8r9HnsQ6tfculm_c6WBtlPyL4rP8x1SxSh0tzeY9Sjy-DTll8mlmo36qKy0DsavFfbfoHZYRig2lUeSNCr6ZLoFky_ujnAHuKJ7cnVvjKjvxyRauemUNIBtPZhYT2S_69xw2hVcqHPXhu2HbIf4nHyohJi/w524-h296/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m14s181.png" width="524" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Ryu<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">On its release, the
film was so badly received that Toho pulled it from cinemas two weeks after
release and effectively buried it. Shinobu Hashimoto’s magic touch had deserted
him and he suddenly found himself persona non grata with the film studios. It’s
not difficult to see their point of view – <i>Lake
of Illusions</i> has a terrible script consisting of several disparate elements
clumsily cobbled together, even relying on two unlikely coincidences to patch
up the deficiencies in its plot, like using sticking plaster to cover a wound
when a transplant is called for. It also feels insanely long at over 2 hours
and 40 minutes, while the ending, which is akin to being catapulted into a
completely different movie, has to be seen to be believed. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcL9K11jb-2Ln0BTsznIwwprF3FabWnP_fuVDdtkeJU-oIgVh3CrdbaHMbGpgxBZMA-c3eL9RZLdRECYvC_ilx3fimLnBaC6VzhXtphZt2IfY0J2iVcM9FwwFkg5nx6HH_989dUqnddxlfg6xrhqnaA8LFdMoDYmm7KjLqFAgVWvcGHwHKydIvZkUZQ3a/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m48s097.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcL9K11jb-2Ln0BTsznIwwprF3FabWnP_fuVDdtkeJU-oIgVh3CrdbaHMbGpgxBZMA-c3eL9RZLdRECYvC_ilx3fimLnBaC6VzhXtphZt2IfY0J2iVcM9FwwFkg5nx6HH_989dUqnddxlfg6xrhqnaA8LFdMoDYmm7KjLqFAgVWvcGHwHKydIvZkUZQ3a/w520-h294/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-16h54m48s097.png" width="520" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiko Takahashi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">With no TV broadcasts or VHS release,</span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> Lake
of Illusions</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> was virtually impossible to see until
its eventual DVD release in 2003. It had come to be regarded as a legendarily
bad film, but since then it has acquired a small cult following and has its
defenders. While it does offer some incidental pleasures along the way, such as
a chance to see the scenery around Lake Biwa, and a subtle music score by
Yasushi Akutagawa, in my opinion the film ultimately deserves its reputation as
Hashimoto’s grand folly, and his own verdict as expressed in <i>Compound Cinematics</i> is equally damning. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbEtzidf_aOZr2pIODS2ZiDQ5-a9zt7p8BVAGTEheR0YuJMwa3kh0eNPI1AB8ZI3lNDtFSooVgLfQkN5767eycLrpgCJAcfwd21z5Mqs6GP5F-7pJOtk_jyfaq1hS4rUUESN9Rt9ViEde-NLwoJNC3z1l3UtuvVnO1eAxLDDwz9n8JRLqlpO26RI1nRcQ/s853/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-17h45m15s294.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbEtzidf_aOZr2pIODS2ZiDQ5-a9zt7p8BVAGTEheR0YuJMwa3kh0eNPI1AB8ZI3lNDtFSooVgLfQkN5767eycLrpgCJAcfwd21z5Mqs6GP5F-7pJOtk_jyfaq1hS4rUUESN9Rt9ViEde-NLwoJNC3z1l3UtuvVnO1eAxLDDwz9n8JRLqlpO26RI1nRcQ/w550-h310/vlcsnap-2024-02-20-17h45m15s294.png" width="550" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-34824870025027610402024-02-15T08:12:00.000-08:002024-02-15T08:12:26.184-08:00Sanshiro Sugata / 姿三四郎 (1965)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #101</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyqIDoh86thh7L2yEx2RPgwtt4jsAowHA9nRVZHiduOlTUHwCg16_Skia0xUPnPwa7_Uf4SQuj_0g3Nm6q066KIyMnmhI4zWwj0YaBDGQ_R4iXyS9eBhlzmCs2_rc_h_0O3u5LYQf2OtTXo2e2pA26RnADkTInJNc5bHeOxOA7DlumIcqiGRSZFR6M2oM/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h35m29s024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyqIDoh86thh7L2yEx2RPgwtt4jsAowHA9nRVZHiduOlTUHwCg16_Skia0xUPnPwa7_Uf4SQuj_0g3Nm6q066KIyMnmhI4zWwj0YaBDGQ_R4iXyS9eBhlzmCs2_rc_h_0O3u5LYQf2OtTXo2e2pA26RnADkTInJNc5bHeOxOA7DlumIcqiGRSZFR6M2oM/w555-h238/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h35m29s024.png" width="555" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuzo Kayama<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">According to Stuart
Galbraith IV in his book <i>The Emperor and
the Wolf</i>, this remake of Kurosawa’s debut film (about an early exponent of
judo) and its sequel was motivated by the need to turn a quick profit after the
inordinately lengthy and expensive production of <i>Red Beard</i>. However, this may not have been the only reason, as <i>Sanshiro Sugata Part Two</i> (1945) not only
contained some badly dated anti-Western propaganda, but was actually considered
a lost film at the time this remake was produced.* </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgic3eb13s-KQtvRKvRHTuYCor6aUTFBpK2uII2EfWX7-VPjNmcjdamtW25qZm4_9Ou6QkBsYStv6ITtAtzE2LtqZadZtgIlbHPP22-FlElgtfsadcM3tNh5Paf2uKBIy3goSWur9RP7S1xD2_W8UiZhXLqGBlt2aPBT1gS4muOVy_pztjjjiAzxxYkg-a5/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h37m18s527.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgic3eb13s-KQtvRKvRHTuYCor6aUTFBpK2uII2EfWX7-VPjNmcjdamtW25qZm4_9Ou6QkBsYStv6ITtAtzE2LtqZadZtgIlbHPP22-FlElgtfsadcM3tNh5Paf2uKBIy3goSWur9RP7S1xD2_W8UiZhXLqGBlt2aPBT1gS4muOVy_pztjjjiAzxxYkg-a5/w558-h241/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h37m18s527.png" width="558" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toshiro Mifune<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In any case, Kurosawa
chose to co-produce the film, but not direct it, instead handing the reins over
to the 42-year-old Seiichiro Uchikawa, who had been an assistant to an
impressive range of directors, including Ozu, Kon Ichikawa, Hiroshi Shimizu and
Kenji Mizoguchi. He had found Mizoguchi extremely difficult and eventually been
fired by him after a dispute. Nevertheless, Uchikawa became a director himself
in 1953. By the time <i>Sanshiro Sugata</i>
went into production, he had already directed around 30 films – often also writing
the screenplays – and gradually built up a decent reputation without breaking
into the A-list. Most of these earlier films are inaccessible, the exceptions
being the two immediately preceding this one, namely <i>Tange Sazen</i> (1963) and <i>Samurai
from Nowhere</i> (1964). The latter of the two was especially well-received and
was likely the reason why Kurosawa chose him as director of this remake. Unfortunately
for Uchikawa, <i>Sanshiro Sugata</i> would
not be received as positively, at least by the critics, and seems to have
damaged his career as he did not direct another feature film until 4 years
later; when finally given another chance, he was reduced to making a vehicle
for the pop group known as The Tempters. In my opinion, that was unfair – while
the remake lacks the panache that Kurosawa himself would no doubt have brought to it,
in some ways it improves on the originals, benefitting from the use of
widescreen, staging at least some of the fight sequences more effectively, and employing
a stronger cast, and it’s certainly far more satisfying than <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/02/sanshiro-sugata-1977.html">Kihachi Okamoto’s1977 kiddie remake</a>. Uchikawa was also somewhat straitjacketed by the obligation
to follow Kurosawa’s blueprint, as Kurosawa made only minor changes to his
originals and even had Uchikawa replicate the montage of the abandoned <i>geta</i>. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOv4sC3RetxkpQ6nsuKFFgrEqpGTLPSvhi3bGemfslB7F8k7shhFKLzEfmZDCOVQN-Ua7HbJsaVFN0qnkgPAuvju_PYdgHvVM6MlAuiIPaN_yLeHZMj8ulr2cEbR-MeBBp9O74Bmo3B2POqjeMeIT8yy4qmclRUgNUvMCnwjZ4UzjVPhyphenhyphenJnmljbvo2s3A/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h17m48s062.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOv4sC3RetxkpQ6nsuKFFgrEqpGTLPSvhi3bGemfslB7F8k7shhFKLzEfmZDCOVQN-Ua7HbJsaVFN0qnkgPAuvju_PYdgHvVM6MlAuiIPaN_yLeHZMj8ulr2cEbR-MeBBp9O74Bmo3B2POqjeMeIT8yy4qmclRUgNUvMCnwjZ4UzjVPhyphenhyphenJnmljbvo2s3A/w536-h231/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h17m48s062.png" width="536" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunosuke Ito<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17PSQp3kFO3hGoPkg6QYLWb7eqf_l-fAVe3w93wYyLSjciHJrEKpcLFf2S8viuR6gLPoFgLKRSPc-_hbVmTBEM8CNyJt26BrfNhwEM-ObL3o52cV2TYObcb-mvshYe_lGcdk7Mz7uDMzlIVci6epqoLGTpqS2TJ4_uKIs8lPaoN0RjjJ7NlQJ02-jLOmk/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h52m40s500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17PSQp3kFO3hGoPkg6QYLWb7eqf_l-fAVe3w93wYyLSjciHJrEKpcLFf2S8viuR6gLPoFgLKRSPc-_hbVmTBEM8CNyJt26BrfNhwEM-ObL3o52cV2TYObcb-mvshYe_lGcdk7Mz7uDMzlIVci6epqoLGTpqS2TJ4_uKIs8lPaoN0RjjJ7NlQJ02-jLOmk/w533-h229/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h52m40s500.png" width="533" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bokuzen Hidari<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAg8OCbZAfKXM_beXNH9o45PQe6PFij2yt8MmWgiqr7wB27z2xNq0TDtLEDt-R3S-VCtqAWxZWCRQn2il6hVS4cVcUhqxcayobQWK0pY0y1ID3vJTps2D_B2F-QWELuIrp4EqRRs7wrgLL_YHhZw1yXeK_QhIoKjW3rT6sb4_SYF7iDhzEj_sZf0zx3oI/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-16h05m40s643.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAg8OCbZAfKXM_beXNH9o45PQe6PFij2yt8MmWgiqr7wB27z2xNq0TDtLEDt-R3S-VCtqAWxZWCRQn2il6hVS4cVcUhqxcayobQWK0pY0y1ID3vJTps2D_B2F-QWELuIrp4EqRRs7wrgLL_YHhZw1yXeK_QhIoKjW3rT6sb4_SYF7iDhzEj_sZf0zx3oI/w534-h230/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-16h05m40s643.png" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsutomu Yamazaki<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Kurosawa further put
his stamp on the film by filling the cast with his favourite actors. Yuzo
Kayama (son of Ken Uehara) had just co-starred in <i>Red Beard</i>, and makes a good Sanshiro, being both convincing in the
fight scenes and likeable in general. Toshiro Mifune is the perfect actor to
play his mentor, Shogoro Yano, and it’s great to see him kicking ass at the
beginning, hurling multiple assailants into a canal. Also ideal casting is Bokuzen
Hidari as the comic priest who gives Sugata a hard time, while Yunosuke Ito and
Tsutomu Yamazaki make effective bad guys, and even Takashi Shimura pops up, although
his part is so brief it seems a mere token gesture. In the first film, Shimura
had played ju-jitsu master Hansuke Murai, the part played here by Daisuke Kato
(surprisingly convincing as a formidable martial artist!). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZoWLRStrIBqvov9OCHAmJXf0Y0CZ6am6VpvIdNJ99SU4_rfM5iks91FsmoiqDL_NDowBSGB9zt3HVaXsPkfyJVxGjxhIBCjMkP3w7M4a5ZYvccoh6TREYEQeyd5pfeT6CQwiEBC3ND89Q4htZBYQsMGs8oSVXDiGPRAd23Tve9XlBElsh9tIdTJsMJS-/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-14h34m19s981.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZoWLRStrIBqvov9OCHAmJXf0Y0CZ6am6VpvIdNJ99SU4_rfM5iks91FsmoiqDL_NDowBSGB9zt3HVaXsPkfyJVxGjxhIBCjMkP3w7M4a5ZYvccoh6TREYEQeyd5pfeT6CQwiEBC3ND89Q4htZBYQsMGs8oSVXDiGPRAd23Tve9XlBElsh9tIdTJsMJS-/w548-h236/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-14h34m19s981.png" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takashi Shimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8n9zae2PdjpewotTj9it5vWdE3Ay61B6d4uLU98TYCHmgI1114zIcHeW5S5nvHLs5oe8eXBCmheAsx1pPDDQ_VirGQce-yUImw9Kge3nNBt-U7NUWAWYUezUimNScJK8FmIb0e8_LscIoogE3bwbyfsIk7w7GojVnD9orvzj3SzfbkmD_jsYP1Ma7vvy/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-17h00m43s233.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8n9zae2PdjpewotTj9it5vWdE3Ay61B6d4uLU98TYCHmgI1114zIcHeW5S5nvHLs5oe8eXBCmheAsx1pPDDQ_VirGQce-yUImw9Kge3nNBt-U7NUWAWYUezUimNScJK8FmIb0e8_LscIoogE3bwbyfsIk7w7GojVnD9orvzj3SzfbkmD_jsYP1Ma7vvy/w552-h237/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-17h00m43s233.png" width="552" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Ito and Eiji Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtf_twt_S1jJNg9TT3ZNXxFTRD-Lk3YD_sSvEtJvyYo25_RStfE8MX0Ntxhrvxq1YVwkRUZt6tVnmI3EA8f4lGy8ue19oRxohwS4A-ArXR9DPLeOHyGPaJST71KGEbbiTvmxA0xjZZZjujblIQsmyYGHzfK456yoDzSoRmmyLQfbtp5Vi_T2_bIAUiOBo/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-15h16m45s778.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtf_twt_S1jJNg9TT3ZNXxFTRD-Lk3YD_sSvEtJvyYo25_RStfE8MX0Ntxhrvxq1YVwkRUZt6tVnmI3EA8f4lGy8ue19oRxohwS4A-ArXR9DPLeOHyGPaJST71KGEbbiTvmxA0xjZZZjujblIQsmyYGHzfK456yoDzSoRmmyLQfbtp5Vi_T2_bIAUiOBo/w550-h237/vlcsnap-2024-02-14-15h16m45s778.png" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not Robert Shaw, but Eiji Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">From outside the
Kurosawa stable, Eiji Okada is impressive in a dual role as two of the brothers
who are Sugata’s most dangerous opponents (as karate master Tesshin, he looks
remarkably like Robert Shaw). The female characters are played by less familiar
names – Yumiko Konoe is the love interest, while Chisako Hara** plays Yunosuke
Ito’s vengeful daughter. Konoe’s main career has been as a singer, while Hara was
the wife of director Akio Jissoji, and had a long career, but mainly played
supporting roles in movies. Both are fine, but Hara has the more interesting
role even though it’s much smaller than Konoe’s.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp7L_Hac4UWnwsN85JEcdjG1mX9Oy8rYwt0J220g1HLd-6eGwbn53DrRU45qmmjD_TlvJHbMJ16JmurPyBKn-5PaX4zmSzRutNKOhayE7YyL94Y435K7ZlnBm3OesxbqR5BNWtIJyMjco4i-cDdHxUJQ4U3G0xsGPdoJPyR6Z53EnPXaBlfSJPGC_pKfM/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-17h13m52s820.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp7L_Hac4UWnwsN85JEcdjG1mX9Oy8rYwt0J220g1HLd-6eGwbn53DrRU45qmmjD_TlvJHbMJ16JmurPyBKn-5PaX4zmSzRutNKOhayE7YyL94Y435K7ZlnBm3OesxbqR5BNWtIJyMjco4i-cDdHxUJQ4U3G0xsGPdoJPyR6Z53EnPXaBlfSJPGC_pKfM/w552-h238/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-17h13m52s820.png" width="552" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chisako Hara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeRA3EPLSCd6wu9a7pOVQ9gCyKa4pDURGbTO3CDdXNS-SWgJdiD1keF6RH6ohbj1bmfLmxh0OVlvGWmHTOKkG8VaNSuj0VQVzY5CS4Vs9uSk7Pky-Aa2cPEQxGi-RfTu7-cFiWnA1EKx2-ecyKE8Havc4xrgRqAbn9pwUBs7XVnrf0JYpO6Qq8JPi3bIj/s704/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h55m54s209.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="704" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeRA3EPLSCd6wu9a7pOVQ9gCyKa4pDURGbTO3CDdXNS-SWgJdiD1keF6RH6ohbj1bmfLmxh0OVlvGWmHTOKkG8VaNSuj0VQVzY5CS4Vs9uSk7Pky-Aa2cPEQxGi-RfTu7-cFiWnA1EKx2-ecyKE8Havc4xrgRqAbn9pwUBs7XVnrf0JYpO6Qq8JPi3bIj/w556-h240/vlcsnap-2024-02-12-16h55m54s209.png" width="556" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yumiko Konoe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The high-contrast
cinematography looks good throughout, while <i>Yojimbo</i>
composer Masaru Sato provides a score which, ironically, seems to be imitating
Ennio Morricone’s music for Sergio Leone’s unacknowledged <i>Yojimbo</i> remake, <i>A Fistful of
Dollars</i>. The film’s main flaw is that it feels too long at two and a half
hours, but otherwise it’s hard to imagine it could have been much improved on by
a director other than Uchikawa – unless, of course, it were Kurosawa himself,
or perhaps Masaki Kobayashi. On the evidence of the film alone, it’s hard to
see why it should have been a career-killer for Uchikawa, although it’s
entirely possible there are additional unknown factors which account for the
sudden 4-year gap in his film career after this was released. Although this
film has been largely ignored by critics, its current of rating of 7.4 on IMDb
strongly suggests that most people who have seen it enjoyed it, and I would
certainly encourage anyone interested to check it out if you have the chance. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">*A print was
subsequently discovered in Russia. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">**Chisako Hara is listed as two separate people on IMDb. <br /></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-75361995201171954622024-02-09T02:06:00.000-08:002024-02-09T02:06:36.296-08:00Downpour / 土砂降り/ Doshaburi (1957)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #100</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfwAVbLb866mRKR1AGQ0Yo9P87aEXD2Acg-7ZOaA6ZqQFcCpEPDUdfR9tdHwBRhrrAkckLBspRlD2FovGUkm3qARpFMhMnrPszWaMHgc4CIavnONJmQPfgvmHz_tiKhdIz6ZmjkGqSXq5CdNuXzF_Ea1NQawkyvxpWwDQ1ggmfki1bCYnpMX8TdWqir1y/s1415/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h43m39s485.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1415" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfwAVbLb866mRKR1AGQ0Yo9P87aEXD2Acg-7ZOaA6ZqQFcCpEPDUdfR9tdHwBRhrrAkckLBspRlD2FovGUkm3qARpFMhMnrPszWaMHgc4CIavnONJmQPfgvmHz_tiKhdIz6ZmjkGqSXq5CdNuXzF_Ea1NQawkyvxpWwDQ1ggmfki1bCYnpMX8TdWqir1y/w497-h379/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h43m39s485.png" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariko Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Shochiku
production stars Mariko Okada as Matsuko, a young office worker in a
relationship with a colleague, Kazuo (Keiji Sada). They’re a model couple and
their boss approves of the match so much that he encourages them to get
married. They agree, but there’s a problem – Matsuko has lied to Kazuo about
her background, saying that her father is dead and her mother runs an inn. In
fact, her father (So Yamamura) is very much alive, but mostly absent because
Matsuko’s mother, Tane (Sadako Sawamura), is actually his mistress.
Furthermore, the inn she runs, where Matsuko also lives together with her
younger brother (Masami Taura) and sister (Miyuki Kuwano) is actually more like
a love hotel, used by most of the guests simply as a convenient place for their
illicit liaisons. When the truth comes out, the young couple’s plans are
derailed, leading to tragedy. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmF0pI9jJ4EmkTD_oERC4OM5gXnp_jEJjX-QNt724G-Z3TaH-vUqA8NmJIPmP1SCDtwcJ_8tsaNtyHForWDNzyuuacx8Uapsg56ckseGTejOPwzrrp-wzlViq4vmYJ28pivx4gGbM5TRwo2BwN3PGKwhi7hw2ee465x6wRMMbXbfNRXpohzObtthfEKK5/s1478/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h34m53s390.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1478" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmF0pI9jJ4EmkTD_oERC4OM5gXnp_jEJjX-QNt724G-Z3TaH-vUqA8NmJIPmP1SCDtwcJ_8tsaNtyHForWDNzyuuacx8Uapsg56ckseGTejOPwzrrp-wzlViq4vmYJ28pivx4gGbM5TRwo2BwN3PGKwhi7hw2ee465x6wRMMbXbfNRXpohzObtthfEKK5/w491-h359/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h34m53s390.png" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiji Sada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The subject matter of <i>Downpour</i> was considered risqué at the
time, and it received an adults-only classification as a result. Based on a
1952 play by Hideji Hojo, it shows the devastating consequences that having
children by a mistress can have on those children. However, one of the strengths
of the film is its refusal to make a villain out of Matsuko’s father, Okubo.
He’s portrayed as a decent man who is himself something of a victim here – both
of circumstances and of his own poor decisions. Perhaps the real cause of the
tragedy that unfolds is not Okubo, but the judgmental nature of the society
within which all of the characters are trapped. The inn where most of the
family live is in fact hemmed in on one side by the railroad tracks, and steam
trains seem to be an important metaphor or symbol which runs throughout the
movie, perhaps representing an unstoppable force which cannot be resisted, or
possibly a portent of doom. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBL3HHUkuUtBOI60thLfvaYYfmuhTZEpHbM31P6cwOewwhogseO8X-1b6Ddku8OqQAiPwJWVaIQuPT9_YcYDELhvDzqfvAAFy4g0riY0KBVUpfcMNRQ_-JSRJhRPQiSvVuZ0Q1OssNqDiNsK1s6ogouIC2e15hVoBKF7jeosfDf9cUkv1H1lupX5215a5F/s1502/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h33m10s431.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1502" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBL3HHUkuUtBOI60thLfvaYYfmuhTZEpHbM31P6cwOewwhogseO8X-1b6Ddku8OqQAiPwJWVaIQuPT9_YcYDELhvDzqfvAAFy4g0riY0KBVUpfcMNRQ_-JSRJhRPQiSvVuZ0Q1OssNqDiNsK1s6ogouIC2e15hVoBKF7jeosfDf9cUkv1H1lupX5215a5F/w500-h359/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h33m10s431.png" width="500" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The cast is uniformly
excellent, and it’s especially satisfying to see the great Mariko Okada in a well-written
role which makes good use of her talent as the Matsuko we see towards the end
of the film is very different from the one we saw at the beginning. While
watching, I thought that Shin Saburi was giving a surprisingly non-wooden
performance for a change, but then I realised it was actually So Yamamura.
These two actors look so similar that I’m sure I can’t be the only one who
confuses the two.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc8QjPo1A0TF5xc5WNgeqdAb0AztWGcnaYF7QTvw2FTlG_ElF5fPFUylaxz6pMAt7pOr01VUje6F0PtwoCzNGo1TtS2RfgvUzFa0Rr3SQHfppTXQKk51-jSBJsMicO0dGebqdv5T73u6fWuO6HnInY_DOCyS5oM2iE8WeK5-qoSDehw8cck17oFQTkRgy/s1467/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h21m32s132.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1467" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc8QjPo1A0TF5xc5WNgeqdAb0AztWGcnaYF7QTvw2FTlG_ElF5fPFUylaxz6pMAt7pOr01VUje6F0PtwoCzNGo1TtS2RfgvUzFa0Rr3SQHfppTXQKk51-jSBJsMicO0dGebqdv5T73u6fWuO6HnInY_DOCyS5oM2iE8WeK5-qoSDehw8cck17oFQTkRgy/w495-h365/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-14h21m32s132.png" width="495" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Yamamura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">For me, this was a
stronger film from director Noboru Nakamura than the previously-reviewed <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/07/home-sweet-home-waga-ya-wa-tanoshi-1951.html">Home Sweet Home</a></i> or <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/11/portrait-of-chieko-chieko-sho-1967.html"><i>Portrait of Chieko</i></a>, and the non-intrusive music by Toru Takemitsu
and dark, shadowy cinematography of Hiroyuki Nagaoka were both excellent
choices. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTskhKI7p17Zev668xuFkoUKW0tIXlbMHOYXRSGIvvuv9W90kbQ4U-T6-8oyhO9fkdTtEwoJ5dKrDewAk5Ogok77350GTJTykSyKoD_Mo81cz7j9tJsJPI67oY8ECFFmEM-lAjFUG39d_boL2xXvGOeK1H_iQXNGr6BCdq-8eVTgEuHMfKaKMizSRh6uF7/s1483/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h44m21s618.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1483" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTskhKI7p17Zev668xuFkoUKW0tIXlbMHOYXRSGIvvuv9W90kbQ4U-T6-8oyhO9fkdTtEwoJ5dKrDewAk5Ogok77350GTJTykSyKoD_Mo81cz7j9tJsJPI67oY8ECFFmEM-lAjFUG39d_boL2xXvGOeK1H_iQXNGr6BCdq-8eVTgEuHMfKaKMizSRh6uF7/w468-h340/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h44m21s618.png" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okada with Sadako Sawamura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJI4k4Vb5ewxP06nAWfdwC6YxvUqu0fUAsh1E9LXu_0N54d9mil5unCJTadJev4zezURdI_GD0X9x4IeriZ08hJGr4WO7ZM1tCDRO8JIRyQgGVT9XhmAbAHimQ-kVbNdPz6bvPCEj8zn0LCQGpdRhekUozvPcrDG_wwSmgUdRSInoFiRMclyDJUejzW48/s1502/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h01m48s405.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1502" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJI4k4Vb5ewxP06nAWfdwC6YxvUqu0fUAsh1E9LXu_0N54d9mil5unCJTadJev4zezURdI_GD0X9x4IeriZ08hJGr4WO7ZM1tCDRO8JIRyQgGVT9XhmAbAHimQ-kVbNdPz6bvPCEj8zn0LCQGpdRhekUozvPcrDG_wwSmgUdRSInoFiRMclyDJUejzW48/w472-h339/vlcsnap-2024-02-08-15h01m48s405.png" width="472" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-35528673185921292032024-02-01T01:45:00.000-08:002024-02-01T01:45:51.772-08:00A Fool’s Love / 痴人の愛 / Chijin no ai (1949)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #99</span></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklSlxgq1A2280cPot_WsonKQKqbseRWAOp5Q_yeQ1dEyegEMDTnUk9ObKOrNiMLANfjxd8PowhfiO3RRwnE_jaDb9CSSIQw5BJrrxjsr25NGdXo-R-4gzq5QoaXoaG59imUysgShHmsjxnkvaeZpEhsKXEYFc08cLA6aRWDerpUwM4yIW1WDH5Dh4ylIS/s1438/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h28m11s008.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1438" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklSlxgq1A2280cPot_WsonKQKqbseRWAOp5Q_yeQ1dEyegEMDTnUk9ObKOrNiMLANfjxd8PowhfiO3RRwnE_jaDb9CSSIQw5BJrrxjsr25NGdXo-R-4gzq5QoaXoaG59imUysgShHmsjxnkvaeZpEhsKXEYFc08cLA6aRWDerpUwM4yIW1WDH5Dh4ylIS/w492-h368/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h28m11s008.png" width="492" /></a></div><p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Chijin
no ai</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> is the earliest film version of the well-known
novel of the same name by one of Japan’s most acclaimed writers, Junichiro
Tanizaki. First published in 1925, it’s a first-person narrative in which Joji,
a salaryman with a well-paid management position, relates the story
of his obsession with Naomi, whom he first meets at a café in
Asakusa where she works as a waitress. Naomi is only 15 at the time, but the 28-year-old Joji’s
respectability enables him to make a deal with her mother whereby he will take
her in and pay for her education. He promises not to seek sexual favours from
Naomi until she is older and she consents, at which point he will marry her if she
agrees. In the meantime, he plans to mould her into his ideal woman. However,
this proves to be more difficult than he had bargained for due to Naomi’s
wilful and uncooperative behaviour. She soon has Joji wrapped around her little
finger, and he remains infatuated despite the humiliations she causes him. <span> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFV5xtdB4KkkBx6j9y1m8wHLCpXPiUgHkC95dFKaFupgVgn-US6haM6ae2QKq0LV_c5HVjPXyvaL8c7ODzENyd2BEk5fUU8c9srnEFC54IMDs8y8UOZOleShsnCtDxBTOKc8oF5ZMlVfBEijlws5ckldg8Bve-GAfN4MQ7P9BZ7g3fpOW8li79tgyxgai/s1434/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h44m44s091.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1434" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFV5xtdB4KkkBx6j9y1m8wHLCpXPiUgHkC95dFKaFupgVgn-US6haM6ae2QKq0LV_c5HVjPXyvaL8c7ODzENyd2BEk5fUU8c9srnEFC54IMDs8y8UOZOleShsnCtDxBTOKc8oF5ZMlVfBEijlws5ckldg8Bve-GAfN4MQ7P9BZ7g3fpOW8li79tgyxgai/w496-h373/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h44m44s091.png" width="496" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jukichi Uno<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Chijin
no ai</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> is often understandably compared to Nabokov’s <i>Lolita</i>, but pre-dates it by 30 years. The
similarities between the two appear to be entirely coincidental as Tanizaki’s
novel was not translated until 1985, when it appeared in English under the
title <i>Naomi</i>. This film version from
Daiei studios updates the story to contemporary post-war Japan and begins with
Joji (Jukichi Uno) and Naomi (Machiko Kyo) already living together. As Machiko Kyo was
already 25 at this point, the age difference between the two characters is much
less pronounced than in the book. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AubnXb5LNs_KpTbRgDga9_qfKWZaqgNaHj28FyH7A_ISU_ZWlYf5pXpSp7hfD2x8zdujKs1vDMdGfjwuYqyfE0yaWUcZcUavWawKszaBASD3vj7YoEJRxKcAsy8mpPwh8g-jqIoCO15FpHtpwrFhTHlBappLyqHZLlBvri_WnE66SbWzshXkkkZ3FUtB/s1430/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-15h34m40s092.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1430" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AubnXb5LNs_KpTbRgDga9_qfKWZaqgNaHj28FyH7A_ISU_ZWlYf5pXpSp7hfD2x8zdujKs1vDMdGfjwuYqyfE0yaWUcZcUavWawKszaBASD3vj7YoEJRxKcAsy8mpPwh8g-jqIoCO15FpHtpwrFhTHlBappLyqHZLlBvri_WnE66SbWzshXkkkZ3FUtB/w503-h380/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-15h34m40s092.png" width="503" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machiko Kyo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This was already Kyo’s
fifth picture since being signed as a ‘new face’ by Daei the same year; even
before that, she had built up years of stage experience as a member of the
Osaka Shochiku Girls’ Opera Company, which she had joined in 1936 at the age of
12. As a member of that company, she had also appeared in two Shochiku films, <i>Tengu daoshi</i> and <i>Danjuro Mitsuyo</i> (both 1944), the latter of which was directed by none
other than Kenji Mizoguchi (and is presumably lost as there seems to be very
little information about it online).<span> </span>Although
the part of Naomi was not Kyo’s first leading role in a film, in the light of
its prestigious literary origin it seems fair to say that it was her first
really important one. In any case, the confidence with which this apparent
newcomer performs the role is perhaps not so surprising given that she had
already been performing for 13 years by the time the film was made. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpmbJR8yVgH0lRxTwh_UfjpmM5-N29S1cMELEhGwT_Q-6hZJLp2AvBZEzyZT1oJngpzeWbAimJTFLdRPvajB2UoflUlCuXVIOxMJzx74q_NezZn6DUSRAWueeHNh4t0agrWhlQqv_AlzE4HzTTq2fBCQkNPXnbFLwKVR9I1VAD9iCH97y8RpAKiLWBoma/s943/Michiko_Kuwano_and_Machiko_Kyo_in_Tengudaoshi,_1944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="943" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpmbJR8yVgH0lRxTwh_UfjpmM5-N29S1cMELEhGwT_Q-6hZJLp2AvBZEzyZT1oJngpzeWbAimJTFLdRPvajB2UoflUlCuXVIOxMJzx74q_NezZn6DUSRAWueeHNh4t0agrWhlQqv_AlzE4HzTTq2fBCQkNPXnbFLwKVR9I1VAD9iCH97y8RpAKiLWBoma/w521-h392/Michiko_Kuwano_and_Machiko_Kyo_in_Tengudaoshi,_1944.jpg" width="521" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machiko Kyo (right) in <i>Tengu daoshi</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The director, Keigo
Kimura (1903-86) appears to have played a significant part in Kyo’s career. Not
only did he choose her to play Naomi, but he had already directed her once
previously and would go on to make a total of 10 films with her, including the
previously-reviewed <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-life-of-horse-trader-bakuro-ichidai.html"><i>Life of a Horse
Trader</i></a>. He would also remake <i>A Fool’s
Love</i> in 1960 with Eiji Funakoshi, and Junko Kano as Naomi, and his reasons
for doing so were not merely to repeat an earlier success.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDcFb_09J1e5e6ytaQ1lWSizU7gqGu_MwRMjdsiaXCA1ufmEdYSsfgGoGzCsqcESL6trlKOSNbbd15ijMaxQ8ILof1dXSskPfRN9GZ6ayjTPwWm0Dr2UXkbPfTXk7WkPxUNqHadfIVIlfxgITnDKvVm3Nc0Y8w9yAAC70hviWpt2X7r0coSP1lSk2JZk5/s1000/Chijin%201960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="709" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDcFb_09J1e5e6ytaQ1lWSizU7gqGu_MwRMjdsiaXCA1ufmEdYSsfgGoGzCsqcESL6trlKOSNbbd15ijMaxQ8ILof1dXSskPfRN9GZ6ayjTPwWm0Dr2UXkbPfTXk7WkPxUNqHadfIVIlfxgITnDKvVm3Nc0Y8w9yAAC70hviWpt2X7r0coSP1lSk2JZk5/w381-h537/Chijin%201960.jpg" width="381" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DVD cover for the 1960 remake<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In the original novel,
one of the attractions for Joji in pursuing Naomi is that she has a somewhat
Western appearance – in fact, he thinks she resembles Mary Pickford!
Furthermore, Naomi is, of course, also a female given name in English-speaking
countries, and Joji pays for her to have English lessons. While I wouldn’t go
so far as to claim that Naomi is simply a metaphor representing Western values,
it’s certainly the case that Tanizaki was commenting on the way many Japanese
were embracing Western culture at the time, sometimes at the expense of their
own. At the end of the book, Joji is completely dominated by Naomi and becomes
her willing slave, whereas at the end of the 1949 film, Naomi recognises the
error of her ways and submits to Joji, promising to be a good girl from now on.
As the film was made during the American occupation, there was no way the authorities
were going to approve a film which could be interpreted as a warning about
American domination. For this reason – and also because the age difference is
much less of an issue than in the book – Keigo Kimura’s first attempt at
filming Tanizaki’s novel is considerably compromised. Although I’ve yet to see
his later version, I understand that it is indeed more faithful to the book,
especially in regard to the ending. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VIU8-RYIcytz6HJdzaD7KcylBNaqCJi-I1LYhvI3sh-5B5gyKWdnYGDiMvnogR-qLVSuZy53iS2gvDBD9RT9ehui_s0OtknBWoN7dXnFXFdBes6yifEM6QRFnkhSWoejIS_s2A1vXq4qFg8azV22ixnfRvGcQDMoGK3MXgFhL5ny6fCY1bqi8AjyIywc/s1450/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-17h19m08s116.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1450" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VIU8-RYIcytz6HJdzaD7KcylBNaqCJi-I1LYhvI3sh-5B5gyKWdnYGDiMvnogR-qLVSuZy53iS2gvDBD9RT9ehui_s0OtknBWoN7dXnFXFdBes6yifEM6QRFnkhSWoejIS_s2A1vXq4qFg8azV22ixnfRvGcQDMoGK3MXgFhL5ny6fCY1bqi8AjyIywc/w505-h375/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-17h19m08s116.png" width="505" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This first version is a
little slow at times, with not much sense of pacing, but there are some
interesting sequences, such as the montage in which we see the gradual
deterioration of Naomi’s stockings reflecting the change in her circumstances
after she leaves Joji. The main interest of the film today is likely to be the
chance to see Kyo in an early leading role, but Jukichi Uno also gives a good
account of himself as do Masayuki Mori and Koji Mitsui as Naomi’s male
friends-from-hell, a couple of pleasure-seeking parasites who abandon her as
soon she’s down on her luck.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvCXiU_7iGzbipiRHHdAOIy4Ej9qAsYmGJGSjmXVcQ8UJYxwVx6_83P52QovcGhCl2BVO6XU3Ml8Q7xYHyK0WtCI7Kia6Hvm5TJB0zVa83FxpVX7s02EZVRx70GWDkgWQflrs6BnDWIHyHTZLEGexyRwLsWMNQmalWLgyZsaHR0HanaAWAwkq92ISzjCL/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h49m10s420.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvCXiU_7iGzbipiRHHdAOIy4Ej9qAsYmGJGSjmXVcQ8UJYxwVx6_83P52QovcGhCl2BVO6XU3Ml8Q7xYHyK0WtCI7Kia6Hvm5TJB0zVa83FxpVX7s02EZVRx70GWDkgWQflrs6BnDWIHyHTZLEGexyRwLsWMNQmalWLgyZsaHR0HanaAWAwkq92ISzjCL/w503-h378/vlcsnap-2024-01-29-16h49m10s420.png" width="503" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koji Mitsui and Masayuki Mori<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Two further film
versions were made: Yasuzo Masumura’s 1967 film* starring Shoichi Ozawa and
Michiyo Yasuda, which is more of a comedy, and a semi-porn version made in 1980
under the title <i>Naomi</i> and starring
Makoto Saito and Yuki Mizuhara. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Intriguingly, the 1934
film version of Somerset Maugham’s novel <i>Of
Human Bondage</i> is also known as <i>Chijin
no ai</i> in Japanese, and Maugham’s story of a young medical student’s
disastrous infatuation with a waitress has many similarities with Tanizaki’s
work. </span></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 游明朝; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">*Often referred to under
the poorly-translated title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love for an
Idiot</i> in English (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Fool’s Love</i>
makes much more sense as it’s Joji who is the fool in Tanazaki’s story, not
Naomi).</span>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-6794638150248128012024-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:002024-01-24T10:28:58.552-08:00The Flute-Playing Warrior / 笛吹若武者 / Fuefuki wakamusha (1955)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #98</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uXb76a93UuPYbImBf8yR_4ey_LLA3h6XdYFHA0jeJxooGqyqw0ntLHEzp8pnHgEQfmiPX9Ux5MLlKyhr1aFVgnid2xGiFhm5goMDdkPCWyoLtWNCs_BcB04QMSlMTT5D3YGCwyunlyixuL_mYnQ_geBwzPCFD0cJ2Qtl344Km2pXe5MDYr8R4CXOvxQ2/s576/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h35m18s386.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uXb76a93UuPYbImBf8yR_4ey_LLA3h6XdYFHA0jeJxooGqyqw0ntLHEzp8pnHgEQfmiPX9Ux5MLlKyhr1aFVgnid2xGiFhm5goMDdkPCWyoLtWNCs_BcB04QMSlMTT5D3YGCwyunlyixuL_mYnQ_geBwzPCFD0cJ2Qtl344Km2pXe5MDYr8R4CXOvxQ2/w510-h383/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h35m18s386.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hibari Misora<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Toei production set in the Heian period stars singing sensation Hibari (‘Skylark’) Misora as Princess Tamaori, a young noblewoman who travels to Kyoto with her mother, Lady Tsubaki (Chiaki Tsukioka), to meet her estranged father, Lord Tsunemori (Makoto Usami), for the first time. On the way, she stops to sing a song and attracts the attention of Prince Atsumori (Hashizo Okawa), a music-loving member of the Heike clan who whips out his flute and joins her in a duet. It’s a case of love at first sight, but when she reaches Kyoto, she’s shocked to learn that Atsumori is her half-brother by a different mother. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIwaSw7jrSlnSJaXKviqJErhETJ7pkqAYfzV2xt_7bKEzj92BEZ3_8XlTz8F_i6cStwKp_cAkXlx4Sr6lac-IelfmNzr-umz5Vv_TSeCO_G6WyHaNExX4XR5DlAuoTxfptHWhd-YQPWGcs2MUPbOeGcxcu4Pwzu-rItLhdjWJpqqRgPmdOS1Hq7J1r0OL/s576/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h28m59s255.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIwaSw7jrSlnSJaXKviqJErhETJ7pkqAYfzV2xt_7bKEzj92BEZ3_8XlTz8F_i6cStwKp_cAkXlx4Sr6lac-IelfmNzr-umz5Vv_TSeCO_G6WyHaNExX4XR5DlAuoTxfptHWhd-YQPWGcs2MUPbOeGcxcu4Pwzu-rItLhdjWJpqqRgPmdOS1Hq7J1r0OL/w502-h377/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h28m59s255.png" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiaki Tsukioka<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, her mother is having an affair with Lord Tokitada (Masao Hori), a wily schemer who has a plan to gain power and influence by arranging a marriage between Tamaori and Konoe Motomichi (Akashi Ushio), the chief advisor to the Emperor. Atsumori has his own troubles, too – he's being pursued by Princess Katsura (Michiko Hoshi), who is determined to marry him and won’t take no for an answer. As these personal affairs become increasingly problematic, war breaks out between the Heike clan and their rivals, the Genji clan…</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb_fPOWZKlzBg-cyz3ly0kpYPQafEKo2r-SmBWzDYdzxs_MHSjk2NdFncK5ulJa7e2JykGqyiJy0ErWJRp3yysPZ9595i7E-vcXOcmkvRHK6_PlUwsf8Et7m13CIJHa1FLjgJLw3CS0zuAASnwMUA6a3ewwQ8QrArY3MwATXZ2ZNhbHNf-JlCky1EbWRG/s576/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h50m54s337.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb_fPOWZKlzBg-cyz3ly0kpYPQafEKo2r-SmBWzDYdzxs_MHSjk2NdFncK5ulJa7e2JykGqyiJy0ErWJRp3yysPZ9595i7E-vcXOcmkvRHK6_PlUwsf8Et7m13CIJHa1FLjgJLw3CS0zuAASnwMUA6a3ewwQ8QrArY3MwATXZ2ZNhbHNf-JlCky1EbWRG/w490-h367/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-10h50m54s337.png" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hashizo Okawa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although technically this could be labelled a musical, there are no big Hollywood-style production numbers, just occasional pauses for Hibari to sing part of a song. Like her counterpart Chiemi Eri (born the same year), Hibari also had some acting ability, and she’s especially convincing in a scene towards the end in which she suffers an emotional breakdown. For the rest of the picture, she seems more subdued than usual, perhaps because she’s playing quite an unhappy character. On the other hand, maybe she was just knackered as she was starring in ten films a year at this point. In any case, it’s Michiko Hoshi who steals the film here as her tactless, insinuating, bitchy rival. She comes as something of a breath of fresh air in contrast to the other characters, who are mostly solemn and rather dull, especially the flute-playing warrior himself. At the time of writing, Michiko Hoshi is still with us at the age of 97.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NWtsoxyCaHJDRg0RQC9gow6rWBdVQH1AwStFCqJ63CvzUI8k0KJqKURnTHJuKnjQppTrm31YVSmPQlwW2F0RE_ksx7vr04vRdH-uKzoyoWsgrd8Vo4L9gw-bqkSwdikQTHM6TZjTnQyGxCam8z6Lcn6z51o4kZKTX_B1RUgskltcQ-kukSc25A6w1Mfb/s576/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-11h06m21s677.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NWtsoxyCaHJDRg0RQC9gow6rWBdVQH1AwStFCqJ63CvzUI8k0KJqKURnTHJuKnjQppTrm31YVSmPQlwW2F0RE_ksx7vr04vRdH-uKzoyoWsgrd8Vo4L9gw-bqkSwdikQTHM6TZjTnQyGxCam8z6Lcn6z51o4kZKTX_B1RUgskltcQ-kukSc25A6w1Mfb/w504-h378/vlcsnap-2024-01-24-11h06m21s677.png" width="504" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michiko Hoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;">The literary source is a play by Hideji Hojo (1902-96), who based many of his works on <i>The Tale of Genji</i>, which seems also to have been the case here. The director, Yasushi Sasaki (1908-93), was a veteran who specialised in period films and directed around 20 Hibari vehicles. With a reputation for working quickly and making commercially successful movies, he was highly valued by the studios he worked for, but made little dent on film history. Nevertheless, <i>The Flute-Playing Warrior</i> remains an enjoyable piece of entertainment from a bygone era.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-37683717150827946022024-01-19T10:39:00.000-08:002024-01-19T10:39:44.793-08:00Nemuri Kyoshiro – Journal of an Outlaw / 眠狂四郎 無頼控 / Nemuri Kyôshirô burai hikae (aka The Lonely Swordsman Part 1, 1956)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #97</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBAslYFZGxhypuSZlh0dZItEvK8MUydJOgcCkNvzIY0jvRrGcjKhxZl183MyiLgPW7fyn5qvSbwtxr6ATsKUOjJf5XVP6UAcUMXiRRBuzEZA2iUSbI2hWz48BA_TKAXAoAqqk1tzKsJrG1J0U_5Ar55VEFniK9PUPqnwPKxs4oAQOoMhT1DCweM_D0Ojt/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-15h56m20s692.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBAslYFZGxhypuSZlh0dZItEvK8MUydJOgcCkNvzIY0jvRrGcjKhxZl183MyiLgPW7fyn5qvSbwtxr6ATsKUOjJf5XVP6UAcUMXiRRBuzEZA2iUSbI2hWz48BA_TKAXAoAqqk1tzKsJrG1J0U_5Ar55VEFniK9PUPqnwPKxs4oAQOoMhT1DCweM_D0Ojt/w510-h381/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-15h56m20s692.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koji Tsuruta<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">This Toho production was the first film based on the series
of novels about Kyoshiro Nemuri, a fictional swordsman created by Renzaburo
Shibata (1917-78) in the same year this film was released. The character later
became the hero of a series of films starring Raizo Ichikawa – these are known
in the West as the <i>Sleepy Eyes of Death</i>
series (‘Nemuri’ actually means ‘sleep of death’ according to Merlin David’s
first-rate subtitles here). Shibata appears to have modelled his character
partly on Ryunosuke Tsukue, the anti-hero of Kaizan Nakazato’s novel <i>Dai-bosatsu toge</i>, portrayed most
memorably by Tatsuya Nakadai in <i>Sword of
Doom</i>. However, in the hands of actor Koji Tsuruta (see <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-romance-of-yushima-onna-keizu.html"><i>The Romance of Yushima</i></a>), Nemuri simply comes across as an oddly
unlikeable hero, especially considering the fact that he rapes Mihoyo (Keiko
Tsushima) a few minutes into the film. Of course, she falls in love with him as
a result (I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen this dodgy cliché in
Japanese films). Although there is some compensation in the fact that the women
get to do some of the fighting too (which is probably the best thing about this
film), unfortunately the swordfights are never very convincing and feature neither
cutting sounds nor blood. This would change forever post-<i>Yojimbo</i> and <i>Sanjuro</i>, but
even though those game-changing movies were still a few years away at this
point, I felt that director Shigeaki Hidaka (who also made <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/12/world-war-iii-41-hours-of-fear-dai.html">World War III: 41 Hours of Fear</a></i>) could have done a little better on
the action front than what we see here. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNVYa7fUoHWpr-eOQiuQsyaQVSHoYWvTTgwqdP_TKcoofQlYj4zWlCG_xvIxzI9bj8gMHISS7fVlQFdMZVHqt4reE8v3ryWd01Gv47XJPWGaLFGazJ8l2jWuvNhfu3oACfSuw44im6QJAcq0G_99o_2bv7BcNqpfzc3ti-3dtUEL-NUl6UGsxvTiEOxVf/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-15h50m02s065.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNVYa7fUoHWpr-eOQiuQsyaQVSHoYWvTTgwqdP_TKcoofQlYj4zWlCG_xvIxzI9bj8gMHISS7fVlQFdMZVHqt4reE8v3ryWd01Gv47XJPWGaLFGazJ8l2jWuvNhfu3oACfSuw44im6QJAcq0G_99o_2bv7BcNqpfzc3ti-3dtUEL-NUl6UGsxvTiEOxVf/w508-h379/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-15h50m02s065.png" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiko Tsushima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Talking of Kurosawa, the screenplay was written by his frequent
collaborator Hideo Oguni and features two of his regular actors, Kamatari
Fujiwara and (all too briefly) Bokuzen Hidari. It’s by no means a bad film, but
I found it disappointing on the whole and the plot felt both over-complicated
and implausible (this is why I couldn’t face writing a synopsis). The character
of Kiheita, ‘the flying squirrel’ (Shin Tokudaiji) is especially daft – he’s a
hunchbacked swordsman who is supposedly Nemuri’s deadliest rival and can leap
really high into the air (i.e. be pulled up by wires). </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyE1T8YNwilm6HAnsMpRjId1sHNoDM3riWl-TmpkT2sow0hytQVWCG8yrU_R22u3W9x7km0nHd1dC2po2B_bGXLGcKWTXF1VbwDmSfL_e17HgaDg4tEjTkeH-ARNIO_VgpZQCDPzXS2_aYoxurVmwqqXpeKzllUw6S7b-5k54V47681B2actkQe5SnJr9W/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-16h25m07s182.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyE1T8YNwilm6HAnsMpRjId1sHNoDM3riWl-TmpkT2sow0hytQVWCG8yrU_R22u3W9x7km0nHd1dC2po2B_bGXLGcKWTXF1VbwDmSfL_e17HgaDg4tEjTkeH-ARNIO_VgpZQCDPzXS2_aYoxurVmwqqXpeKzllUw6S7b-5k54V47681B2actkQe5SnJr9W/w487-h364/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-16h25m07s182.png" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamatari Fujiwara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYeDHHwrtMygdzrgOxaBvgYuJfJR3tsluW8C_6h43rNYuP6R8FrvEVjvh6LNPOsmWzjWFoebR4BBJR1RACG5DuYQw4BYrFU_7MoL41kr468KyqbvrGImtmPbpxbMAA_k3uw6zzuF1Dr7T74nCaOtpjPzIwJ7Oram865cUTckDRRbl2TmbndD27DqMgOiH/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-17h11m12s602.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYeDHHwrtMygdzrgOxaBvgYuJfJR3tsluW8C_6h43rNYuP6R8FrvEVjvh6LNPOsmWzjWFoebR4BBJR1RACG5DuYQw4BYrFU_7MoL41kr468KyqbvrGImtmPbpxbMAA_k3uw6zzuF1Dr7T74nCaOtpjPzIwJ7Oram865cUTckDRRbl2TmbndD27DqMgOiH/w494-h368/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-17h11m12s602.png" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shin Tokudaiji<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Koji Tsuruta starred in two sequels before Toho dropped the
series in 1958. Part 2 was shot back-to-back with this one and features many of
the same cast members, but adds Koji Mitsui and Setsuko Wakayama, while the
second sequel was shot in widescreen with a new director and a particularly
impressive supporting cast including Isuzu Yamada, Haruko Sugimura and Michiyo
Kogure. Daiei studios revived the character with Raizo Ichikawa and greater
success in 1963 in a series which continued for 12 films and probably ended
only due to the premature death of their star in 1969.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX2K4PaD_ofM63fJzxJLyVJW57OxLkM1qzbVmM0I7NUFQeuFZ3tVdyuoCa-ryf7pjYpw1VgtYuoFd4BKtMUaRz4ZEPAunhpA5TwvZ8tfVkPaPZa870T2dj3nuD2Lfl_TQpK2spVm2f1I1UTRVkqvAZooA-Ki6ZQtiGVFSTy8ZjTxg3tRedcQj98h_kZka/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-17h23m30s212.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfX2K4PaD_ofM63fJzxJLyVJW57OxLkM1qzbVmM0I7NUFQeuFZ3tVdyuoCa-ryf7pjYpw1VgtYuoFd4BKtMUaRz4ZEPAunhpA5TwvZ8tfVkPaPZa870T2dj3nuD2Lfl_TQpK2spVm2f1I1UTRVkqvAZooA-Ki6ZQtiGVFSTy8ZjTxg3tRedcQj98h_kZka/w508-h380/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-17h23m30s212.png" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koji Tsuruta<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ_wGZcr9Ir3-xQjNVDSVQNrRCTrLKNcq6SpwNJtnw4Wm32QO1cYILKjhZce4x5-8YGxBDPLItTTT1jgVX8HhB5lH1uGerW08Bc7eaI4JBnaJUzhbm12I_3oD2JfmuEcZ79H86BZAAyogIpm35nxPOc8MHrARfp2dAdMsn1Vh3RAW11-m1j2wRammTk4n/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-16h46m28s179.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ_wGZcr9Ir3-xQjNVDSVQNrRCTrLKNcq6SpwNJtnw4Wm32QO1cYILKjhZce4x5-8YGxBDPLItTTT1jgVX8HhB5lH1uGerW08Bc7eaI4JBnaJUzhbm12I_3oD2JfmuEcZ79H86BZAAyogIpm35nxPOc8MHrARfp2dAdMsn1Vh3RAW11-m1j2wRammTk4n/w508-h379/vlcsnap-2024-01-17-16h46m28s179.png" width="508" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><p></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-18389171932952898742024-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:002024-01-13T23:49:22.423-08:00Tarao Bannai - Thirteen Demon Lords / 多羅尾伴内 十三の魔王 / Tarao Bannai – Juzo no mao (aka The Man with Thirteen Eyes, 1958) <p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #96</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QxCAm6TYZ8TP0exqlVz0pm5oCs3qimCmve2zC54-aBqcEwy1KRZZuiT2vktQA2ZLQU8CwclyGTlqmimghIhIIMpBz2mIl-L9qBWp-PTZ3mnWNnsQQFe84vnuKOWgFDHgAeRfES0sfeOATYqs437qBxpe4WuwOiHxBi8FEhlNPicEDQuDgN_Grxtx1Uwv/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-13h29m09s173.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QxCAm6TYZ8TP0exqlVz0pm5oCs3qimCmve2zC54-aBqcEwy1KRZZuiT2vktQA2ZLQU8CwclyGTlqmimghIhIIMpBz2mIl-L9qBWp-PTZ3mnWNnsQQFe84vnuKOWgFDHgAeRfES0sfeOATYqs437qBxpe4WuwOiHxBi8FEhlNPicEDQuDgN_Grxtx1Uwv/w572-h243/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-13h29m09s173.png" width="572" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiezo Kataoka as Tarao Bannai<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">When a nightclub singer
is killed under mysterious circumstances at a racetrack, master detective Tarao
Bannai (Chiezo Kataoka) adopts a number of disguises in an attempt to unmask
the killer. The suspects include Dr Izumaru (Eitaro Shindo), his wife (Mieko
Takamine), his assistant (Michiko Hoshi), the dead girl’s ex-lover (Ken
Takakura), crooked businessman Togame (Takashi Shimura) a nightclub owner (Masao
Mishima), and a nightclub hostess (Mitsuko Miura). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjMKUIEvXRlYE8jruHwj2FwgbjFIkkhL6Yg_ZwLPkmeY_EycA44He_0OkolB629t2XJ7A7h-u01TdC0oUOfsdtPXiWZ_Oeyv_GcpMbtg08mrbDq3NGMXxgK4YObkOKC4uz-DwPJCiPER4-C6FVES6hta_HTJ82zJsxd1sa2e4hfpSarsnEjxdM6ZVy-l8/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-17h23m32s310.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjMKUIEvXRlYE8jruHwj2FwgbjFIkkhL6Yg_ZwLPkmeY_EycA44He_0OkolB629t2XJ7A7h-u01TdC0oUOfsdtPXiWZ_Oeyv_GcpMbtg08mrbDq3NGMXxgK4YObkOKC4uz-DwPJCiPER4-C6FVES6hta_HTJ82zJsxd1sa2e4hfpSarsnEjxdM6ZVy-l8/w547-h232/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-17h23m32s310.png" width="547" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michiko Hoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUu4zER6vLAjO2sN25LlFWHI3Ga2fLCe-7yFyen7T3V8VDQ6HfKGPB4cdu0SOHCMFni44EwImtlV6vpsdp9tVqrN_3oOX1aX3pPGONZ-p9uqqIiv3_GyTmTNnhbQ04Yu9bJccvSM9QQENvHuITcnRv2WqIKxOzUMzJCWRRMA49XT3ukm9qbeyoFhQ4dNq/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-17h23m19s940.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUu4zER6vLAjO2sN25LlFWHI3Ga2fLCe-7yFyen7T3V8VDQ6HfKGPB4cdu0SOHCMFni44EwImtlV6vpsdp9tVqrN_3oOX1aX3pPGONZ-p9uqqIiv3_GyTmTNnhbQ04Yu9bJccvSM9QQENvHuITcnRv2WqIKxOzUMzJCWRRMA49XT3ukm9qbeyoFhQ4dNq/w552-h234/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-17h23m19s940.png" width="552" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eitaro Shindo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBet3MVKtgbRIW-DdsfrYEcvjsVxttbZ22pqqI7Ccis81beYs6aPEHZ51G4ROPJjABOdyD0akX_3dtzJlhLFr8VGizlCTYV-GYDn7j4qVDvTBPdfttAzXwBYaNdQFUDqYnQ72Xg4QRApOkLhcrAIKVNIIv24jmWWRHzBliLbJDY73o8ZuAy4qhlkJuvAy/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h19m28s504.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBet3MVKtgbRIW-DdsfrYEcvjsVxttbZ22pqqI7Ccis81beYs6aPEHZ51G4ROPJjABOdyD0akX_3dtzJlhLFr8VGizlCTYV-GYDn7j4qVDvTBPdfttAzXwBYaNdQFUDqYnQ72Xg4QRApOkLhcrAIKVNIIv24jmWWRHzBliLbJDY73o8ZuAy4qhlkJuvAy/w548-h233/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h19m28s504.png" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masao Mishima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii552PB2fz1r-O2RWx7i5yvDzL3ZNiwGwxzWNx4Nz7nm5q97Y0MqAvtYNUoBkiJlLF73CCV-Um83qVSGA5xvmuq0MxudntW8tOyr-QM8gdo-D-DhZN_HDVKiMhCU4GoZQwn2rGalIZ9y9pqc9HtfgLs5-DkVM6lVU7RJsbFbvpExPWYcvFvcvRQXLVybYm/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h40m34s352.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii552PB2fz1r-O2RWx7i5yvDzL3ZNiwGwxzWNx4Nz7nm5q97Y0MqAvtYNUoBkiJlLF73CCV-Um83qVSGA5xvmuq0MxudntW8tOyr-QM8gdo-D-DhZN_HDVKiMhCU4GoZQwn2rGalIZ9y9pqc9HtfgLs5-DkVM6lVU7RJsbFbvpExPWYcvFvcvRQXLVybYm/w542-h230/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h40m34s352.png" width="542" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitsuko Miura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The character of Tarao
Bannai was created for the movies in 1946 by screenwriter Yoshitake Hisa
(1904-81) in order to provide a new vehicle for veteran star Chiezo Kataoka.
After the war, the occupying Americans had banned sword-fighting films in the
belief that they encouraged feudalism, leaving Kataoka unable to perform the type
of roles for which he was famous. Fortunately for Kataoka, the first film was a
hit with the public if not with the critics. <span> </span>He starred in four Tarao Bannai pictures for
Daiei in the late ‘40s; when he later fell out with the studio, he made a
further seven films featuring the character for Toei between 1953 and 1960. <i>Thirteen Demon Lords</i> was the first of
these to be shot in colour and widescreen, and perhaps for that reason it boasts
a remarkably strong cast including a young Ken Takakura, veteran star and
respected actress Mieko Takamine, and Kurosawa favourite Takashi Shimura.
However, despite such stiff competition, this is Kataoka’s show all the way. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5ZG9cJ_u8DyPwhxTcBl293aFNgmXfBYTJvrJx3XzN0bQ9T7PCJKk_JWXDBthAY5OaQUDsmmbwYBb_SCGKLOAGFG5wtmjcMCyiIqERZxsCjesDV_WjOn-k5Zrp9vIl6XmtsFHJ-UKO3ySRuyq2IkacY8Nws2QF4Pw__xjqhZ-J6E8bRkYxTosOil17H_0/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-13h43m29s272.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5ZG9cJ_u8DyPwhxTcBl293aFNgmXfBYTJvrJx3XzN0bQ9T7PCJKk_JWXDBthAY5OaQUDsmmbwYBb_SCGKLOAGFG5wtmjcMCyiIqERZxsCjesDV_WjOn-k5Zrp9vIl6XmtsFHJ-UKO3ySRuyq2IkacY8Nws2QF4Pw__xjqhZ-J6E8bRkYxTosOil17H_0/w520-h221/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-13h43m29s272.png" width="520" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Takakura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9XhL6dfLwXB3eo5HkFb977rpEZBGvesHPZ5SUXz1mLPjC2DQ-IBl-8L4HJjhVbIpCjg3cgRw_tzIycAKMjWf4ZW22Am31c5tLNprxtgeD8bvPtVRfhALTSiAI87ZEUtEAS2bH9pVw84kcOpEnxeWHL2cpPrHccunmpt4hy2WzvkULPaV4Cc28CK0mBlb/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h12m28s400.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9XhL6dfLwXB3eo5HkFb977rpEZBGvesHPZ5SUXz1mLPjC2DQ-IBl-8L4HJjhVbIpCjg3cgRw_tzIycAKMjWf4ZW22Am31c5tLNprxtgeD8bvPtVRfhALTSiAI87ZEUtEAS2bH9pVw84kcOpEnxeWHL2cpPrHccunmpt4hy2WzvkULPaV4Cc28CK0mBlb/w515-h219/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h12m28s400.png" width="515" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mieko Takamine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ua1tylnTqNG7wPpcO1Z5qdLhQYtFsbuv1GQ8bkQQemxW7IAHcKb9blHTU8HOEMxbwV8uFTTFWr1ifGevJ5GsGmoyi_G0qRo6tGwR7P2vQvOZIVQ8z4ORkxbEReP0AELqNw5KrdtPF2B-cQ06ingGMoogoUO-OaMfEetoLGyxO1NVcrDMArP_vV1mYyo4/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h24m42s307.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ua1tylnTqNG7wPpcO1Z5qdLhQYtFsbuv1GQ8bkQQemxW7IAHcKb9blHTU8HOEMxbwV8uFTTFWr1ifGevJ5GsGmoyi_G0qRo6tGwR7P2vQvOZIVQ8z4ORkxbEReP0AELqNw5KrdtPF2B-cQ06ingGMoogoUO-OaMfEetoLGyxO1NVcrDMArP_vV1mYyo4/w522-h221/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h24m42s307.png" width="522" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takashi Shimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Outside of Japan,
Chiezo Kataoka is perhaps best-known for his leading roles in a number of Tomu
Uchida films, the most widely-seen of which is probably <i>Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji</i>, though he also played the nihilistic
samurai Ryunosuke Tsukue in Uchida’s three-film version of the novel <i>Daibosatsu Toge</i> – a character later
immortalised by Tatsuya Nakadai in <i>Sword
of Doom</i>. He was a wonderfully versatile actor as we can see from his
performance (or performances) in <i>Thirteen
Demon Lords</i>. Although the disguises that his character adopts (an Indian
magician, a beatnik artist, etc) are often utterly ridiculous, the extent to which Kataoka not only
changes his appearance, but subtly alters his voice and body language each time is impressive.
If it’s not too confusing, it should perhaps be noted that the character of
Tarao Bannai himself is actually another alter-ego – the ‘real’ person behind
the different faces is one Daizo Fujimura, a former jewel thief who has turned his
back on his criminal past to become a crusader for justice. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqEYufZ25-t-yHUph3Vf3GtdxKQkhY8q43u7FugRNUETbUbYToL1Hf_G4mwNKi9iEtJy5BnM1X7sCoz6oHJ1Q9PgBFCdFpLGSrRgDTCI_td3P6ABpR8Mml3qne9SWFwtRPLTK91Dk13tnbIn30l8QTgS9ZsVR_NTgGzR7oTIRDlAhaEB9SqgkXjJnl1G/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h46m09s348.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqEYufZ25-t-yHUph3Vf3GtdxKQkhY8q43u7FugRNUETbUbYToL1Hf_G4mwNKi9iEtJy5BnM1X7sCoz6oHJ1Q9PgBFCdFpLGSrRgDTCI_td3P6ABpR8Mml3qne9SWFwtRPLTK91Dk13tnbIn30l8QTgS9ZsVR_NTgGzR7oTIRDlAhaEB9SqgkXjJnl1G/w529-h225/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h46m09s348.png" width="529" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiezo Kataoka<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5zMUjH2YJjhZDUG0kz5t_5Yc_BEUVCxDav5X12QMPVMA_aMoAHUAleFU8Tq7ffXfIlzbHgewBHTm_grNgBir3Ox2198NKTgWthY5PzU-ANGIpu_ZFVuCjMTulR_-fTEIzolfY1CMJXMaboNX6lqwn4qyygWR5-Lu597Y14sl5Lxbkd_mWvRYXjGwMPv4/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h03m25s861.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5zMUjH2YJjhZDUG0kz5t_5Yc_BEUVCxDav5X12QMPVMA_aMoAHUAleFU8Tq7ffXfIlzbHgewBHTm_grNgBir3Ox2198NKTgWthY5PzU-ANGIpu_ZFVuCjMTulR_-fTEIzolfY1CMJXMaboNX6lqwn4qyygWR5-Lu597Y14sl5Lxbkd_mWvRYXjGwMPv4/w530-h225/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-14h03m25s861.png" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiezo Kataoka<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EfL03uhEe4RfDNA1sjXjnAdZfiGcRk3WUJ0ITroGXxNH6ob28Q1Y49EKme0765b2yx3SYgFza5JiX8KlohuN9okikss4HJj35OFBDEnAYRQ6xahMIEc1OnSEK3hBeUcjE3KxK2N9443PRYMKlp6qwJ3J1INKTPpIgZYFbNSjiFS6gaProtKbTtFMAYVS/s1920/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-15h20m49s604.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5EfL03uhEe4RfDNA1sjXjnAdZfiGcRk3WUJ0ITroGXxNH6ob28Q1Y49EKme0765b2yx3SYgFza5JiX8KlohuN9okikss4HJj35OFBDEnAYRQ6xahMIEc1OnSEK3hBeUcjE3KxK2N9443PRYMKlp6qwJ3J1INKTPpIgZYFbNSjiFS6gaProtKbTtFMAYVS/w535-h227/vlcsnap-2024-01-12-15h20m49s604.png" width="535" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kataoka as Daizo Fujimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">With its unlikely
nick-of-time escapes and evil criminal mastermind who relishes the use of
poison gas and dripping acid, this recalls the serials of the 1920s and ‘30s
and is, of course, pure hokum, but it’s also pretty good fun if you’re in the
mood. However, I’m not sure I’d want to sit through the other ten movies in the
series as they apparently followed a pretty rigid formula, with Bannai adopting
the same number of disguises each time (always seven) and departing in the same
manner at the end of each film, although this very repetition seems to have
become an element that the Japanese audiences of the time enjoyed. </span></span></p><p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Director Sadatsugu
Matsuda (1906-2003) directed most of the entries in the series and divided his
time between this sort of film and <i>chanbara</i>
flicks. The character was briefly revived for two films in 1978 starring Akira
Kobayashi, but did not catch on.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Watched with dodgy subtitles. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-42806216955444160022024-01-08T08:53:00.000-08:002024-01-08T08:53:31.174-08:00Joshu karasu / 上州鴉 ('Crow of Joshu', 1951)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #95</span></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWb0SeXxt9-VYVDnm8TSLXs_FDLDPl0rVVjYlugcEejXCqO_UoOuU1A-P_DsUUETJXVbKAwO9TuV1PekjQhOZAUeWof3TokW3D73_ZHje4qSWqHni4omUn44aNGVZrBc_tfDTWkhXTQrKch417Uxb_Lu6EVVwqC-jeyKcCPmexH3FWWqjxe__ii3vrgx8/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h26m15s109.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWb0SeXxt9-VYVDnm8TSLXs_FDLDPl0rVVjYlugcEejXCqO_UoOuU1A-P_DsUUETJXVbKAwO9TuV1PekjQhOZAUeWof3TokW3D73_ZHje4qSWqHni4omUn44aNGVZrBc_tfDTWkhXTQrKch417Uxb_Lu6EVVwqC-jeyKcCPmexH3FWWqjxe__ii3vrgx8/w489-h366/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h26m15s109.png" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denjiro Okochi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">This Daiei production stars silent screen veteran Denjiro Okochi as Takizo, a wandering samurai and master swordsman who returns incognito to the town where he was born, hoping to shake off some men pursuing him. Once there, he meets Sahei (Koichi Katsuragi), a widowed farmer, to whom he will later confess that his mother (now deceased) was a maid who became pregnant by a criminal and had to give birth to him in a warehouse. </span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvdK-R4Lr7iRcXdXcXh6hdQDCCcTn27GlA0k77JRB6LkFwqqve48-xRblBf9mdW8pMVHmClefBGEkn9drsV4ZAOtDvU7-lqOuDDHZ7cZSujpRtYG3IZskQK_oSyKJxtC5_3h0WKxzYReYJ0fAdFcytx4Gpc69Q9rfGTeQdZ-I29eRvcDj1U1l_tBwfHKv/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-Michiko%20Hoshi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvdK-R4Lr7iRcXdXcXh6hdQDCCcTn27GlA0k77JRB6LkFwqqve48-xRblBf9mdW8pMVHmClefBGEkn9drsV4ZAOtDvU7-lqOuDDHZ7cZSujpRtYG3IZskQK_oSyKJxtC5_3h0WKxzYReYJ0fAdFcytx4Gpc69Q9rfGTeQdZ-I29eRvcDj1U1l_tBwfHKv/w502-h376/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-Michiko%20Hoshi.png" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michiko Hoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Sahei has two daughters, Okimi (Michiko Hoshi) and Omitsu (Kazuko Takamori). Unable to pay the annual tax, Sahei asks government official Yamagataya (Ryanosuke Higashi) to take Omitsu in as an indentured servant instead. Yamagataya agrees, but secretly intends to pimp her out. </span><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxPUVpZlxajT8C3nub_grsyblaFTyiqR-DGuYsIKt1Uo2HS72JuJKndfZ8WefTw5u3FnNFv1VbUDYIR_jlgSL0n3ik-ClHo95EZ-Gkd-na8khcOtUQjtwTOOLsRz0RP1yisnjB8pGIeqdDO6wjGzYzm3hvGzEzEwUd4hCHZ0j3MXyaH2H-YcVgN52f2y6/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h42m35s337%20Ino.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxPUVpZlxajT8C3nub_grsyblaFTyiqR-DGuYsIKt1Uo2HS72JuJKndfZ8WefTw5u3FnNFv1VbUDYIR_jlgSL0n3ik-ClHo95EZ-Gkd-na8khcOtUQjtwTOOLsRz0RP1yisnjB8pGIeqdDO6wjGzYzm3hvGzEzEwUd4hCHZ0j3MXyaH2H-YcVgN52f2y6/w482-h362/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h42m35s337%20Ino.png" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kotaro Bando<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_QLhUQYkzUPDnbF9TNaKqRw5RHXr3QBrJwaSHYK6qykMM5mF9QwuMK0TMvjdrr2pAc4wG_5IED0fJ85GthzYZFA1ZQ0jDa5omJTv3hTCTJSzSy7N9FMKDqD8efG-KCQdu0rCJ3DvTyztvxDsF4T4JhKJkjvrODy-_eATXon2PTIn1ZqStX13yxaxHw8c/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h43m53s471%20Hikigoro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_QLhUQYkzUPDnbF9TNaKqRw5RHXr3QBrJwaSHYK6qykMM5mF9QwuMK0TMvjdrr2pAc4wG_5IED0fJ85GthzYZFA1ZQ0jDa5omJTv3hTCTJSzSy7N9FMKDqD8efG-KCQdu0rCJ3DvTyztvxDsF4T4JhKJkjvrODy-_eATXon2PTIn1ZqStX13yxaxHw8c/w476-h358/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h43m53s471%20Hikigoro.png" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramon Mitsusaburo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Meanwhile, Inoyuki (Kotaro Bando) visits a gambling den owned by Hikigoro (Ramon Mitsusaburo from <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-mysterious-edogawa-ranzan-kaiki.html "><i>The Mysterious Edogawa Ranzan</i></a>) in an attempt to raise money so that his sick wife Okichi (Mitsuko Mito) can take a rest, but he loses and is tricked into signing Okichi over to Hikigoro. Observing the way the innocent townspeople are abused and cheated by the powerful and corrupt, Takizo decides that it’s time to for him to come out of hiding and intervene…</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKikWIfaQLlXV1XQX6DrfTE2Q2yVvkH-bR2jhHRlAbjMOZ4C_eQrFzCBZcXxknkyT7R-s-Bt-iZOo-QxOe4DU9m9ayvPfIuhzN1ZjMs-aSoUNXjRyQyFS64bJ8x1-MKCksOzL6W93w9F-4_oDnnh_65_CVSHnB_cefQt4ffBU4KAvwKL1Da8G0wJ9p7qS7/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h29m05s230.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKikWIfaQLlXV1XQX6DrfTE2Q2yVvkH-bR2jhHRlAbjMOZ4C_eQrFzCBZcXxknkyT7R-s-Bt-iZOo-QxOe4DU9m9ayvPfIuhzN1ZjMs-aSoUNXjRyQyFS64bJ8x1-MKCksOzL6W93w9F-4_oDnnh_65_CVSHnB_cefQt4ffBU4KAvwKL1Da8G0wJ9p7qS7/w503-h378/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h29m05s230.png" width="503" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitsuko Mito<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Based on an original work by Shintaro Mimura, the screenplay was written by Kaneto Shindo, who must not only have been the most prolific screenwriter of all time, but who also maintained an impressively high standard throughout his 70-year career. Director Taizo Fuyushima (1901-81) was new to me, but on this evidence he seems worthy of further investigation as <i>Joshu karasu</i> features excellent mobile camerawork courtesy of Yasukazu Takemura, some very well-co-ordinated and complex staging, a lively sense of rhythm in the editing and a strong ensemble cast, including that reliable old scene-stealer Daisuke Kato as a travelling con artist. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukiVK2jOfAqcTJh-kchvER9ZZmD3w_rDQjOOC2l1tsM7iIc_3L-T45PwBcnNr5vZGsj1WBCeWFeyQd7hHAsF_Lttvc0NIvwaRO_Ur-HXtZHoBcOvH2RBn7Vyi6z8J_hElMLbHr7ILkeK7BUXoRX4TMd908YRNqKRH9zYcDX277d6pPqa6T7lccFMvX3Jf/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h48m59s712.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukiVK2jOfAqcTJh-kchvER9ZZmD3w_rDQjOOC2l1tsM7iIc_3L-T45PwBcnNr5vZGsj1WBCeWFeyQd7hHAsF_Lttvc0NIvwaRO_Ur-HXtZHoBcOvH2RBn7Vyi6z8J_hElMLbHr7ILkeK7BUXoRX4TMd908YRNqKRH9zYcDX277d6pPqa6T7lccFMvX3Jf/w499-h375/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-15h48m59s712.png" width="499" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Kato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutfNHz72QZ5i8fu9rAWcZjOLYJuWAvACKJZ_sCo1uD5qyvnjtAQaKacoVEd4TLxg7jNTsSp4wltSG-vWqnmhvluXQe_Gn-lwqfJIMB6qoppLsF_Vp4hJ6abWrFIpmRcZmZTU4dSy674y-fud5skGsEPNTuNS4-OOIgTeBZewONck4FcQSUm8ij7GnSAYH/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h54m03s938.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutfNHz72QZ5i8fu9rAWcZjOLYJuWAvACKJZ_sCo1uD5qyvnjtAQaKacoVEd4TLxg7jNTsSp4wltSG-vWqnmhvluXQe_Gn-lwqfJIMB6qoppLsF_Vp4hJ6abWrFIpmRcZmZTU4dSy674y-fud5skGsEPNTuNS4-OOIgTeBZewONck4FcQSUm8ij7GnSAYH/w505-h379/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h54m03s938.png" width="505" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atsushi Watanabe and Toshiaki Konoe <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Atsushi Watanabe and Toshiaki Konoe are also great fun as a couple of oddball palanquin carriers, one of whom has a topknot with a life of its own. The fight scenes are well above-average for 1951, too – one even takes place in heavy rain, which would soon become a Kurosawa trademark (not the only time this film brought Kurosawa to mind). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEide1OMKPuO-FlOSjEb258vCxP_ApiaFAPgHvWbN42b13yG_e6f87Y4QB9TF-LqK2Mfjbi9r0LeYiohkYsgi07U6k021oOx5aYEEZUhyphenhyphenUnCSkD0geG8UqDGv6clOIuMlKN0xse4VvKHlYy_0UdGHLdA1f27ak9kEJtro-4SrTD0imlPK_JOTMbDZqLr0GCQ/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h48m07s601.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEide1OMKPuO-FlOSjEb258vCxP_ApiaFAPgHvWbN42b13yG_e6f87Y4QB9TF-LqK2Mfjbi9r0LeYiohkYsgi07U6k021oOx5aYEEZUhyphenhyphenUnCSkD0geG8UqDGv6clOIuMlKN0xse4VvKHlYy_0UdGHLdA1f27ak9kEJtro-4SrTD0imlPK_JOTMbDZqLr0GCQ/w510-h383/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h48m07s601.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denjiro Okochi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">It’s a marvel how the Japanese cinema of this period appears to have been populated with an almost endless number of excellent directors of whom we’ve never heard. Taizo Fuyushima’s career stretched back to 1926 and he directed over 90 films, mainly period dramas, but he seems to be almost completely forgotten. After his retirement, he made kabuki paper dolls, at which he was considered a master, and took on a number of pupils.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_q5mCo8sJ2rU__oOV306uv1urUzrXsiscAeGvCv2enmfzZOnDZnd9UuI1_NDVfx_OJOv5aijg97Qy-V_pK6XafeIZ5szwxX_fErgP7aWG_5kD_M-YLwNIOZIDPD9hQTBnnnGXaAk0XvPAKehBBdvjps1PrwEgORzTCBrmiM273IzYji8_K6pft7iuLFVn/s640/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h54m55s487.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_q5mCo8sJ2rU__oOV306uv1urUzrXsiscAeGvCv2enmfzZOnDZnd9UuI1_NDVfx_OJOv5aijg97Qy-V_pK6XafeIZ5szwxX_fErgP7aWG_5kD_M-YLwNIOZIDPD9hQTBnnnGXaAk0XvPAKehBBdvjps1PrwEgORzTCBrmiM273IzYji8_K6pft7iuLFVn/w499-h375/vlcsnap-2024-01-07-16h54m55s487.png" width="499" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denjiro Okochi and Koichi Katsuragi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Watched without subtitles. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Available on YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/ilwsv8WH4jw?si=SuPFppZ4VeLabBU4" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br /></span><br /></p><p> <br /></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-30822888255049408592024-01-03T03:47:00.000-08:002024-01-03T03:47:04.701-08:00Wedding Day / 嫁ぐ日 / Totsugu hi (1956)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #94</span></span></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XtIR1wXJ-yODtfRh1lZGq2UZw3im0_J_J4i4WojwD8K0GN_QLh0VUH21MpB9x6FZBkUXl74oO7T7fAh3qfYmQXB5L9OR-F2SkW6F07Dffq2ibhLrmbS0NjWD2k8VAP1lVE6qkoORSN-RjEwfsN-VBpy9PHUusiGj02j3T-Abq6h6ge_aOlO1Ecc4mUgL/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h45m31s381.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XtIR1wXJ-yODtfRh1lZGq2UZw3im0_J_J4i4WojwD8K0GN_QLh0VUH21MpB9x6FZBkUXl74oO7T7fAh3qfYmQXB5L9OR-F2SkW6F07Dffq2ibhLrmbS0NjWD2k8VAP1lVE6qkoORSN-RjEwfsN-VBpy9PHUusiGj02j3T-Abq6h6ge_aOlO1Ecc4mUgL/w504-h379/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h45m31s381.png" width="504" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masami Taura and Keiko Tsushima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Sakie (Keiko Tsushima) is a young widow living with her
father-in-law, Shinsaku Kijima (Tatsuo Saito), and his family. Kijima is a
formerly successful playwright whose confidence has vanished in the post-war
years; seen as a progressive in his heyday, his ideas are now regarded as
hopelessly out-of-date. Unbeknownst to Kijima, Sakie pays a visit to Haiyuza
(the real-life theatre company which trained Tatsuya Nakadai among many others)
and asks director Mizuno (Seiji Miyaguchi) if he would help to get Kijima out
of his funk by requesting a new play from him. Meanwhile, the rest of the
family think it’s time that Sakie got married again and believe they’ve found
the perfect candidate…</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0LRmx5D-1SkcdVHoNxY2nVwFqwqFk0v2OnxdXLZcf_NESfRgUbj-Q3cAViJmeWhiIrSiMIA69ahpkB3t-rdRSk_igOgsZ6h-QU6r2NW66eUzhHfzkJawnpdK_TJRjULP1reaK-HfPhYy91PFql40ZiCfIrZXKTLm03tUqdpMQSv-FmxqRz5sz4b8Z9hM/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h19m51s858.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0LRmx5D-1SkcdVHoNxY2nVwFqwqFk0v2OnxdXLZcf_NESfRgUbj-Q3cAViJmeWhiIrSiMIA69ahpkB3t-rdRSk_igOgsZ6h-QU6r2NW66eUzhHfzkJawnpdK_TJRjULP1reaK-HfPhYy91PFql40ZiCfIrZXKTLm03tUqdpMQSv-FmxqRz5sz4b8Z9hM/w497-h374/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h19m51s858.png" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tatsuo Saito<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Although distributed by Shochiku, this is an independent
production by Kindai Eiga Kyokai, the company formed by director Kozaburo
Yoshimura, screenwriter Kaneto Shindo and actor Taiji Tonoyama in 1950, and
which went on to produce films such as <i>The
Naked Island</i> (1960) and <i>Onibaba</i>
(1964). </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdsII384u7l8KNNWbs4GXoyGABMHykYe6yFjMsKljA23dqw1Du3ELW9TJJc8i_yk5LoHExtNeL4eWJqkk-9ZRkVLg7pu0nCmOxLCU5tpewOBTy_m_pr8iLWyROP5Ywb1JG_bRZxCdyCcog_OQpOF5V1_xmquifOwzM3FJbF93OpjRuSVff9ddrgS7coi_/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h52m33s582.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdsII384u7l8KNNWbs4GXoyGABMHykYe6yFjMsKljA23dqw1Du3ELW9TJJc8i_yk5LoHExtNeL4eWJqkk-9ZRkVLg7pu0nCmOxLCU5tpewOBTy_m_pr8iLWyROP5Ywb1JG_bRZxCdyCcog_OQpOF5V1_xmquifOwzM3FJbF93OpjRuSVff9ddrgS7coi_/w498-h373/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h52m33s582.png" width="498" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiko Tsushima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The modest story of <i>Wedding
Day</i> may seem inconsequential, but it’s well done in all departments and a
pleasure to watch. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it provided roles
with depth for two underrated actors: Tatsuo Saito, who had starred in many of
Ozu’s earlier works, and Keiko Tsushima, best-known for playing the beautiful
daughter of one of the farmers in <i>Seven
Samurai</i>. She also played the ‘stripper’ who doesn’t actually strip in Tomu
Uchida’s <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/07/twilight-saloon-tasogare-sakaba-1955.html">Twilight Saloon</a></i>. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8RZIphvvkTI2uaJKQi7SCCWGD8lMgZJAWCdVV95ceQW6kUnQY6XTKSYLSJKFYTjbMnq1MwqZ4bGR0pn6m8_hoTJBrigmQt04y_bM6QrD1hgmrAwer0EnRSRG4zyRTXHPgD9el3N5cLUkj4JeK4NsW4Z55I3594HVMnXUyMF81FxHZbRDczk7vEl-Bckp/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-16h03m38s211.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8RZIphvvkTI2uaJKQi7SCCWGD8lMgZJAWCdVV95ceQW6kUnQY6XTKSYLSJKFYTjbMnq1MwqZ4bGR0pn6m8_hoTJBrigmQt04y_bM6QrD1hgmrAwer0EnRSRG4zyRTXHPgD9el3N5cLUkj4JeK4NsW4Z55I3594HVMnXUyMF81FxHZbRDczk7vEl-Bckp/w487-h366/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-16h03m38s211.png" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sumiko Hidaka and Kurumi Yamabato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05GlNHMhBw3ao9wmcwDjVNxVfS_oRa3vbMDku9tzr42QIUmHB5IpZjnRh-OCKCBC4UxyUBppqq8GVOyFId9ux_YG8P0nPJMG2bGYlIRtqlh2cwsVye4ukhRt9To316qxwGV2wSS_zeJbFzdoVS_tLqYypYSbNMSSXHuzsx2J9Jf9tzgeNM2QrfWInZSX-/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h26m32s799.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05GlNHMhBw3ao9wmcwDjVNxVfS_oRa3vbMDku9tzr42QIUmHB5IpZjnRh-OCKCBC4UxyUBppqq8GVOyFId9ux_YG8P0nPJMG2bGYlIRtqlh2cwsVye4ukhRt9To316qxwGV2wSS_zeJbFzdoVS_tLqYypYSbNMSSXHuzsx2J9Jf9tzgeNM2QrfWInZSX-/w490-h368/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h26m32s799.png" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setsuko Wakayama<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Also notable among the cast are the actresses playing Kijima’s
three daughters: Sumiko Hidaka (the hard-working one), Kurumi Yamabato (the
lazy tomboyish one) and Setsuko Wakayama (the one who has a miscarriage but remains
cheerful). Hayuza's Masami Taura is effective, too, as the son who has a crush on Sakie.
</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Director Kozaburo Yoshimura and his cast clearly went to great
pains to make the characters convincing as fully-rounded human beings – note,
for example, how the dialogue scenes usually involve someone carrying out a
chore of some kind while speaking, or the troubled expression that sometimes
passes across Sakie’s face – but only when she’s alone. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oEgLsR_7q_pyKa1X1aKAiazigEePITbwJK7a7h8n3FA1ceWZ9cp9ho5hxENuV5kZhX3q1yklpj901GZw5lf2OBjSv2W3BNRVOQKW3FW57sgLJBwCAzpuEh5cklH98-Ye6wPUfF_4YGagEr2Q3N4O5_0WGe7XzrWwxwAActS3olwDqLksgm0awBqDgIHe/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h16m06s789.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oEgLsR_7q_pyKa1X1aKAiazigEePITbwJK7a7h8n3FA1ceWZ9cp9ho5hxENuV5kZhX3q1yklpj901GZw5lf2OBjSv2W3BNRVOQKW3FW57sgLJBwCAzpuEh5cklH98-Ye6wPUfF_4YGagEr2Q3N4O5_0WGe7XzrWwxwAActS3olwDqLksgm0awBqDgIHe/w495-h372/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h16m06s789.png" width="495" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaneko Iwasaki, Eitaro Ozawa, Seiji Miyaguchi and others<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Recommended viewing for fans of Ozu and Naruse, <i>Wedding Day</i> should also be of interest to
Japanese theatre buffs as Haiyuza founders Chieko Higashiyama and Eitaro Ozawa both
make appearances (although Ozawa has no lines and is only glimpsed briefly),
while Haiyuza member Kaneko Iwasaki is seen rehearsing the part of Anya in <i>The Cherry Orchard</i> – a role she had
actually performed for the company five years earlier. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik-W_yhooyUAOfKR63Oxv98K-tEJAqGyf5brec3tzqqacttJpP0qKP7B7ZnQyI1mhZg7wKqCLYBh1EleNOZDM0XLJloiZBKR6Mv_-_D9ryw71XvripozvBpW4wqYbQIeWgjpeCaswVgr9wKdYn-4lAfdVJ6RWMZbZtw8zOhP5t0Fdn8MJz5nh5zAc9VDn/s1440/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h14m39s397.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgik-W_yhooyUAOfKR63Oxv98K-tEJAqGyf5brec3tzqqacttJpP0qKP7B7ZnQyI1mhZg7wKqCLYBh1EleNOZDM0XLJloiZBKR6Mv_-_D9ryw71XvripozvBpW4wqYbQIeWgjpeCaswVgr9wKdYn-4lAfdVJ6RWMZbZtw8zOhP5t0Fdn8MJz5nh5zAc9VDn/w489-h367/vlcsnap-2024-01-02-15h14m39s397.png" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster for Haiyuza's 1951 production of <i>The Cherry Orchard</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-85991039964996024252023-12-30T05:19:00.000-08:002023-12-30T05:19:57.131-08:00Escape from Hell / 無宿人別帳/ Mushukunin-betsucho (1963)<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #93</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7nHg3Ts7YuWPaorXr-ocF3Bh4317ddb8u7Ujn49pvuwIxuj93VN5ZR5UGSVny5LXtTRq0CjjZ-Lw7W14F68WX13ALhgOppwAok5hYPMiKAUV2bnKODfZ1jpQ32JMQVeCQKjwCada76khnYYNf7E73rpkKMJ-J55FJP0R61VU8ljbWCgSPlAWo_n2Lax8/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-17h36m38s476.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1920" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7nHg3Ts7YuWPaorXr-ocF3Bh4317ddb8u7Ujn49pvuwIxuj93VN5ZR5UGSVny5LXtTRq0CjjZ-Lw7W14F68WX13ALhgOppwAok5hYPMiKAUV2bnKODfZ1jpQ32JMQVeCQKjwCada76khnYYNf7E73rpkKMJ-J55FJP0R61VU8ljbWCgSPlAWo_n2Lax8/w557-h239/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-17h36m38s476.png" width="557" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiji Sada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">During the winter of
1802-3, a group of convicts are transported in individual bamboo cages to the
island of Sado, where they have been sentenced to hard labour draining a gold mine.
Among them is Yaju (Keiji Sada), a formerly honourable samurai who became a
criminal after the woman he loved, Kumi (Mariko Okada), was forced into a
marriage with the more senior Kurozuka (Hiroshi Nihonyanagi). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnLWl0Up5M5AUe_MAIvsN5YCkHttPDPZx0NrlPOTlJG0U4AaVHfTWSa2ilO8TMy7dwI5LDpGDsF67JWmQ-e6UvHksLY1f4Fm_E8OtjCiPx_UKyjMoeY3DINuRyVb1CCE619vrtsXmT6sAXFnib22VLEy9lxfpvP_PCnHMWtv3OIBfNCpwKEQHUhpnjd2v/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h19m04s911.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnLWl0Up5M5AUe_MAIvsN5YCkHttPDPZx0NrlPOTlJG0U4AaVHfTWSa2ilO8TMy7dwI5LDpGDsF67JWmQ-e6UvHksLY1f4Fm_E8OtjCiPx_UKyjMoeY3DINuRyVb1CCE619vrtsXmT6sAXFnib22VLEy9lxfpvP_PCnHMWtv3OIBfNCpwKEQHUhpnjd2v/w560-h240/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h19m04s911.png" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Nihonyanagi and Mariko Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In an unfortunate
coincidence, Kurozuka becomes the new governor of the mine, while his scheming
subordinate Kojuro (Hiroyuki Nagato) informs Kumi that her former lover Yaju is
among the prisoners. Always planning ahead, Kojuro also decides it could be to
his advantage to push his own mistress, Rin (Sachiko Hidari), into the arms of
the inexperienced new magistrate. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUgQaWAex7MetRn1srWCM_XGXWj7AK8jxuOc2d3Zz-Ng9eUxiK8HrQZDn8iNDNba_vKVy2pPSiWdehy1NAXk4HawyA3Sr4Iu-P5dmKIf6FK-1StEjZ89X6Q5p3T2WeNUv-BSh53XQE8s6ZN6PNfezlFSNHxm2PJDs-rlBphpWUqaJATBkv8qBxeHUYLjx/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h17m47s770.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1920" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUgQaWAex7MetRn1srWCM_XGXWj7AK8jxuOc2d3Zz-Ng9eUxiK8HrQZDn8iNDNba_vKVy2pPSiWdehy1NAXk4HawyA3Sr4Iu-P5dmKIf6FK-1StEjZ89X6Q5p3T2WeNUv-BSh53XQE8s6ZN6PNfezlFSNHxm2PJDs-rlBphpWUqaJATBkv8qBxeHUYLjx/w549-h235/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h17m47s770.png" width="549" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroyuki Nagato and Sachiko Hidari<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile, the
prisoners find themselves not only working in life-threatening conditions, but
also treated brutally by the foreman (Ko Nishimura) and his henchman Hachizo (Toranosuke
Tennoji). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lAxVmQqH84VUjaktaNzlwUfKKlnH_1BpoK8WcC37-BIsMj-y-5LEmFUFMEonUWZGA1a1vpqbytYg2yII7AF4loPcO_qXJrbe3O6Q4veWwbdIRdGn7gQLRt_RF12_M3HrMfdnVFKUI6I9IV8cWeRFogA2fW3uiw-rCkA1_dNCIMmk-V6Wt_VHyjGRtf3z/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-15h40m45s724.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1920" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lAxVmQqH84VUjaktaNzlwUfKKlnH_1BpoK8WcC37-BIsMj-y-5LEmFUFMEonUWZGA1a1vpqbytYg2yII7AF4loPcO_qXJrbe3O6Q4veWwbdIRdGn7gQLRt_RF12_M3HrMfdnVFKUI6I9IV8cWeRFogA2fW3uiw-rCkA1_dNCIMmk-V6Wt_VHyjGRtf3z/w550-h236/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-15h40m45s724.png" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rentaro Mikuni and Kanemon Nakamura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">However, two trusties,
Shinpei (Rentaro Mikuni) and Seibei (Kanemon Nakamura) are more sympathetic and
do what they can for the men. Seibei also has a daughter, Miyo (Masuyo Iwamoto*),
who treats the men when they are wounded, but is raped by one named Senta
(Masahiko Tsugawa) for her pains. When conditions become unbearable, the men
decide to make a desperate escape attempt headed by Shinpei – but can the trusty be
trusted?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qmPuiDVXd0g9bNVRBczP_bv5YLQalBrzezF77Ml6mzkxkUE2RAveZkxaPsNksHUcKZuLtJR9p6MgOF5emSGIDP8WqpNziwkwP-TaMGKQSwosxr3AfI8yPQVLMZWkyhYruzDbNw5gx_OWNzKwim95gpJkIrYzALbUppqbdF7tuIwRYE3Fqrnlds6_XhDk/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h13m50s138.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1920" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qmPuiDVXd0g9bNVRBczP_bv5YLQalBrzezF77Ml6mzkxkUE2RAveZkxaPsNksHUcKZuLtJR9p6MgOF5emSGIDP8WqpNziwkwP-TaMGKQSwosxr3AfI8yPQVLMZWkyhYruzDbNw5gx_OWNzKwim95gpJkIrYzALbUppqbdF7tuIwRYE3Fqrnlds6_XhDk/w556-h236/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h13m50s138.png" width="556" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariko Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Shochiku
production takes its Japanese title from the title of Seicho Matsumoto’s 1958 short
story collection containing the story ‘Tobo’ (‘Escape’) upon which the film is partly
based. The title is hard to translate into English, but in the Edo period
during which the stories were set, the <i>mushukunin
</i>were people who had been removed from the family register, and each of the
stories in Matsumoto’s collection was centred on a character who was some kind
of social outcast, i.e. a homeless person or criminal. However, the film is
also partly based on a second Matsumoto story, ‘Sado runinko’ (‘Sado Exile Journey’),
published in 1957. I’m uncertain whether there was really a mass escape attempt
at the Sado gold mine, but it’s certainly true that, during the late Edo
period, the authorities would round up vagrants and send them to do forced
labour there. In any case, the man who used this interesting historical setting
along with other elements of the two Matsumoto stories and turned it all into a
fine screenplay was Hideo Oguni, known for his work on many of Kurosawa’s most
famous films. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFD6Khla3lAD4UzvLmiXCvt1CMYb_JLZ8yoblOyUkPtoW-9RdZiEhd8S_djz2k4-LT2LA2ppWTInfUTHT662UcymPF0F9OkLoYj7GdcF7XwzBKCwVaraCDM2MtUXxv60Ba8fbOZOuOk5RNzKAqO70FNHwBwIWh1u9FisO7W-wTf0B4eywtbsrxkYxChofR/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-17h37m52s432.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1920" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFD6Khla3lAD4UzvLmiXCvt1CMYb_JLZ8yoblOyUkPtoW-9RdZiEhd8S_djz2k4-LT2LA2ppWTInfUTHT662UcymPF0F9OkLoYj7GdcF7XwzBKCwVaraCDM2MtUXxv60Ba8fbOZOuOk5RNzKAqO70FNHwBwIWh1u9FisO7W-wTf0B4eywtbsrxkYxChofR/w561-h230/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-17h37m52s432.png" width="561" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariko Okada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The director, Kazuo
Inoue (1924-2011), had worked as an assistant to Minoru Shibuya, Yuzu Kawashima
and Yasujiro Ozu before becoming a Shochiku director himself in 1954. <i>Escape from Hell</i> is the 11<sup>th</sup>
of 12 films he made for the company before going freelance in 1964, after which
he seems to have been unable to sustain a career in the declining Japanese film
industry. Although he managed to direct a further eight pictures, most of these
were comedies of little note, the exception being his final film, a documentary
about Ozu entitled <i>I Lived But… </i>(1983).
Apart from allowing some of the actors in the smaller parts to overact, his
direction of <i>Escape from Hell</i> is
impressive and he clearly knew how to get the most out of a scene.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAKkE58N3LDJIIqFzZQPUx2q0trR4kZJSDJBQxPq2aV90vf2UHhUUEn1p5JODug8KVXkqwVKJSTS22RLprCR3xJAoqhBd_RgVseVpWL5KJAkA5rtHjput-tIZpQ2fntaZU5ZhvVzyLGhH-z30M0zTFmCb_cTx2Fy9WV879Fs_Bcudw7KaqiKBLytt1fWa/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-15h36m51s521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1920" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAKkE58N3LDJIIqFzZQPUx2q0trR4kZJSDJBQxPq2aV90vf2UHhUUEn1p5JODug8KVXkqwVKJSTS22RLprCR3xJAoqhBd_RgVseVpWL5KJAkA5rtHjput-tIZpQ2fntaZU5ZhvVzyLGhH-z30M0zTFmCb_cTx2Fy9WV879Fs_Bcudw7KaqiKBLytt1fWa/w530-h226/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-15h36m51s521.png" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroyuki Nagato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Another factor which
makes <i>Escape from Hell </i>worth
seeking out is the host<i> </i>of well-known
faces among the cast, even including Tora-san actor Kiyoshi Atsumi as a convict
with a snoring problem. Hiroyuki Nagato from <i>Pigs and Battleships</i> is especially good as the devious Kojuro,
constantly figuring all the angles to his own advantage, although Mariko Okada
is sadly wasted in her role, which gives her little to do. Used to better
advantage is Rentaro Mikuni, who gives one of the strongest performances here
as an escaping convict. This fact, together with Sachiko Hidari’s appearance as
a giggling former prostitute, suggests that Tomu Uchida saw the film and was
influenced in his casting for <i>A Fugitive
from the Past</i> (1965). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH_sSLD5SKGarM2LQx7ao5T_2IdcDRMqH5JMvXiIRk6rWXZY4-LXQvcp5M0fNWnAlPEkwh5VUSW0dPT5GXrtMjQ4P_Jehtas_k38luCnGF3ObgFWi6BZZBqzdwgBBlB_MzgxNsuCRqXzbgdAJXHy9FzVxwlnOz-n3lmUIcZpSCelImcioBuzf_l1EiVk8/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h51m50s738.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1920" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH_sSLD5SKGarM2LQx7ao5T_2IdcDRMqH5JMvXiIRk6rWXZY4-LXQvcp5M0fNWnAlPEkwh5VUSW0dPT5GXrtMjQ4P_Jehtas_k38luCnGF3ObgFWi6BZZBqzdwgBBlB_MzgxNsuCRqXzbgdAJXHy9FzVxwlnOz-n3lmUIcZpSCelImcioBuzf_l1EiVk8/w540-h231/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h51m50s738.png" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rentaro Mikuni<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">However, the real revelation for me among the cast was
Keiji Sada – I’ve seen many of his films and always liked him, but would never
have imagined Sada as the tough, unshaven, moody samurai he plays here, a role
he pulls off very well indeed. It’s a reminder of what a loss to Japanese
cinema his premature death in a car crash the following year was. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_dRMlgrOFSdFxVDweTsn0XcM7fJQOP1Ck4lfzylbYwU_xbhs4B72XrtKS36PzS6gf5G6TUU-UlzPQ3YuSxXEzxZlV-90PfIo_ZknBVKaZYUoKMRxy7ME_efKXqCtJH7YN-tX3E3KtQg35hN3IWvJah92Qw5BSmuimzoaeTzj47XRJKd6p2dfUl4PqhtL/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h14m00s419.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1920" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_dRMlgrOFSdFxVDweTsn0XcM7fJQOP1Ck4lfzylbYwU_xbhs4B72XrtKS36PzS6gf5G6TUU-UlzPQ3YuSxXEzxZlV-90PfIo_ZknBVKaZYUoKMRxy7ME_efKXqCtJH7YN-tX3E3KtQg35hN3IWvJah92Qw5BSmuimzoaeTzj47XRJKd6p2dfUl4PqhtL/w545-h234/vlcsnap-2023-12-29-16h14m00s419.png" width="545" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiji Sada<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">*Sometimes incorrectly
listed as Tayo Iwamoto in English.</span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-72464460095932200442023-12-20T03:59:00.000-08:002023-12-20T03:59:46.953-08:00World War III: 41 Hours of Fear / 第三次世界大戦 四十一時間の恐怖 / Dai-sanji sekai taisen: Shi jū-ichi jikan no kyōfu (1960)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #92</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM09cvUrVTzNrZz3Qew1zHohvNdCd4aMysAxeHIYkeff1fNTn6ryyaRvRE5Y9sKI5sas7bfPhVAh0-c_iFQ40vB9xdZzVGsRuU0haDHMqf7ZwcSneEATj8_sBiYZqggviEbw1LMrNNPGCiA2mMZw6CmbUPrTEjPWJMHsUzaUGqf7RyvNRNfmh_k2MbvyJ/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h48m34s158.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCM09cvUrVTzNrZz3Qew1zHohvNdCd4aMysAxeHIYkeff1fNTn6ryyaRvRE5Y9sKI5sas7bfPhVAh0-c_iFQ40vB9xdZzVGsRuU0haDHMqf7ZwcSneEATj8_sBiYZqggviEbw1LMrNNPGCiA2mMZw6CmbUPrTEjPWJMHsUzaUGqf7RyvNRNfmh_k2MbvyJ/w525-h220/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h48m34s158.png" width="525" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshiko Mita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Based on a magazine
article, this Toei production opens with a shot (inside a church) of a statute
of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. ‘As long as humanity has a
conscience, World War III will never happen’ reads the subtitle before the main
title flashes up, undermining the previous statement to read: ‘World War III:
41 Hours of Fear’. After the main credits play out against a background of
rising smoke, we see several still images of children killed by the atom bomb.
This segues into a high school lecture in which the teacher expresses concern
that the rise in juvenile delinquency and its accompanying aggressive attitudes
could lead to an increased threat of nuclear war in the future. However,
subsequent scenes reveal that it’s actually anxiety about nuclear war that is
at least partly responsible for the nihilistic outlook fuelling the
delinquency, although not all of the students are reacting in the same way. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPeMq7hSIqbdH9dilQn0lYrdBod8oaeZV8V0S2UvPuGTttvAXs-ETQKzErFUFUoZwkCUEyOWooXcqeglGr7FuAAiFGg2WcfA-4dfdOlAwpowp9ziMGPrNlibiG0SrWuFeFyR57rKYI9o7nfeTHr7GwJ_fznlA5hhgbvhCP29w0UkqAESqLaW58cHBtW4/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h38m10s452.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPeMq7hSIqbdH9dilQn0lYrdBod8oaeZV8V0S2UvPuGTttvAXs-ETQKzErFUFUoZwkCUEyOWooXcqeglGr7FuAAiFGg2WcfA-4dfdOlAwpowp9ziMGPrNlibiG0SrWuFeFyR57rKYI9o7nfeTHr7GwJ_fznlA5hhgbvhCP29w0UkqAESqLaW58cHBtW4/w525-h220/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h38m10s452.png" width="525" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norifumi Fujishima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Three young male
students take a boat out on Tokyo Bay and talk about sailing to Africa to
escape the nuclear threat. When they are caught in a typhoon and have to be
rescued, the press use their story as an example of the all-pervading
atmosphere of dread the youth are living in. Soon, their worst fears are
realised: North Korea shoots down an American plane carrying a nuclear weapon
over South Korea, killing thousands on the ground. Events escalate rapidly and
it looks like World War III will begin at any moment…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwmtBupYvpHEJHT4gAm_2gHQdQY8OzmIdC-y2TLWaBGNyL45iV70w4AovCXHA26KkBAp32dUw4dN5qm4kTWOyTM91rUNQdV2UUHaxNU1sW87Xt-eP9U1eN79uWFdZcdNy9i2SD_pJsADal1AeNB5WpiZ1HhonGGC4SzfmXJvI5-ESFNnuKSPyv-m6gtgG/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-10h53m56s639.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwmtBupYvpHEJHT4gAm_2gHQdQY8OzmIdC-y2TLWaBGNyL45iV70w4AovCXHA26KkBAp32dUw4dN5qm4kTWOyTM91rUNQdV2UUHaxNU1sW87Xt-eP9U1eN79uWFdZcdNy9i2SD_pJsADal1AeNB5WpiZ1HhonGGC4SzfmXJvI5-ESFNnuKSPyv-m6gtgG/w536-h224/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-10h53m56s639.png" width="536" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yayoi Furusato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Given the scant 77-minute
running time and the lack of big names among the cast, I had expected a silly
B-movie, but was surprised to find a fairly intelligent, well-made, sober film
with a deadly serious anti-war message. Although it’s not really a big special
effects movie either, there is a bit of that toward the end (combined with
stock footage), and what there is of it is well done. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenMqFRzQ3uRh_SPSh2Pn8mNhfFjHTvW95DUszEwpIIzD_ch2K1PXbSbUW7ooY19QGNloEC2t5XW6K0xsdQMhX7uNufIDAZ2QWN5fbvMRiJSEen_B3FA1XJnBcrjae7BFZZtuXNeDPeWhx0S1i9AnzbaVR0KwJ1i9-xgW3FbNJvlmwXVs8aMULSxjYhRsu/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h27m03s606.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenMqFRzQ3uRh_SPSh2Pn8mNhfFjHTvW95DUszEwpIIzD_ch2K1PXbSbUW7ooY19QGNloEC2t5XW6K0xsdQMhX7uNufIDAZ2QWN5fbvMRiJSEen_B3FA1XJnBcrjae7BFZZtuXNeDPeWhx0S1i9AnzbaVR0KwJ1i9-xgW3FbNJvlmwXVs8aMULSxjYhRsu/w512-h214/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h27m03s606.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshi Kato (former husband of Isuzu Yamada)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This is an ensemble
piece with no real stars, but among the characters whose destinies we follow
are a young reporter, Masaki (Tatsuo Umemiya), and his girlfriend, Tomoko
(Yoshiko Mita), who works as a nurse, together with high school students Mie (Yukiko Nikaido) and Shigeo (Norifumi Fujishima), his sister Shizuko (Yayoi Furusato) and father (Yoshi Kato), and musician Tonomura
(Junji Masuda) and his sick wife, Keiko (Michiko Hoshi). The ending of the film
features another scene inside a Christian church in which Keiko is singing a
hymn along with the rest of the congregation, but I’m at a loss to account for
this film’s emphasis on Christianity. Perhaps the director was a Christian, or maybe they thought it would help distribution abroad. In any case, the acting is generally good, with Michiko
Hoshi being a stand-out. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJjpry7bANN5aRq-3RZIOYPvsZnOBHgk276RMy-xGNFA9rbixg_2nDVCrZ5L2KourVk0I0o8NmsGL1dHislvRj-uQmRoiJ-r40yn3IsccdeFIMoFcYE6u44djMq1o3FZfHRk7iad7bo-UY6gQJmexE3mNDnGH0soaTD3JW_Ol762P0llJm7gCa263BIIf/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h50m01s832.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJjpry7bANN5aRq-3RZIOYPvsZnOBHgk276RMy-xGNFA9rbixg_2nDVCrZ5L2KourVk0I0o8NmsGL1dHislvRj-uQmRoiJ-r40yn3IsccdeFIMoFcYE6u44djMq1o3FZfHRk7iad7bo-UY6gQJmexE3mNDnGH0soaTD3JW_Ol762P0llJm7gCa263BIIf/w528-h219/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-11h50m01s832.png" width="528" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michiko Hoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQaiUoAfqk01Zxhg3FriIbFLtbEu__wbc10hJkbuU4fNksgwEsfAtrmIyLsnR060ztgz3PIo-O2PFlrQGEmiU81ypcp7ly-4kS6gjF6MuAvRiCxFTbmC_rf3-8yJzIxnw9052M_zz6aTjmv-Ni0LQCTdMneO0tX0rZgMcpEVebLCBLRf2muRVrBpbB4O1/s1914/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-13h45m33s478.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1914" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQaiUoAfqk01Zxhg3FriIbFLtbEu__wbc10hJkbuU4fNksgwEsfAtrmIyLsnR060ztgz3PIo-O2PFlrQGEmiU81ypcp7ly-4kS6gjF6MuAvRiCxFTbmC_rf3-8yJzIxnw9052M_zz6aTjmv-Ni0LQCTdMneO0tX0rZgMcpEVebLCBLRf2muRVrBpbB4O1/w527-h221/vlcsnap-2023-12-19-13h45m33s478.png" width="527" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michiko Hoshi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Director Shigeaki
Hidaka (1916-?) had studied under Teinsouke Kinugasa and worked as Chief
Assistant Director to Kenji Mizoguchi on <i>The
Lady from Musashino</i> (1951). He directed 18 films between 1955-1962, first
for Toho, then for Toei, and on this evidence he clearly knew what he was
doing. The brief scenes featuring American actors speaking English were
directed by William Ross, an American actor based in Japan. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The film was bought by
an American company who dubbed over the Japanese actors and added scenes from
another Japanese film, <i>Invasion of the
Neptune Men </i>(1961), including – inexplicably – flying saucers! This was
released in the States as <i>The Final War</i>
in 1962, but is now (perhaps thankfully) believed lost. The original, at least,
is a fascinating time-capsule which sheds light on the mindset of the era and
also holds up surprisingly well as a film drama. It may be a little simplistic, but it certainly gets its message across and does so in a compact way without outstaying its welcome. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The following year, Toho released a similarly-themed film entitled <i>Sekai daisenso</i> (aka <i>The Last War</i>), which I've yet to see. <br /></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-25068617397729097962023-12-10T03:24:00.000-08:002023-12-10T03:24:32.633-08:00Black Torrent/ 黒の奔流 / Kuro no honryu (1972)<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #91</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvAPQBLYXMTnurqUNSAGRouIVyFeyDZogMbZH6ERQBb2xBXK5f2h10_DSWQ48Q7XeT_4xfgcxFD1TmWVGe7HyLmh8vovZV3tL7zTHtF75W1LF1S-doZGZYqGJnzVauL-EiNTCfZSDfRYuCUuP4-K8rZ0_RimK2-w0xV2Zxpu_zeJR8QpSrQkl7ZxaGA6x/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-16h17m06s738.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvAPQBLYXMTnurqUNSAGRouIVyFeyDZogMbZH6ERQBb2xBXK5f2h10_DSWQ48Q7XeT_4xfgcxFD1TmWVGe7HyLmh8vovZV3tL7zTHtF75W1LF1S-doZGZYqGJnzVauL-EiNTCfZSDfRYuCUuP4-K8rZ0_RimK2-w0xV2Zxpu_zeJR8QpSrQkl7ZxaGA6x/w497-h280/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-16h17m06s738.png" width="497" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tsutomu Yamazaki and Mariko Okada</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Takeshi Yano (Tsutomu Yamazaki) is an ambitious but struggling
lawyer whose office shakes every time a train goes past on the tracks outside.
He’s in a casual relationship with his pragmatic assistant Yukiko (Kaoru
Taniguchi) but hopes to marry Tomoko (Keiko Matsuzaka), the daughter of
Masamichi Wakamiya (Tatsuo Matsumura), the head of a law firm. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_A1wqe0NtdWlXB8YhYnUeNIvapLPzrhqoqA_abOVpZ4yIW3H2QUFo90lhJDJ-1vARejqhvMwxZL6M898Is446TiKCMPvrqMKQiOkinq6LmYvlD0TgTryx_vJ-33guqjc6bz1C1dAYUwDtWrmHFa8KI4sPLLtLEbG1IWG9Yhk8E1T_HUErBzYsbPBdZu2/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-16h13m04s196.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_A1wqe0NtdWlXB8YhYnUeNIvapLPzrhqoqA_abOVpZ4yIW3H2QUFo90lhJDJ-1vARejqhvMwxZL6M898Is446TiKCMPvrqMKQiOkinq6LmYvlD0TgTryx_vJ-33guqjc6bz1C1dAYUwDtWrmHFa8KI4sPLLtLEbG1IWG9Yhk8E1T_HUErBzYsbPBdZu2/w515-h290/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-16h13m04s196.png" width="515" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kaoru Taniguchi</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wnm_h6haM2im3Ak0le2fEbRo_WP0BBUNzjRp_lqFDgDO8FSu9thWinJ6tcOC_rPOlTwOSBwb71CnUvDahvpI1pznNSSLdMijdAR_xle1T_liuda5CwjSKMR52KZlXgBVc-s8zretuaCnBB6KAg_n_2GPge-kYGs4ZfC1G_UYdjuFpFYkzX5OiaUEaCKO/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h47m18s713.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wnm_h6haM2im3Ak0le2fEbRo_WP0BBUNzjRp_lqFDgDO8FSu9thWinJ6tcOC_rPOlTwOSBwb71CnUvDahvpI1pznNSSLdMijdAR_xle1T_liuda5CwjSKMR52KZlXgBVc-s8zretuaCnBB6KAg_n_2GPge-kYGs4ZfC1G_UYdjuFpFYkzX5OiaUEaCKO/w511-h288/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h47m18s713.png" width="511" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Keiko Matsuzaka</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">When the state
needs someone to defend Fujie Kaizuka (Mariko Okada), a maid accused of murder,
Yano agrees although the pay is negligible because he hopes that defeating tough prosecutor Kuraishi (Kei Sato) will be his chance to impress Tomoko’s father and turn his luck around. However,
when he finds himself attracted to Fujie, things become complicated… </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpMzAxjTq7WVLfZpwbhftcH9PuksQKEoegOLRPS2OOOWGnjeAqbQdf9TsJC5Gyv-D5svZyXwjOS60sDP0WHm4t1ooIhk6q6qQyc80jSJQ9TU9fEAQQn3QpeyqAt7aMuSobUsS_hk1HBcJjugyQOpOZnmGoRWjN6yGZKeI_aHliQhGK-SnOwVX0Ri-D-LR/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-14h58m40s516.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpMzAxjTq7WVLfZpwbhftcH9PuksQKEoegOLRPS2OOOWGnjeAqbQdf9TsJC5Gyv-D5svZyXwjOS60sDP0WHm4t1ooIhk6q6qQyc80jSJQ9TU9fEAQQn3QpeyqAt7aMuSobUsS_hk1HBcJjugyQOpOZnmGoRWjN6yGZKeI_aHliQhGK-SnOwVX0Ri-D-LR/w491-h276/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-14h58m40s516.png" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kei Sato</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">To reveal any more of the plot would spoil things as this is one
of those crime dramas in which the twists are pretty much the <i>raison d’etre</i>. Based on a 1967 short
story by Seicho Matsumoto entitled ‘Shuzoku domei’ (‘Tribal Alliance’), <i>Black Torrent</i> is a Shochiku production reminiscent
of the films of director Yoshitaro Nomura, who frequently adapted Matsumoto’s
work for the screen. The director of this film, Yusuke Watanabe (working
together with co-writer Takeo Kunihiro), changed the details of the original
story considerably and transformed the character of the defendant from a male
to a female. This is probably a good thing as it created an interesting role
for the great Mariko Okada, who turns in her usual highly convincing
performance (and appears able to turn on the waterworks at the drop of a hat). </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPpQUvNgt4Qw2pGfzLH66smQt1G0M9VbLUlFKqyaDHcYKR8tUnOkLW47q16uVGoXG_jv95qrBHbrnvD2dg7zEy2ckqurXiXrbYJTMEVt0HmBrkmxQTd51wCd65XCmy-HfNEvYE0tXpC3G9h5Z5MFeDaszge7e6wz5dty0-WAblFDMn0ltUjv5E0hskkhi/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h39m22s319.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPpQUvNgt4Qw2pGfzLH66smQt1G0M9VbLUlFKqyaDHcYKR8tUnOkLW47q16uVGoXG_jv95qrBHbrnvD2dg7zEy2ckqurXiXrbYJTMEVt0HmBrkmxQTd51wCd65XCmy-HfNEvYE0tXpC3G9h5Z5MFeDaszge7e6wz5dty0-WAblFDMn0ltUjv5E0hskkhi/w494-h277/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h39m22s319.png" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tsutomu Yamazaki </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Her co-star, Tsutomu Yamazaki, is slightly less effective as he overacts a
little at times and his expressions are sometimes unintentionally comical. I
actually blame the director for this – Yamazaki (the kidnapper from Kurosawa's <i>High and Low</i>) is a very talented actor, but
even the best actors need good guidance. However, in regard to other aspects,
this is a well-directed film, and the cinematography by Masahiro Shinoda
favourite Masao Kosugi is also a strong point. The music, on the other hand, is
a detriment as it seems to be alternately emulating spy movies and spaghetti
Westerns – even using a harmonica and Jew’s harp at times – none of which feels
appropriate. Still, despite a few flaws, this is worth seeing for Mariko Okada
and the enjoyably twisty plot. </span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoi_wgJQ-EiZPrRnGxQoEhlZZLY5hDMAymjt_ZC5I3sKa-pmmU_zBs7wnoL7k1jZJch4emVeZdZvWfnTbC_DrPv7pbtuniFwpGiWt2IIjbvsdLlwaClNPnjrWSKiS1YdKo84K8u-1_vktT2B2d1ItleFRGv97DgtE9gCLKwyuOJVgQUoAgTlm7hQcwvVC/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h51m44s614.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoi_wgJQ-EiZPrRnGxQoEhlZZLY5hDMAymjt_ZC5I3sKa-pmmU_zBs7wnoL7k1jZJch4emVeZdZvWfnTbC_DrPv7pbtuniFwpGiWt2IIjbvsdLlwaClNPnjrWSKiS1YdKo84K8u-1_vktT2B2d1ItleFRGv97DgtE9gCLKwyuOJVgQUoAgTlm7hQcwvVC/w500-h282/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h51m44s614.png" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mariko Okada</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Intriguingly, the previously-reviewed <a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2022/04/kao-face-1957.html"><i>Kao</i></a> was also an adaptation of a Matsumoto story which transformed
the central character from a male to a female played by Mariko Okada. Perhaps Okada
felt some affinity for his work, as she also appeared in a number of TV versions
of the author’s stories as well as a further feature film, <i>Mushukunin-betsucho</i> (1963).</span></span></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">For more on director Yusuke Watanabe, see my review of <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/05/wild-detective-outlaw-cop-yasagure.html">Wild Detective</a></i>.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwIetLQ7ilcoxMgb7bfhwwf9TtFTWIF0DNQYlVo2r_z4y8-BHGH33dPbzl5sexcTcygcSokwBbdmLxvz7a4v8BKvZmrBQj995rEVIhu_Otw5xFd0_zR_kB6gKHKuvBo13ER_nakUTwEl0X62vb-HpX6XOajWHVEUAsx9ZpWDdnrult2NbzpuVBnkhxc0/s853/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h36m20s596.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQwIetLQ7ilcoxMgb7bfhwwf9TtFTWIF0DNQYlVo2r_z4y8-BHGH33dPbzl5sexcTcygcSokwBbdmLxvz7a4v8BKvZmrBQj995rEVIhu_Otw5xFd0_zR_kB6gKHKuvBo13ER_nakUTwEl0X62vb-HpX6XOajWHVEUAsx9ZpWDdnrult2NbzpuVBnkhxc0/w507-h285/vlcsnap-2023-12-09-15h36m20s596.png" width="507" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tsutomu Yamazaki and Mariko Okada</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p> </p><p><br /></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-47747595000887781312023-12-04T09:59:00.000-08:002023-12-04T09:59:32.245-08:00The Romance of Yushima / 婦系図 湯島の白梅 / Onna keizu Yushima no shiraume (1955)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #90</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPHXTeZY2yRjizfaegVpcsCe5mmirbHMEnCFNbsR6ECoSPrANlcaRDhyphenhyphenwiBUikDOqTH3qGLh9v9sTVeu6ekiBHEAUnww6H4zWlCxsOEMomv4kprOPLiSjpYSMHVaNayF_E72-alhG-es9Mkzo7j5mARMTuZuTCoqQAkJeLSP9d1nfUoist9m7hP3AsH6B/s640/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h05m09s099.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPHXTeZY2yRjizfaegVpcsCe5mmirbHMEnCFNbsR6ECoSPrANlcaRDhyphenhyphenwiBUikDOqTH3qGLh9v9sTVeu6ekiBHEAUnww6H4zWlCxsOEMomv4kprOPLiSjpYSMHVaNayF_E72-alhG-es9Mkzo7j5mARMTuZuTCoqQAkJeLSP9d1nfUoist9m7hP3AsH6B/w485-h364/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h05m09s099.png" width="485" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fujiko Yamamoto<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Yushima, Tokyo, 1902.
Otsuta (Fujiko Yamamoto) is a geisha who has left her profession to become the
wife of promising young scholar Hayase (Koji Tsuruta), who is helping his
mentor, Professor Sakai (Masayuki Mori), to compile the first German-Japanese
dictionary. Otsuta and Hayase have not yet been married officially as Hayase is waiting for an opportune moment to tell the Professor about their union. Having
lost his parents in the fire which destroyed much of downtown Shizuoka in 1889,
Hayase was adopted by the Professor, and so is under a great obligation to him.
However, as the Professor thinks highly of Hayase, the young couple are
confident that he will approve their union even though Hayase is expected to
marry the professor’s daughter, Taeko (Yoshiko [not Sumiko] Fujita). Unfortunately,
Otsuta becomes implicated in a theft despite being innocent. When this is
reported in the newspaper, Professor Sakai learns about the secret marriage and
is furious, seemingly forgetting the similar relationship he had had in his own
youth with Koyoshi (Haruko Sugimura), who is actually the madam at the geisha
house where Otsuta had been employed…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-N-mj12jG1ksVFK5q12p8R8XVS_sViNV0oxwx3K_QB-TEzn0oYyMy9wdOwPPkaYcJM8dWxHSmcaGJh13sAu5Yx5RjANahCcK2-CMKESCmoXIu7thqFOQb9jB8KBn52ft0segy5pV3nl5d1T5zFXjKy9ZjsP_qHKp-5xZXqPadJ3FGG3iWBcrLNWXhJCx/s640/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h33m20s819.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-N-mj12jG1ksVFK5q12p8R8XVS_sViNV0oxwx3K_QB-TEzn0oYyMy9wdOwPPkaYcJM8dWxHSmcaGJh13sAu5Yx5RjANahCcK2-CMKESCmoXIu7thqFOQb9jB8KBn52ft0segy5pV3nl5d1T5zFXjKy9ZjsP_qHKp-5xZXqPadJ3FGG3iWBcrLNWXhJCx/w475-h356/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h33m20s819.png" width="475" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masayuki Mori<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Daiei production
has the sort of determinedly tragic story that is (or at least was) especially
popular in Japan. I found it rather clichéd and predictable, but it should be
noted that it’s a faithful adaptation of a 1907 novel by Kyoka Izumi, so it’s
quite possible that Izumi’s work felt fresh at the time and it was only when
others copied aspects of it that they became clichés. What now seems a quaintly
old-fashioned story was also once considered progressive in its attack on the
institution of the arranged marriage. Although it’s not one of the few Izumi
works to have been translated into English (he’s reputedly difficult to translate),
it was one of his most popular and became a successful stage play only a year
after publication. There had also been previous film versions – in 1934 with
Kinuyo Tanaka and Joji Oka, followed by a two-part version in 1942 with Isuzu
Yamada and Kazuo Hasegawa. Remakes followed in 1959 and 1962, while it was
also adapted for television on a number of occasions, including in 1966 with Fujiko Yamamoto repeating her role. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TBiiI4_BONJicELAWKF1yIuZpsaIXlT-MnQtgEQhXqU3eFT8U5vxzWNFo7cobHSTjDO-A7qvOTBThQR5FZNvHQHEx7BzJiiXZnvlocBpuFmPQGM-ivBTnLkpSFyZkD1eI7lHv6XjgrANzUonbpC_EXx0nunAqMi0ae6jKdF4DZ32DNsD9fsnmsQthG9b/s640/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h56m22s716.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TBiiI4_BONJicELAWKF1yIuZpsaIXlT-MnQtgEQhXqU3eFT8U5vxzWNFo7cobHSTjDO-A7qvOTBThQR5FZNvHQHEx7BzJiiXZnvlocBpuFmPQGM-ivBTnLkpSFyZkD1eI7lHv6XjgrANzUonbpC_EXx0nunAqMi0ae6jKdF4DZ32DNsD9fsnmsQthG9b/w476-h356/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-16h56m22s716.png" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koji Tsuruta<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The male lead, Koji
Tsuruta, is not a name likely to ring many bells outside of Japan, but he was
actually one of the country’s biggest male stars of the era. Some readers may
know him for playing Toshiro Mifune’s opponent, Kojiro Sasaki, in Hiroshi
Inagaki’s <i>Samurai</i> trilogy, or perhaps
for his starring role in Kinji Fukasaku’s <i>Sympathy
for the Underdog</i> (1971). He could probably relate well to the part he plays
in <i>The Romance of Yushima</i> given that
his own romance with actress Keiko Kishi was nipped in the bud in 1952 by
Shochiku, the studio to whom he was under contract at the time. He attempted
suicide shortly after, but fortunately survived only to be badly beaten by a yakuza
member the following year because his manager had offended them. The attack had
involved both a whisky bottle and a brick; Tsuruta required 11 stitches, but
luckily was not disfigured and resumed his career, which continued almost until
his passing from lung cancer in 1987. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Z2Wh95Wf6ZrKRFv-wA_qjck9UGCvC4lx-_arLFuB31vZSrg01eTdhwygMMAS0td3OF_iWthMUkKrRfGM4PIFrySII96MEqy20wvPLXBsdWRPhwJ4xj5xR6x5Ak2lI8Yk7NZI7J68Ae2K6yW179OTNHPWU5x7lDkqoCKxtMxr80c_we_HwgItHCv7Kow/s640/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-17h07m00s263.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Z2Wh95Wf6ZrKRFv-wA_qjck9UGCvC4lx-_arLFuB31vZSrg01eTdhwygMMAS0td3OF_iWthMUkKrRfGM4PIFrySII96MEqy20wvPLXBsdWRPhwJ4xj5xR6x5Ak2lI8Yk7NZI7J68Ae2K6yW179OTNHPWU5x7lDkqoCKxtMxr80c_we_HwgItHCv7Kow/w471-h354/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-17h07m00s263.png" width="471" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haruko Sugimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The performances in <i>The Romance of Yushima</i> are solid if
unexceptional. The omnipresent Eitaro Ozawa also pops up as a colleague of
Sakai’s, but it’s actually Daisuke Kato who steals it as a cheeky fishmonger sympathetic
to Otsuta. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ94WY4tDup_j5cwmDprpLTEUuCNAqGwncjDEEwGDgUlnuPzLmloCxK48ituXw8rIV72dtH2LaMLiZ7wyWnby1Z4dKnKPd41icNw3Tu6lpYBwDSokgIISMIbq9z3Kb-20cuCeR6I3j3StBCBfmGuSrLDbG59OWPbcaK_x31I8VD8cUrfivBHCGusOEJdDU/s640/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-15h43m00s362.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ94WY4tDup_j5cwmDprpLTEUuCNAqGwncjDEEwGDgUlnuPzLmloCxK48ituXw8rIV72dtH2LaMLiZ7wyWnby1Z4dKnKPd41icNw3Tu6lpYBwDSokgIISMIbq9z3Kb-20cuCeR6I3j3StBCBfmGuSrLDbG59OWPbcaK_x31I8VD8cUrfivBHCGusOEJdDU/w478-h359/vlcsnap-2023-12-03-15h43m00s362.png" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Kato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The print I saw was a
just-about-watchable VHS transfer, so there’s no doubt that the film would
benefit greatly from a higher quality digital version. However, I wouldn’t call
it a lost masterpiece as the story hasn’t dated well and the music (a
combination of choral singing, harp and strings) is overused and far from
ideal. For those reasons, I feel that this is my least favourite of the films I’ve
seen by director Teinosuke Kinugasa (the others being <i>A Page of Madness</i>, <i>Gate of
Hell</i>, <i>New Tales of the Heike: Three
Women around Yoshinaka</i> and <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/06/actress-joyu-1947.html">Actress</a></i>).
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Note: the Japanese
title translates as ‘Genealogy of Women: White Plum Blossoms of Yushima’</span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-64763830982838317382023-11-30T03:38:00.000-08:002023-11-30T03:43:49.307-08:00The Spider Man / 蜘蛛男 / Kumo-otoko (1958)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #89</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SJ4JhhkrT4a1mztraj6cCw7hDWkOoMewtwdHP1BbXmZ2vDXtOl0IaLjLRFHRFPw9rNdl9P1gB8YJS9eriFucWKxlJ90j3KqS0Piez3X7rHlwdgVQaWjP7DvmD70MK3L0Bd8fIbQFDwTuvG4TckIEj_XH81XpnlasiKujIEY-nxqrjzscEzVCn4Zk0E1W/s768/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h51m07s177.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SJ4JhhkrT4a1mztraj6cCw7hDWkOoMewtwdHP1BbXmZ2vDXtOl0IaLjLRFHRFPw9rNdl9P1gB8YJS9eriFucWKxlJ90j3KqS0Piez3X7rHlwdgVQaWjP7DvmD70MK3L0Bd8fIbQFDwTuvG4TckIEj_XH81XpnlasiKujIEY-nxqrjzscEzVCn4Zk0E1W/w474-h355/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h51m07s177.png" width="474" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susumu Fujita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Based on a 1929 novel
of the same title (yet to be translated into English) by Edogawa Ranpo, this
low-budget thriller stars Susumu Fujita in the role of Ranpo’s regular detective
character, Kogoro Akechi. Fujita – best-known for playing the title role in
Akira Kurosawa’s debut feature <i>Sanshiro
Sugata</i> (1943) – first appears around 30 minutes in when Akechi is called in
to investigate a gruesome murder. A young woman has been abducted and killed while
attending a job interview, after which her dismembered body was found concealed
inside a number of body sculptures. Akechi is soon on the trail of mad master
criminal Dr. Kuroyanagi (Joji Oka), who gets his kicks out of murdering young
women resembling the wife who betrayed him. He next sets his sights on movie
star Yoko (Chikako Miyagi). However, using a series of increasingly bizarre
disguises culminating in an outsize Cyrano de Bergerac nose, he continually
eludes capture. His fiendish schemes reach their strange climax when he abducts
a whole busload of young beauties and forces them to be models in a tableau of
hell he presents before a live audience. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhaHH4_0Ez-O-00ayOMn1m_qyLvEGeO6Wp6O6pdJ0BKBs9X5Z-q6z67KXTGHuk3bqpV1QWM1TcSpXMbzyCLY_JAaszAPHZ6Cp1TB0R2UplfBjV_jSBMCY6oKypwZM2Ok6c8y59gIKGXLEMjWKENcfvrl-L_ltAuIT606glk7QvVujRfNEiS-taNnPXJYu/s768/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-16h15m08s253.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhaHH4_0Ez-O-00ayOMn1m_qyLvEGeO6Wp6O6pdJ0BKBs9X5Z-q6z67KXTGHuk3bqpV1QWM1TcSpXMbzyCLY_JAaszAPHZ6Cp1TB0R2UplfBjV_jSBMCY6oKypwZM2Ok6c8y59gIKGXLEMjWKENcfvrl-L_ltAuIT606glk7QvVujRfNEiS-taNnPXJYu/w477-h357/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-16h15m08s253.png" width="477" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joji Oka<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The
Spider Man</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> was originally released in two parts – the first
entitled <i>Satsujinki Kumo-otoko</i> (literally ‘Murderer Spider Man’) running 97 minutes, the second</span><i> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Kumo-otoko
no gyakushu</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> (‘Spider-Man’s Counterattack’), which I
haven’t been able to find a running time for. The version I saw displayed the
title of part 1 in the opening credits, but was actually a re-edit of both
parts combined. It appears that each part was edited down to around 55 minutes
and simply spliced together, making a total running time of 109 minutes. The
print was a fairly low-res VHS transfer which is watchable but far from ideal. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfldehlszxDgr8BIbgdGN2YPSe1pcErE2LdLwg3n1xpGTiKLoGSkUESteflbwZ-Jp0iwCWk8JWY4Yigaf0VlT0xUw3vmOHDO6FtZQ8fYJJqzfl5r-Tllw0e5SC1hErOblJB3fvntue_fqIQO6CFu_pMoINF_GjNNxWHfDF7HiiLcpkJHZhoBgfd_cDn0k/s768/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h12m43s519.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfldehlszxDgr8BIbgdGN2YPSe1pcErE2LdLwg3n1xpGTiKLoGSkUESteflbwZ-Jp0iwCWk8JWY4Yigaf0VlT0xUw3vmOHDO6FtZQ8fYJJqzfl5r-Tllw0e5SC1hErOblJB3fvntue_fqIQO6CFu_pMoINF_GjNNxWHfDF7HiiLcpkJHZhoBgfd_cDn0k/w457-h343/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h12m43s519.png" width="457" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chikako Miyagi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The picture was
directed by one Hiroyuki Yamamoto (1908-?), a name that could hardly be any
more obscure. Oddly, it was his first film since 1943 and was also to be his
last, perhaps because the production company (Shin Eiga) folded shortly after
this was released. He first directed in 1937, and it appears that the majority
of his 11 previous films were military propaganda works. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5r1z7mbMjANzXriTuNR7BS5CtwvnBKQVa8jM9_cSc8f3Ap7YOwnFrmIvVSGP3Rj1_VS2MZEANXxtZNhJYyujj6uWxDorBya2klZjQiTXvkas5OlIuVtOcox69RPeVOSZu-Rsa7BO-gtPtQiUbcEsW4Q2V0jcqBBdCgNWh729Btj25zvKuOvlryAdpYcf/s768/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-16h09m22s385.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5r1z7mbMjANzXriTuNR7BS5CtwvnBKQVa8jM9_cSc8f3Ap7YOwnFrmIvVSGP3Rj1_VS2MZEANXxtZNhJYyujj6uWxDorBya2klZjQiTXvkas5OlIuVtOcox69RPeVOSZu-Rsa7BO-gtPtQiUbcEsW4Q2V0jcqBBdCgNWh729Btj25zvKuOvlryAdpYcf/w453-h340/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-16h09m22s385.png" width="453" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The
Spider Man</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> is quite fast-paced, entertaining hokum which was
evidently shot quickly and cheaply. For this reason, it never fully realises
its potential and fails to make the most of its hell-tableau climax, which
could have been far more memorable with a little extra care. Overall, the film is
a fairly tame affair despite the potential nastiness of the story, and it’s
perhaps just as well that it remains the only version of this particular
Ranpo novel given how explicit a treatment it might have been given in more
recent years. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfxQxWr3cC9jPAMb7LmyLsZ23yIsydmPyytNACNWSJpMa_CwTQJBco2BM7dA59GTyllTCOp6Ht7TmicUsfX1k0rVNA0IZr2upQBvh92OUBzZ0kjuOoloOns2ee5wD-xBZfhn6JFdOfsAruuSWPQBMJWqx4hGCT6exqnRDuMWa9u-OlhbGOEFhwFPHf1qt/s768/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h14m51s443.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfxQxWr3cC9jPAMb7LmyLsZ23yIsydmPyytNACNWSJpMa_CwTQJBco2BM7dA59GTyllTCOp6Ht7TmicUsfX1k0rVNA0IZr2upQBvh92OUBzZ0kjuOoloOns2ee5wD-xBZfhn6JFdOfsAruuSWPQBMJWqx4hGCT6exqnRDuMWa9u-OlhbGOEFhwFPHf1qt/w461-h346/vlcsnap-2023-11-27-15h14m51s443.png" width="461" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joji Oka<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Susumu Fujita had
played Akechi before in a 1948 film, <i>Issunboshi</i>
(now lost), but mostly phones it in here. Much better value is Joji Oka, who
attacks his role with a gusto appropriately reminiscent of Lionel Atwill.
Intriguingly, Oka had played Ranpo’s detective himself in a 1950 film entitled <i>Tsurara no bijo</i>, which received a
limited Japanese DVD release in 2016 courtesy of collectors’ magazine publisher
DeAgostini.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Watched without subtitles. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><br /></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-63616253217376367312023-11-23T10:50:00.000-08:002023-11-23T10:54:05.190-08:00Portrait of Chieko / 智恵子抄 / Chieko-sho (1967) <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #88</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8yGom03KYEvKW6wUmTA5q2KhpECkW5KyWOlFWtlaZcTB2hpFfvhAIQE2QK2ZTsR6gBS3EKFOc7MiYk0kclad7PbfnmnzYVubg_cJhK6WhRTzbjAP5DrxhIk2w5ZnYiaQQpILLEsQ5w6y7EhFXZrxZy8ZJQuuLXNm_Lr_gqrtxRaWVyKOhFMCdFr-Cf0y/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-16h07m41s187.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8yGom03KYEvKW6wUmTA5q2KhpECkW5KyWOlFWtlaZcTB2hpFfvhAIQE2QK2ZTsR6gBS3EKFOc7MiYk0kclad7PbfnmnzYVubg_cJhK6WhRTzbjAP5DrxhIk2w5ZnYiaQQpILLEsQ5w6y7EhFXZrxZy8ZJQuuLXNm_Lr_gqrtxRaWVyKOhFMCdFr-Cf0y/w519-h221/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-16h07m41s187.png" width="519" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shima Iwashita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Shochiku production was based on a 1941
poetry collection of the same name by Kotaro Takamura (1883-1956) together with
a 1957 novel entitled <i>Shosetsu Chieko-sho</i>
by Haruo Sato, which were themselves based on the true story of Takamura’s
wife, Chieko (1886-1938), a painter and feminist. The story begins in 1911, a
time when it was fashionable among the upper-middle class of Japan to cultivate
an interest in Western art. Painter and sculptor Kotaro Takamura (Tetsuro
Tanba) has recently returned from studying in Paris when he agrees to take on a
disciple, Chieko (Shima Iwashita). The two gradually fall in love and get
married. Although both are from fairly wealthy families, their chosen
occupation of art means they often struggle to get by. Nevertheless, for the
following 20 years they are mostly happy and their love remains undiminished.
Then an unexpected tragedy occurs, causing Chieko to receive a severe shock, in
the wake of which she begins to act strangely. It soon becomes apparent that
she is suffering from the onset of mental illness…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSil46vj_Nl3uUPhPi0DlparKWg6tsHuTx6VbmhwGggWTgrUhbw_PEdCMP_ApBlf-HgL1dWZbkq7LMzkVkmmImEOuC6RzFQ60b3DsEboTfA4dr0RLGDDfB06gqhpQb1xDHDofEq4pG7DFUOFKPDWq5Q45T9x-3AmoL6guylRFRGmHmiRLTqBoPJQxpG8g/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-18h01m59s074.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSil46vj_Nl3uUPhPi0DlparKWg6tsHuTx6VbmhwGggWTgrUhbw_PEdCMP_ApBlf-HgL1dWZbkq7LMzkVkmmImEOuC6RzFQ60b3DsEboTfA4dr0RLGDDfB06gqhpQb1xDHDofEq4pG7DFUOFKPDWq5Q45T9x-3AmoL6guylRFRGmHmiRLTqBoPJQxpG8g/w488-h208/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-18h01m59s074.png" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shima Iwashita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">By 1967, sentimental love stories of this sort were becoming a rarity in Japanese cinemas flooded with yakuza flicks and monster movies, but Shochiku must have felt confident enough in the popularity of this particular story to give it the green light – an earlier film had been made in 1957 starring Setsuko Hara and So Yamamura, while there had also been a TV series, a radio drama, a number of popular songs
and various books and stage plays based on the lives of Kotaro and Chieko.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfYartybJOmsss1XTcRg4pu_05pHmN3XwfCXhBbTV-fjGa0SQSSG6Q3lA7W0tcEmyIIoBGD1cpcyujDdZ9EL6Ahec8RPpZsPFldos6MY-HSxuTRcxYkFlr6LZbPdrPbJJEcNz7b73uCDNY5nf8WheBZ7YGdJs0B2UtzhT935q3xflR2h2ySW6Q3bWaany/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-17h29m35s366.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfYartybJOmsss1XTcRg4pu_05pHmN3XwfCXhBbTV-fjGa0SQSSG6Q3lA7W0tcEmyIIoBGD1cpcyujDdZ9EL6Ahec8RPpZsPFldos6MY-HSxuTRcxYkFlr6LZbPdrPbJJEcNz7b73uCDNY5nf8WheBZ7YGdJs0B2UtzhT935q3xflR2h2ySW6Q3bWaany/w492-h209/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-17h29m35s366.png" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tetsuro Tanba<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">I found the first hour
of the film to be a rather bland, picture-postcard type of love story briefly
enlivened by a moment of unintentional humour when an overly-earnest young
artist slashes a painting to ribbons in a gallery, then jumps out the window <i>Father Ted</i>-style. However, it’s mostly a
matter of watching Kotaro and Chieko being very happy together, which – let’s
face it – is seldom the sort of thing to make for interesting viewing, so things
improve dramatically (in both senses of the word) once events take a tragic
turn. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWzFwnd3rl4iLXX5LfwjL4vP9JyveJsf77d_RjqUcPDSkqnkBH4mUB4zPZ4BU1oAgfEy8LsgUekJqaKdecPF6o_Yyr0GqDsSHrkAs9s_BEthvfhexaDBI7DkFRJM7D6OXbIxNU2_02JFtLZf2BzR6JgOdvsn9CsiKQGUvb__uyn7rGL0HVON77NQ7DBqd/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-17h46m06s875.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWzFwnd3rl4iLXX5LfwjL4vP9JyveJsf77d_RjqUcPDSkqnkBH4mUB4zPZ4BU1oAgfEy8LsgUekJqaKdecPF6o_Yyr0GqDsSHrkAs9s_BEthvfhexaDBI7DkFRJM7D6OXbIxNU2_02JFtLZf2BzR6JgOdvsn9CsiKQGUvb__uyn7rGL0HVON77NQ7DBqd/w489-h208/vlcsnap-2023-11-22-17h46m06s875.png" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shima Iwashita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The film’s greatest
strength is the performances of Tetsuro Tanba and Shima Iwashita, who are both perfect
in their roles, with Iwashita deservedly winning a couple of awards for her highly
convincing performance in a challenging part, while Tanba is equally good in
his less showy role. Although better known for her collaborations with her director husband, Masahiro Shinoda, this was actually one of ten films that Iwashita made for
director Noboru Nakamura. The only other one of these I’ve seen is <i>Koto</i> (1963), a superior film to this one
(in my opinion). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg247dYYWYdOFOB8tnLOejkGeUQXf0MWPMFquLD75uUd77saKGYFYGx0vnQDCk578nYe9ii8h5U_Cu3PYGET0YLJrwv-6P3_oTvIK5KzY1BC3Iz5_u3CB3iKf__1J1sqr7In6z3E3RXcK3BvgiOrtRyodJ4QSlgYSJ38aCg1T2JGJWbLsiitv_UtzXZah1Y/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-11-23-11h37m12s162.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1920" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg247dYYWYdOFOB8tnLOejkGeUQXf0MWPMFquLD75uUd77saKGYFYGx0vnQDCk578nYe9ii8h5U_Cu3PYGET0YLJrwv-6P3_oTvIK5KzY1BC3Iz5_u3CB3iKf__1J1sqr7In6z3E3RXcK3BvgiOrtRyodJ4QSlgYSJ38aCg1T2JGJWbLsiitv_UtzXZah1Y/w491-h208/vlcsnap-2023-11-23-11h37m12s162.png" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shima Iwashita<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Portrait
of Chieko</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> was Japan’s entry for the year’s Best International
Feature Film Oscar, but lost out to Jiri Menzel’s <i>Closely Observed Trains</i>. It’s hard to argue with the Academy’s
choice because, although I found it on the whole to be a well-made and moving film,
with decent music by Masaru Sato and cinematography by Hiroshi Takemura, in<span> </span>my view it’s too calculated in its
sentimentality to be a great film. The character of Taro ‘the Howling Dog’
(Tetsuo Ishidate), the village idiot constantly banging a tin in an attempt to
summon his lost love, I could especially have lived without; the true story of
Kotaro and Chieko is already more than sufficiently sad to satisfy the demands
of the most avid tearjerker fan without resorting to such a crude device. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Thanks to rarefilmm for making this available <a href="http://rarefilmm.com/2023/11/chieko-sho-1967/" target="_blank">here.</a><br /></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-81675125792813095172023-11-17T03:55:00.000-08:002023-11-17T03:55:42.912-08:00Suzakumon / 朱雀門 (aka The Love of a Princess, 1957)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #87</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmycTdyxyKAY8Vuuu7o7d2FHbtMSicWV31PBujqqFLujDELHKvoFVafd8AYO8FN72HpdDXTX_0zDcybdB0ahpjV17RpG55NfxPC3jqpKwz_xYP0NJb4bk3mD5idbXfr3389qUBKYVhbzkscy-0ofLwPNvJwxOROxTdXFpCsiV2CZd3mfEE0_u52gWRIyqB/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-17h49m54s360.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmycTdyxyKAY8Vuuu7o7d2FHbtMSicWV31PBujqqFLujDELHKvoFVafd8AYO8FN72HpdDXTX_0zDcybdB0ahpjV17RpG55NfxPC3jqpKwz_xYP0NJb4bk3mD5idbXfr3389qUBKYVhbzkscy-0ofLwPNvJwxOROxTdXFpCsiV2CZd3mfEE0_u52gWRIyqB/w472-h354/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-17h49m54s360.png" width="472" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayako Wakao<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">1858. Princess Kazu no
Miya (Ayako Wakao), the sister of the Emperor, has been engaged to Prince
Arisugawa (Raizo Ichikawa) since childhood. Her maid, Yuhide (Fujiko Yamamoto),
is more like a best friend than a servant, and it’s assumed that she will
become the Prince’s concubine if the Princess fails to produce a male heir. Although
the two women seem to have little problem with this, the Prince disagrees with
the practice. However, it turns out to be irrelevant as their plans go awry in
the wake of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United
States. As this action was undertaken by the Tokugawa Shogunate without the
Emperor’s blessing, relations between the Shogunate and the Imperial Palace
take a turn for the worse. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG53KtoXnM8mJfMZP0tpm679BIS34WPrbhWZ9FViP9X8hkE23LCjruy_isX9VnaTaNgEKzq4ezAMz0FzN5WjK8JKbE_rd78OeDx9-EmMhJt4g7bE_Xi4OhzDfX0fvLMElnxVA9othgYc2dz3L_G9e5hoIUTXGlsEqhehIRTavEbS8Px83LRkgfTQTQKsDR/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-15h55m34s417.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG53KtoXnM8mJfMZP0tpm679BIS34WPrbhWZ9FViP9X8hkE23LCjruy_isX9VnaTaNgEKzq4ezAMz0FzN5WjK8JKbE_rd78OeDx9-EmMhJt4g7bE_Xi4OhzDfX0fvLMElnxVA9othgYc2dz3L_G9e5hoIUTXGlsEqhehIRTavEbS8Px83LRkgfTQTQKsDR/w477-h358/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-15h55m34s417.png" width="477" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eijiro Tono<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yuhide’s father, Tomofusa (Eijiro Tono), spots an
opportunity to improve his own position by putting forward a scheme to politician
Tomomi Iwakura (Eitaro Ozawa) and daimyo Tadaaki Sakai (Masao Mishima) to
arrange a marriage between the Princess and the new shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa
(Yoichi Funaki), in order to cement ties between the shogunate and the palace.
The Princess finds herself under pressure to break her engagement; aided by
Yuhide, she attempts to flee, but this is anticipated by Tomofusa and the plan
fails. Meanwhile, Yuhide is dealing with her own feelings for the Prince as
well as suspicions about her own parentage when Tomofusa puts her life in
danger but she is protected by a mysterious wandering monk (Eijiro Yanagai)… </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WIrfZmPVRJfc0G4D1wrtsB2BP_uCPsjVp1eV42IgsGGapUm5pO6nQhJ_XO8tzf47cLPnnLr5J44AuTungsQub2wnJ2GBIHGisnx6ic_N1sZdJVIimn8zYQD98Gn0bC4h1nw5xe6zMRYx3d1CtKosiqrgVnTqv7J8EjRfXWbmFg81NL8h7eLhuN58gNLI/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h00m33s566.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WIrfZmPVRJfc0G4D1wrtsB2BP_uCPsjVp1eV42IgsGGapUm5pO6nQhJ_XO8tzf47cLPnnLr5J44AuTungsQub2wnJ2GBIHGisnx6ic_N1sZdJVIimn8zYQD98Gn0bC4h1nw5xe6zMRYx3d1CtKosiqrgVnTqv7J8EjRfXWbmFg81NL8h7eLhuN58gNLI/w470-h352/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h00m33s566.png" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fujiko Yamamoto<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Produced at their Kyoto
studios, this Daiei production was based on a 1953 novel entitled <i>Kojo Kazu no Miya</i> (literally ‘Imperial Princess
Kazu of the Palace’)</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">by
Matsutaro Kawaguchi (father of actor Hiroshi Kawaguchi), who also happened to
be head of production at Daiei. Although most of the characters are real
historical figures, Yuhide, Tomofusa and the monk seem to be fictional
inventions. The real Princess Kazu no Miya (1846-77) was only 12 in 1858, when
this story begins, although that’s not apparent here, nor is the fact that the
real events covered took place over a period of nearly 20 years. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjiDj0DbNs922_kNqtzySox-cW0tuPv1Cw8cZ5-5oauEdymNx-LGI8GJL0Xiumx6KBNqrRBuKnU28aNoVmKP8EbCSbPmybqvcbyzqbfrB0yoGEjKz7KXLSQQ8a3Euv9NslD1hQ94obemnOjvskUqirJTe8o4hAExVa555SH6dLI3IzYZMwdQUhCVOPNnK/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h58m52s690.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjiDj0DbNs922_kNqtzySox-cW0tuPv1Cw8cZ5-5oauEdymNx-LGI8GJL0Xiumx6KBNqrRBuKnU28aNoVmKP8EbCSbPmybqvcbyzqbfrB0yoGEjKz7KXLSQQ8a3Euv9NslD1hQ94obemnOjvskUqirJTe8o4hAExVa555SH6dLI3IzYZMwdQUhCVOPNnK/w473-h355/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h58m52s690.png" width="473" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayako Wakao<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ayako Wakao is
associated with contemporary roles to such an extent that it seems a little
strange to see her in period costume, although it’s by no means the only
occasion she appeared in a historical drama. This must also be the wimpiest
role she ever played; as portrayed in <i>Suzakumon</i>,
Kazu no Miya is a fragile and tragic victim of events, rather than a
protagonist who instigates any of the action. Wakao is fine as always, but it’s
hard to believe this is the same actress who played the tough prostitute out
for revenge in <i>Irezumi </i>(1966). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJDSMdm9r6QPLhdmIKD4VMUAbmxhIs1SnGDQLEIhWKQ6Mlqui4kuuEV4O58ml9dKG-Ouzowdc9_uR_0Kn5bvg1m8Da_4SwSJiyKEcmykckgY0oeB7EVMYz80upuXLFV53bCawFHclfktblj7oSulYBZQP3awJZ7Yxzzv1Mog94artOz44ny4L7P8D-wE2/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-18h03m18s103.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJDSMdm9r6QPLhdmIKD4VMUAbmxhIs1SnGDQLEIhWKQ6Mlqui4kuuEV4O58ml9dKG-Ouzowdc9_uR_0Kn5bvg1m8Da_4SwSJiyKEcmykckgY0oeB7EVMYz80upuXLFV53bCawFHclfktblj7oSulYBZQP3awJZ7Yxzzv1Mog94artOz44ny4L7P8D-wE2/w479-h361/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-18h03m18s103.png" width="479" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raizo Ichikawa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Director Kazuo Mori
(1911-89) was a competent but not especially distinguished filmmaker who had
worked as an assistant to Daisuke Ito and later directed episodes in the <i>Shinobi no mono</i> and <i>Zatoichi</i> series as well as the previously-reviewed <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-saga-of-tanegashima-teppo-denraiki.html" target="_blank">The Saga of Tanegashima</a></i>, also featuring
Ayako Wakao (in fact, he directed Wakao nine times). I found Ichiro Saito’s
score quite beautiful and atmospheric at first, but unfortunately it is
overused here and becomes repetitive and sometimes cloying.<span> </span>It’s visually that this film stands out the
most, and it’s no surprise that the colour cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa (a
favourite of Mizoguchi and Kurosawa) won a couple of awards, although I thought
that the colour timing in the copy I saw could be improved. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFS0GWZpuly3ThERfy0pr5CeBhXKsJoqJFlet0HFaxzFlXfbWcy619AMuNEv_Cs7kXuY1dhAUDLmpKyD8AVTulYRodyOAMOVWElXkdQRnl8it1ejWwYgHO3d_KdFBasOhLOUNQQYY_pJ5qu5HIZLo_Z43MFrAQ-PAqrGQnX4d1mZol-gaDcYUkEAOfQ8j/s720/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h41m02s240.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFS0GWZpuly3ThERfy0pr5CeBhXKsJoqJFlet0HFaxzFlXfbWcy619AMuNEv_Cs7kXuY1dhAUDLmpKyD8AVTulYRodyOAMOVWElXkdQRnl8it1ejWwYgHO3d_KdFBasOhLOUNQQYY_pJ5qu5HIZLo_Z43MFrAQ-PAqrGQnX4d1mZol-gaDcYUkEAOfQ8j/w480-h360/vlcsnap-2023-11-15-16h41m02s240.png" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Eitaro Ozawa, Eijiro Tono and Masao Mishima<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Suzakumon</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">
probably seemed quite old-fashioned and sentimental even in 1957 (the year of Masaki
Kobayashi’s <i>Black River</i> and Yasuzo
Masumura’s debut, <i>Kisses</i>) and there’s
little in the way of action. However, it has enough good qualities to make it
worth seeing for fans of Japanese period dramas, including alongside its star
trio a strong supporting cast featuring Eijiro Tono, Eitaro Ozawa and Masao
Mishima, three stalwarts from Haiyuza, the theatre company and acting school
which also produced Tatsuya Nakadai; Tono has the juiciest role of the three
here and certainly makes the most of it. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3qm-XB-_oV8Po1aefKTuni2PQojjGclECNiu-oVIP4u3fCslIzP_KnoniKl2cm5X83M67hwq1rU67huMRzaR12-LjHbz4-Kew_emq4gvJb-HUBNmiqMURxGDwaGQzeuONA7jEbzjHGyOMJCJbhVaR7xxWobyU_ZOTBxuNNI_uxtVMWw4ecFIB45TpN5K/s297/vm123345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="211" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3qm-XB-_oV8Po1aefKTuni2PQojjGclECNiu-oVIP4u3fCslIzP_KnoniKl2cm5X83M67hwq1rU67huMRzaR12-LjHbz4-Kew_emq4gvJb-HUBNmiqMURxGDwaGQzeuONA7jEbzjHGyOMJCJbhVaR7xxWobyU_ZOTBxuNNI_uxtVMWw4ecFIB45TpN5K/w353-h497/vm123345.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Note
on the title:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
unclear why the title of the novel was not used but, according to Wikipedia, </span><span style="font-family: times;">“The Suzakumon was the main gate built in the center of the south end of the imperial palaces in the Japanese ancient capitals of Fujiwara-kyō, Heijō-kyō, and later Heian-kyō. The placement followed the ancient Chinese palace model requirements at the time, where Suzaku, the Vermilion Bird was the Guardian of the South. It was said to be the site where foreign dignitaries were received by the Emperor.”</span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-48787221351298775602023-11-12T07:37:00.000-08:002023-11-12T07:37:44.668-08:00The Beauty and the Water Dragon / 美女と怪龍 / Bijo to umi ryu (1955)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #86</span></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUd2vQpVCha2WqdoPXot6M0uckaIAelakLd2nniNM3b6g1hrWvCBAuqb7lUEac4znFAHx_S6ONa8V4q1VYCP-EMFN1gIdriLybgdtLGjF5j3yAGIIbG-7BdZeNtd5k16aRNzXZECSoZ9JtNay_qwmSoM4LJDfgfDcpK9tJBrjfgQq2e43OBKF__S9_neL/s716/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-16h46m38s770.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="716" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUd2vQpVCha2WqdoPXot6M0uckaIAelakLd2nniNM3b6g1hrWvCBAuqb7lUEac4znFAHx_S6ONa8V4q1VYCP-EMFN1gIdriLybgdtLGjF5j3yAGIIbG-7BdZeNtd5k16aRNzXZECSoZ9JtNay_qwmSoM4LJDfgfDcpK9tJBrjfgQq2e43OBKF__S9_neL/w468-h352/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-16h46m38s770.png" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobuko Otowa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="ipc-metadata-list-itemlist-content-item"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Toei production filmed at their Kyoto studios is an
adaptation of a kabuki play dating back to 1684 entitled <i>Narukami</i> after one of its main characters, a monk (here played by</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> Chojuro Kawarasaki) who
has been promised a new temple by the local lord for supposedly changing the
sex of the lord’s heir from female to male by means of prayer while the child
was still in the womb. However, Prince Hayakumo (Kunitaro Kawarasaki) suspects
Narukami of being a Tartuffe-like charlatan and fears that providing a new
temple for him will anger a group of monks from a different sect, so he cancels
the project. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0y4PKcxfXBrGPW_cqhVxA5jgogFsRC1lY6Vet6OaETS_GrFCO3KkbrBivgCGcGareeHGZwHFwXnYP1w6P7qG2PuXAO2tYL1MfuENGMuv0BCJqz4AzgLnrO8IS_uU5BxrRFGPUWGCTY_BwhEv76OLZAlTboRDGQtH6blGWbsjHNXZzmvsZa1Qke0Oy3Wo/s716/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h08m59s516.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="716" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0y4PKcxfXBrGPW_cqhVxA5jgogFsRC1lY6Vet6OaETS_GrFCO3KkbrBivgCGcGareeHGZwHFwXnYP1w6P7qG2PuXAO2tYL1MfuENGMuv0BCJqz4AzgLnrO8IS_uU5BxrRFGPUWGCTY_BwhEv76OLZAlTboRDGQtH6blGWbsjHNXZzmvsZa1Qke0Oy3Wo/w460-h347/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h08m59s516.png" width="460" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Hayakumo (Hayakumo = fast spider, hence the cool kimono)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In revenge, Narukami creates a drought by imprisoning the dragon
god in a waterfall. After 100 days without rain, the crops have failed and the
peasants are revolting, so something must be done. It is said that the reading
of a certain scroll will break Narukami’s spell, but the only person who might
be able to decipher the ancient characters is Lady Taema (Nobuko Otowa).
Although in reality she also has no clue how to read it, Taema keeps this to
herself and decides to use her womanly charms against the celibate priest
instead… </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq6FwGpoZCzqYTR4rr9lzzHLbWc4tOO93N9yNuU2jtg1ufDFYKWPe8OBgQHf-Zex0YkkIeDAGkZN4Yyl_5WvoII9meSlgzGxAKpKgnX7OrwpPXYc2qyBufMDP2HydAhnnehsLx6FRW87txp-nKMHPunbrsjOrtPoojH2UVH9xkqpn2zRqzTnfZhghg9D2/s716/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h09m50s539.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="716" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq6FwGpoZCzqYTR4rr9lzzHLbWc4tOO93N9yNuU2jtg1ufDFYKWPe8OBgQHf-Zex0YkkIeDAGkZN4Yyl_5WvoII9meSlgzGxAKpKgnX7OrwpPXYc2qyBufMDP2HydAhnnehsLx6FRW87txp-nKMHPunbrsjOrtPoojH2UVH9xkqpn2zRqzTnfZhghg9D2/w450-h338/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h09m50s539.png" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chojuro Kawarasaki flanked by Shinosuke Ichikawa and Taiji Tonoyama<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kozaburo Yoshimura’s film was made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Zenshinza, a Tokyo-based kabuki troupe, and many Zenshinza actors are featured among the cast, including Chojuro Kawarasaki as Narukami. However, this was not the first time Zenshinza had been involved in a film project (the 1937 picture <i>Humanity and Paper Balloons</i> being another example), and not all of the actors featured here were members of the troupe. The most familiar faces to film fans will probably be Nobuko Otowa and Taiji Tonoyama, both favourites of filmmaker Kaneto Shindo, who wrote the witty screenplay for this adaptation. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZbZ2WAB-aioXUkcg7DKsjomDX6UwTOyCFJtWt5V3k8SK6Fl-4eaEfKzU1pcSykfe94NMbh1_nlpLZlkh8MU7ZuNdNa6z5jOmVnKtxkcuzX6jHlSHM0AkHgPLOQ7k7N1vx9wBNRKeUb91aITgn2LPUwO-e3D0iqN-9u_nf1HqNRpYE1xQsx8KQfq8p_jU/s716/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-16h10m54s314.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="716" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZbZ2WAB-aioXUkcg7DKsjomDX6UwTOyCFJtWt5V3k8SK6Fl-4eaEfKzU1pcSykfe94NMbh1_nlpLZlkh8MU7ZuNdNa6z5jOmVnKtxkcuzX6jHlSHM0AkHgPLOQ7k7N1vx9wBNRKeUb91aITgn2LPUwO-e3D0iqN-9u_nf1HqNRpYE1xQsx8KQfq8p_jU/w457-h344/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-16h10m54s314.png" width="457" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinosuke Ichikawa (left) and Taiji Tonoyama (right)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tonoyama and Shinosuke Ichikawa (in his only film role; presumably a member of Zenshinza) are great fun as Hakkun and Kokkun, bickering apprentice monks/servants to Narukami who are more interested in alcohol, women and forbidden snack foods than spiritual training. This is purely speculative, but I wonder whether they might have inspired Kurosawa to create the two squabbling peasants played by Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara in <i>The Hidden Fortress </i>(1958), which later famously inspired George Lucas to create C-3PO and R2-D2 in <i>Star Wars</i>. We’ll probably never know, but the date fits and it’s highly likely that Kurosawa would have seen <i>The Beauty and the Water Dragon</i>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-siQenajLrJnDatbG8FshVX_y7qaeEBeAeG9AoSbQ45zI40Ut2coCq1zlAkLGHdj4M1KZwYD_FHs-ekSxQMBhVHnkE7__vaYyB0tPQFGVuD6YEOuM95eHp8E5UITi0xn68ScZoQ4hmjTz_Zadp6902ELIOHxyMMfiAyaHlhy3pN0hT2Pxc3P8FwDsDjW/s716/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h23m57s559.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="716" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-siQenajLrJnDatbG8FshVX_y7qaeEBeAeG9AoSbQ45zI40Ut2coCq1zlAkLGHdj4M1KZwYD_FHs-ekSxQMBhVHnkE7__vaYyB0tPQFGVuD6YEOuM95eHp8E5UITi0xn68ScZoQ4hmjTz_Zadp6902ELIOHxyMMfiAyaHlhy3pN0hT2Pxc3P8FwDsDjW/w437-h329/vlcsnap-2023-11-11-15h23m57s559.png" width="437" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nobuko Otowa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Considering its basis in one of the canonical kabuki plays and the fact that a kabuki company was heavily involved in the production, it’s somewhat surprising that director Kozaburo Yoshimura’s film is not in the least precious, even at one point featuring a clearly anachronistic dance which looks like something you might see in a 1950s nightclub, but probably not in the Heian era, during which this story is set. However, it’s worth noting that Zenshinza were one of the more progressive kabuki troupes at the time, featuring as they did a number of female performers when the majority of such theatre companies still used only male actors even in the female roles. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyANzS6KozC5RI4m0R4SfLZpW_iaBy8IWjTM0cNMsyrU9IZ3RUf2Q30Pk4THAs76h9A2WnDbapPNjBMW_YeYyu9zPfBQw2fIDtP7al-7ifEJDtmh6ndGHdLHFcFiAroT3FvfuZBezVFPaUunN52hsIebG3CfLRkk9k0rOOlGOjDur-5Ae8RVmVMD1Tfc_/s370/DSTD03586-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="258" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyANzS6KozC5RI4m0R4SfLZpW_iaBy8IWjTM0cNMsyrU9IZ3RUf2Q30Pk4THAs76h9A2WnDbapPNjBMW_YeYyu9zPfBQw2fIDtP7al-7ifEJDtmh6ndGHdLHFcFiAroT3FvfuZBezVFPaUunN52hsIebG3CfLRkk9k0rOOlGOjDur-5Ae8RVmVMD1Tfc_/w350-h502/DSTD03586-d.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The film is bookended by scenes of the play being performed in traditional style in a theatre, but the bulk of the film abandons the kabuki style and features more naturalistic acting. In Yoshimura’s version, <i>The Beauty and the Water Dragon</i> is very much a comedy, and I would assume that it was traditionally played straighter than it is here. In any case, of the 10 Yoshimura films I’ve seen so far, this is my joint favourite alongside his 1951 version of <i>The Tale of Genji</i>, and in my opinion it’s a very fine film quite unlike anything else I’ve seen. Special mention should be made of the beautiful cinematography by Yoshio Miyajima, who later became Masaki Kobayashi’s right-hand man. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Note about the title:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The complete title is 歌舞伎十八番「鳴神」美女と海龍 / <i>Kabuki juhachiban ‘Narukami’ Bijo to umi ryu</i>, which translates as <i>Kabuki 18 "Narukami": The Beauty and the Water Dragon </i>(the ‘18’ refers to the fact that <i>Narukami</i> is one of the 18 kabuki plays selected by top kabuki actor Danjuro Ichikawa VII [1791-1859] as having special merit).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-45101155996854539192023-11-05T07:26:00.000-08:002023-11-05T07:26:00.748-08:00Doro inu / どろ犬 (aka 'The Desperate', 1964)<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #85</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl3wU9K80Iq_uXxRLFEFBcXKWvUDj9tXkpJUqVLK79VC5Y7sVR3P6cxJX0P4Tn7_uiZj0kXrNibPlNtedmJesh_IAtjrC_IAN7E6SU6wOcGoZIFEH2iWVl2BR2UFy_GRbBonqpe8rsyG6iQ0dFs9gy0vW0foArQIdKV7-Lb8XMvf6QuwpNGVsHN6oLR-q/s1024/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h15m46s151.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl3wU9K80Iq_uXxRLFEFBcXKWvUDj9tXkpJUqVLK79VC5Y7sVR3P6cxJX0P4Tn7_uiZj0kXrNibPlNtedmJesh_IAtjrC_IAN7E6SU6wOcGoZIFEH2iWVl2BR2UFy_GRbBonqpe8rsyG6iQ0dFs9gy0vW0foArQIdKV7-Lb8XMvf6QuwpNGVsHN6oLR-q/w523-h221/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h15m46s151.png" width="523" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minoru Oki<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Toei production
stars Minoru Oki (perhaps best known as the main cop in the 1958 classic <i>Stakeout</i>) in another rare leading role
as Cho, a respected senior detective with 20 years’ service under his belt. He
seems himself as a good guy and hates criminals with a passion, but he also secretly
keeps a mistress, Chiyo (Chisako Hara), who is the wife of a yakuza currently
spending time behind bars. Unfortunately for him, a slimy blackmailer,
Yamaguchi (Ko Nishimura, who else?), finds out about this relationship and uses
the information to compromise Cho. Things are further complicated by an
unlikely friendship that develops between Chiyo and Yamaguchi’s brother (Kunie
Tanaka), who has learning difficulties, and by Cho’s colleague, Detective
Tokumochi (Hisashi Igawa), who has known Yamaguchi since they were children. As
Cho struggles to keep both his reputation and self-respect intact, he finds
himself increasingly on the wrong side of the law he has sworn to uphold…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeknIrHbqaZdvt_M2FVnU0OgNV7-BUAIYq0wsQJIZEuGIp_FWM__swiAIuaq0oggjdXdQvYFHJhNKZa0zAnKr3zPw1wwSRvWROkyQpVQM-TpZTgya_wqkJW0VEtZg9nDvhnT6fzxXY4ihWpGYQW-J98OMwhTMhrDRTmUTgMSO0Eff7uIhdKih21RRAxUG/s1024/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-12h52m15s240.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeknIrHbqaZdvt_M2FVnU0OgNV7-BUAIYq0wsQJIZEuGIp_FWM__swiAIuaq0oggjdXdQvYFHJhNKZa0zAnKr3zPw1wwSRvWROkyQpVQM-TpZTgya_wqkJW0VEtZg9nDvhnT6fzxXY4ihWpGYQW-J98OMwhTMhrDRTmUTgMSO0Eff7uIhdKih21RRAxUG/w525-h222/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-12h52m15s240.png" width="525" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ko Nishimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Based on a 1963 novel
by Shoji Yuki entitled <i>Yoru no owaru toki</i>
(‘When the Night Ends’), this obscure noir is a real find. The dark, shadowy
cinematography of Masahiko Iimura suggests a world of perpetual night, Masaru
Sato provides an excellent modernist score, and there’s a typically memorable
performance by the great Ko Nishimura, probably the closest thing the Japanese
cinema had to Peter Lorre. He must have been a dedicated actor, too, as in one
scene he allows himself to be literally thrown around a room for several
minutes – without the aid of a stunt double – by Minoru Oki, perhaps as
punishment for stealing the movie. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2oMkxY2mMLu9uyk898t_mOLv9d9uvsyvCS0ttW6nN2MaPPnvhBqi8V3Z3c8qFaE7N4p3RrdEizhpHr_lkiKal6iKY33rFRENv51C2NSasdfOn_8_8asP8JtxL_h_alZLONe0T5gR7-yaYZQ3mk8lg9qdATy_g2N18ZdxNWSbHRowEr5XKprYx221mLn7/s1024/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h11m10s739.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2oMkxY2mMLu9uyk898t_mOLv9d9uvsyvCS0ttW6nN2MaPPnvhBqi8V3Z3c8qFaE7N4p3RrdEizhpHr_lkiKal6iKY33rFRENv51C2NSasdfOn_8_8asP8JtxL_h_alZLONe0T5gR7-yaYZQ3mk8lg9qdATy_g2N18ZdxNWSbHRowEr5XKprYx221mLn7/w539-h228/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h11m10s739.png" width="539" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kunie Tanaka and Chisako Hara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Saeki (1927-2018), who had worked as an assistant to Tomotoka Tasaka, handles
all aspects with admirable skill, so why, you may ask, did he not make another
feature film for 20 years? It turns out that shortly after completing this
picture, he led a demonstration outside the home of Toei president Hiroshi
Okawa, who promptly had him exiled to their TV production arm. In 1984, he
finally got a chance to make one more film; entitled <i>A Train Ran on the Plateau</i>, it has long since fallen into obscurity. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CQa2qqCfzSoS8huPp7S1xlWf5t7JVrsl4YwEByAmgH5dkXrnXH5rRVWGSUXLzGYwH-8pWwz5JulXpuzBTCT6f1Hw9Pwn25jkk3tF2m3BbSiTNbG3zwa-42tRgyDQsTR_7Pjhe_sgiV95jyY3I7c1JAQ8SjEdcurEMwnTvmsi76UR887CSXn75qBJf-xK/s1024/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h21m16s857.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9CQa2qqCfzSoS8huPp7S1xlWf5t7JVrsl4YwEByAmgH5dkXrnXH5rRVWGSUXLzGYwH-8pWwz5JulXpuzBTCT6f1Hw9Pwn25jkk3tF2m3BbSiTNbG3zwa-42tRgyDQsTR_7Pjhe_sgiV95jyY3I7c1JAQ8SjEdcurEMwnTvmsi76UR887CSXn75qBJf-xK/w520-h220/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h21m16s857.png" width="520" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hisashi Igawa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Japanese title translates
uneasily to English. ‘Inu’ means ‘dog’, but ‘doro’ can mean ‘mud’ or ‘thief’,
so it’s unclear which meaning is intended, which is perhaps why the subtitler
of the print I saw has christened the film ‘The Desperate.’ Kudos to them,
anyway, as they have done a fine job. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKdfMA5md_1aL9YB4OLslGSCN2D3PaIaC3ISWmYJv7Es-VvwThdIH13E-BwGufOoLczRPKy4uMLeQS51Lq_TURq_zro3M2-YOszUmpU9WKweZTSF-KKcUR1BQiCxKnjwL0SBHZRlhks0ojs6lSsVTQ9kWd5NdESdG14XuAbUA_tcY7Svx8kMHODwl9bo4/s1024/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h47m20s357.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKdfMA5md_1aL9YB4OLslGSCN2D3PaIaC3ISWmYJv7Es-VvwThdIH13E-BwGufOoLczRPKy4uMLeQS51Lq_TURq_zro3M2-YOszUmpU9WKweZTSF-KKcUR1BQiCxKnjwL0SBHZRlhks0ojs6lSsVTQ9kWd5NdESdG14XuAbUA_tcY7Svx8kMHODwl9bo4/w526-h221/vlcsnap-2023-11-03-13h47m20s357.png" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ko Nishimura<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-84584383090883382982023-10-31T04:08:00.001-07:002023-10-31T04:19:42.349-07:00The Military Policeman and the Ghost / 憲兵と幽霊 / Kenpei to yurei (1958)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #84</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz37ZZ4Gk3QKmk-ZcbCDG60usLA8Qd8OXxSfX72PSt6WM9-Qxa81NkMAzm0zcmZwAcKf6YG4HPRL36s41l0bxWaWYQtKahASvey3r0eAbIr08vkoMEHb_-W9RbvHQxCtj3Strw3uxQUTmNkw8TzPYhUMbHZhgBOml6N4zVEYF6gZAJ-A2P61vzdhZHlng/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h29m00s473.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz37ZZ4Gk3QKmk-ZcbCDG60usLA8Qd8OXxSfX72PSt6WM9-Qxa81NkMAzm0zcmZwAcKf6YG4HPRL36s41l0bxWaWYQtKahASvey3r0eAbIr08vkoMEHb_-W9RbvHQxCtj3Strw3uxQUTmNkw8TzPYhUMbHZhgBOml6N4zVEYF6gZAJ-A2P61vzdhZHlng/w510-h217/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h29m00s473.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shigeru Amachi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">1941: Military policeman</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Lt
Namishima (Shigeru Amachi) is extremely miffed when Akiko (Nahoko Kubo), the
woman he fancies, marries Corporal Tazawa (Shoji Nakayama). Later, when a
subordinate loses some classified documents, Namishima decides to take the old
maxim of ‘all’s fair in love and war’ a little too literally and frame Tazawa
in order to get his hands on his wife. Tazawa receives the death sentence as a
traitor and is shot by firing squad, but not before he has placed a curse on
Namishima, vowing to get revenge from beyond the grave. However, the dastardly
lieutenant continues unabashed with his evil scheme – until Tazawa’s brother
becomes an MP and begins investigating his brother’s death…</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD158vBEljlDpSGfvVJPN_hMiQjC5p4WGHzqp2pkVME-8qh4-3r7gZCMNy4ZnOhyphenhyphen9wJrCP7aP-RwQnWC-VuLZsQJqlR1kSRH559DPH2sGV6YMqL5CqGatoSMA4ckOq7RNKU7kSXr1dpoduITXEFjtoBgKwLIBf5VEI3Qc64V2d8RFgpQFiCZ17yjz39yWm/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-16h05m47s633.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD158vBEljlDpSGfvVJPN_hMiQjC5p4WGHzqp2pkVME-8qh4-3r7gZCMNy4ZnOhyphenhyphen9wJrCP7aP-RwQnWC-VuLZsQJqlR1kSRH559DPH2sGV6YMqL5CqGatoSMA4ckOq7RNKU7kSXr1dpoduITXEFjtoBgKwLIBf5VEI3Qc64V2d8RFgpQFiCZ17yjz39yWm/w517-h220/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-16h05m47s633.png" width="517" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoji Nakayama and Nahoko Kubo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">This Shintoho
production was ordered by producer Mitsugu Okura, who assigned director Nobuo
Nakagawa to come up with a new film to cash in on the (presumably modest) box
office success of the previous year’s <i><a href="https://martindowsing.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-military-policeman-and-dismembered.html">The Military Policeman and the Dismembered Beauty</a></i>. Like that picture, this also
features actors Shoji Nakayama and Shigeru Amachi, but here they play different
characters and the story is unrelated. The earlier film had been directed by
Kyotaro Namiki, who seemed not to be terribly at home in the horror genre, so
the choice of Nakagawa – who had already enjoyed success with several such
films – makes perfect sense. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyElN4Pyw7O-CuYlKI5a39iwgBT-C8_Eu2T6kSWN4Pgh-6C0tUGavToF_1YQnf_IRYfE72JnlhE6H8nfalTedwJN-fVTXGluiNyfEoEaj73JDQXvlr7QCnqJgfEMXo3aEdF_g3_MbUjAsB94vd-KJkkBIMXTKJahtvxZhC1qw8HV4nKf9z-1zJQFtly-y8/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h27m48s502.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyElN4Pyw7O-CuYlKI5a39iwgBT-C8_Eu2T6kSWN4Pgh-6C0tUGavToF_1YQnf_IRYfE72JnlhE6H8nfalTedwJN-fVTXGluiNyfEoEaj73JDQXvlr7QCnqJgfEMXo3aEdF_g3_MbUjAsB94vd-KJkkBIMXTKJahtvxZhC1qw8HV4nKf9z-1zJQFtly-y8/w521-h221/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h27m48s502.png" width="521" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoji Nakayama contemplates the work of some over-enthusiastic gravediggers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Surprisingly, Japanese
Wikipedia suggests that Nakagawa originally developed a straightforward
thriller with screenwriter Yoshihiro Ishikawa and the supernatural element was
added later at Okura’s insistence, and it does feel like something of an
afterthought, most of the (fairly mild) spooky stuff being held back for the
climax. In any case, Nakagawa’s film is much superior to the previous one. He
and cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto were able to make use of the new
widescreen format and clearly went to considerable trouble in shooting scenes
from unusual angles, making this an often visually arresting piece of work,
even if they occasionally get a bit too carried away with tilting the camera
this way and that. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67gznQqjfGvdPVMYV7rQ8pVxWdvA-6EpwNWepI2QV1lEpzJt9sr4a5DhCPfJ1lsrlHYaNRXpmNoxbPnfa5XRJ-oh-7PEVfOG5-YbYEXowP0lNVBI42cKVxP0iXuoDFL6M1HGXh-EbYKXQ3OwCEy7HXgmz4yr8L25N5w25SSdFMA5C7LVvGYOdyZ5mfLAL/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h49m39s158.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67gznQqjfGvdPVMYV7rQ8pVxWdvA-6EpwNWepI2QV1lEpzJt9sr4a5DhCPfJ1lsrlHYaNRXpmNoxbPnfa5XRJ-oh-7PEVfOG5-YbYEXowP0lNVBI42cKVxP0iXuoDFL6M1HGXh-EbYKXQ3OwCEy7HXgmz4yr8L25N5w25SSdFMA5C7LVvGYOdyZ5mfLAL/w490-h209/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h49m39s158.png" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shigeru Amachi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> </span></span><p></p><p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The film is unusual in
featuring a villain as the main character, and it’s Shigeru Amachi in this role
who gives the strongest performance, although he gets stiff competition from
Yoko Mihara as the bad girl of the piece. It’s also fun to see Masayo Banri as
a sexy nightclub dancer, but perhaps best of all is an absolutely priceless
moment of (possibly unintentional) black comedy involving a corpse disposal.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7Yz31ffl7JOSKIKzmw5bBD_zubIWheR4NDG7Sy4U2LqQwMOCyVNTO8bADSm1iO8T5yho3nOKP4sOpMNdNdGz9SrDQPTSGqCr4G5jOW-WZi4O1NTUlpWUmKeGmokWu14XyuQPhuv3SjlQJ9OtznSmgqRgMxOC5R5K-MSC90Ro8NjVRv7NTL4MPX9aIE3x/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h18m33s574.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7Yz31ffl7JOSKIKzmw5bBD_zubIWheR4NDG7Sy4U2LqQwMOCyVNTO8bADSm1iO8T5yho3nOKP4sOpMNdNdGz9SrDQPTSGqCr4G5jOW-WZi4O1NTUlpWUmKeGmokWu14XyuQPhuv3SjlQJ9OtznSmgqRgMxOC5R5K-MSC90Ro8NjVRv7NTL4MPX9aIE3x/w487-h208/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h18m33s574.png" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoko Mihara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9FJiP7rjCwoAwfx7keAxd6eUKaKJJtShDr7aMXmBQjDI6aSbAfYIUS4PZtPNgs1mucbvQ-cseoRCvd657M-uh5STaZI5TE5bW-5K6lfY1OSygckFipz8e1zA0fZ1YRberkNPEidnMI5IxmvW3Lm9e7jdjRPYcoU60v4IPWNyszszLKo_JWys_Pik2NQC/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h55m50s275.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9FJiP7rjCwoAwfx7keAxd6eUKaKJJtShDr7aMXmBQjDI6aSbAfYIUS4PZtPNgs1mucbvQ-cseoRCvd657M-uh5STaZI5TE5bW-5K6lfY1OSygckFipz8e1zA0fZ1YRberkNPEidnMI5IxmvW3Lm9e7jdjRPYcoU60v4IPWNyszszLKo_JWys_Pik2NQC/w487-h207/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-15h55m50s275.png" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masayo Banri<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKMPvma3RTiLwBMCgVKgTBq0fGeIRza6QMb0BAgua9GO7pamXF81_u11AQviC7tE5ZdDtsQ5AzXizJKhDtrKaDsIwN5fyTKa8B9Rgn-UuVTWlrskJg9PregqYMaTuVjMuzRSZKk82QPU0PRAgAG7P4nzeltdtLmVprXfjyr8D8xI33rtIXEFOkE7-9IlX/s855/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-16h20m11s833.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="855" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKMPvma3RTiLwBMCgVKgTBq0fGeIRza6QMb0BAgua9GO7pamXF81_u11AQviC7tE5ZdDtsQ5AzXizJKhDtrKaDsIwN5fyTKa8B9Rgn-UuVTWlrskJg9PregqYMaTuVjMuzRSZKk82QPU0PRAgAG7P4nzeltdtLmVprXfjyr8D8xI33rtIXEFOkE7-9IlX/w492-h208/vlcsnap-2023-10-29-16h20m11s833.png" width="492" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303489613778643735.post-39695796867259631752023-10-23T06:34:00.001-07:002023-10-23T06:34:25.336-07:00Pu-san / プーサン/ Mr Pu (1953)<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obscure Japanese Film #83</span></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI547_ehRLKbzwvvzprh5ReBer6wmkUBPCF6IsLKyo_FWU9etb1gM-kYkIvUpgYgiA7A1Lpdo07HCly-UptNAKyqiVj5byEmpADcTj6XhZnVv3Joheom0vJvTSrufXmZ6lhq-0lsqlHhCrqqniTRgi1a3WbX4GXyYGTfFDKs5HgyndBGmEgBki8DaZSowh/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h44m05s054.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI547_ehRLKbzwvvzprh5ReBer6wmkUBPCF6IsLKyo_FWU9etb1gM-kYkIvUpgYgiA7A1Lpdo07HCly-UptNAKyqiVj5byEmpADcTj6XhZnVv3Joheom0vJvTSrufXmZ6lhq-0lsqlHhCrqqniTRgi1a3WbX4GXyYGTfFDKs5HgyndBGmEgBki8DaZSowh/w485-h363/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h44m05s054.png" width="485" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yunosuke Ito with cabbage<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">During the war,
Japanese filmmakers were severely restricted by the authorities in their
country, who would not allow any content that could be perceived as being
critical of the military or having a pacifist message. After the war, the
country’s filmmakers remained restricted, though the nature of the censorship
changed – the occupying Americans banned anything they felt promoted feudalism,
while encouraging material with a pro-democracy message, such as the previously
reviewed <i>A Descendant of Urashima Taro</i>.
The occupation ended in 1952, and it’s no coincidence that Kon Ichikawa’s <i>Pu-san</i> appeared the following year when the
film industry was finally free of political restrictions for the first time in
over a decade. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgNinsKKpmavAIgKtQqG_rOAqGWvjUcD5oV5IE2TSqvVRm4EdRDhL_vHO9FWG5E3tF_BUl_9rMbpxpYAR0mzVvrrdMKSvU7Oo0YCssKEevJ_Yq_i5oz4djeG9YIAfUSLI1dNwkaJLH2HTz_Bvjat_p7jt4DwLM-xkDo3Z4RmXpEaHR-eybkAqIxC4obPD/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h26m52s454.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgNinsKKpmavAIgKtQqG_rOAqGWvjUcD5oV5IE2TSqvVRm4EdRDhL_vHO9FWG5E3tF_BUl_9rMbpxpYAR0mzVvrrdMKSvU7Oo0YCssKEevJ_Yq_i5oz4djeG9YIAfUSLI1dNwkaJLH2HTz_Bvjat_p7jt4DwLM-xkDo3Z4RmXpEaHR-eybkAqIxC4obPD/w473-h355/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h26m52s454.png" width="473" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ito with Daisuke Kato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">In <i>Pu-san</i>, Ichikawa gleefully indulges in a vulgarity that would have
been frowned upon in previous years, while also emphasizing the fact that
idealism has little value in a world where people are struggling simply to get
enough to eat and keep a roof over their heads. This situation enables
employers to exploit workers like Noro (Yunosuke Ito), a downtrodden
39-year-old maths teacher whose boss (Daisuke Kato) gives him a stark choice: teach
extra night classes with no additional pay, or leave. Noro is a classic ‘loser’
whose unassuming manner attracts bad luck – this crisis happens shortly after
he has been knocked down by a truck in Ginza and injured his hand. A widower
and war veteran, he lodges with a couple in their 50s and is in love with their
24-year-old daughter, Kanko (Fubuki Koshiji), but his feelings are not
reciprocated, as he learns only too well after overhearing a conversation
between Kanko and her mother through the paper-thin wall of his room.
Meanwhile, Noro’s students are flirting with communism and his old friends are
reduced to selling items on the black market… </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBhwswiX3QRQGEsdlYn42HtovNByek4oAyPnbeqgQpJNEXmtQwMY4S_oVQZ4Na1tkJV9zx25yLQkSqH64nt8uiobEfRVoSp-5HZSelrp-IrnqX1RzaZe-UHu1gkapmXvK8zXcmByFTYFl2MgbgSmabjxHzsALzmMQjBGNJaju5yGvEM29PBQcfIDvYAiF/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h48m42s561.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBhwswiX3QRQGEsdlYn42HtovNByek4oAyPnbeqgQpJNEXmtQwMY4S_oVQZ4Na1tkJV9zx25yLQkSqH64nt8uiobEfRVoSp-5HZSelrp-IrnqX1RzaZe-UHu1gkapmXvK8zXcmByFTYFl2MgbgSmabjxHzsALzmMQjBGNJaju5yGvEM29PBQcfIDvYAiF/w476-h357/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h48m42s561.png" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fubiki Koshiji, Daisuke Kato and Yoko Sugi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Such a scenario may not
seem an obvious choice for comedy, but that’s exactly what this Toho production
is – and a determinedly eccentric and anarchic one to boot. Based on a comic
strip by Taizo Yokoyama (who makes a cameo appearance as a policeman), it’s
unclear (at least to me) why Pu-san is referred to as Noro throughout the film.
In any case, Ichikawa seems to be raising two fingers to the establishment
here, and it’s probably the earliest Japanese film I’ve seen to have that ‘new
wave’ vibe familiar from later pictures such as Shohei Imamura’s <i>Pigs and Battleships</i> (1959). It’s not at
all funny but certainly ironic that the only way Noro can survive in the end is
by taking a highly dubious job packing machine gun bullets. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xdUq_uZoUgaVNWYCRDPpMN5Wttd9em0Jr4lGVdwhlSBzCpbH_bnhVFbLBOup2O2JGiN29FyL054SJ4vjsnJ8ecRKwD9tLs3wlANxKXEtEFPoHmIym6H7fK39uGDnz5D-zW47thl7be20RRkz0JhndD1VxCOK7zIBJ7PkdlS2HDDLc0stix40r7SQimmy/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-23-14h02m55s799.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xdUq_uZoUgaVNWYCRDPpMN5Wttd9em0Jr4lGVdwhlSBzCpbH_bnhVFbLBOup2O2JGiN29FyL054SJ4vjsnJ8ecRKwD9tLs3wlANxKXEtEFPoHmIym6H7fK39uGDnz5D-zW47thl7be20RRkz0JhndD1VxCOK7zIBJ7PkdlS2HDDLc0stix40r7SQimmy/w468-h352/vlcsnap-2023-10-23-14h02m55s799.png" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiko Miyoshi, Kamatari Fujiwara and Fubiki Koshiji<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Long-faced character
actor Yunosuke Ito has not always played such meek and mild types, but proves
to be a good choice in what was a rare leading role for him. However, I felt
that Fubuki Koshiji (better known as a singer) stole the show here with her
superb comic performance as the stubborn Kanko (a character originating in a
separate comic strip by the same artist) – her facial expressions are often
priceless. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCB7SoyY7qGNDXPe_jvvhuPTaJVSzlKNHwKQdo3QsUpSe9ed7UHva2T_lfDkHuaI04VBtIBAA8If_bXjeLfzBuLw-tlc4_jLqCtTSjf8CsMO9MKzn3eJY_1rkQSE3XEVAffq2YSIIRuFCuj36GbYs588FBJ1dlCPjLdJWOLsJrtQRDA42Xsv7pnLFkG7zE/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h17m08s436.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCB7SoyY7qGNDXPe_jvvhuPTaJVSzlKNHwKQdo3QsUpSe9ed7UHva2T_lfDkHuaI04VBtIBAA8If_bXjeLfzBuLw-tlc4_jLqCtTSjf8CsMO9MKzn3eJY_1rkQSE3XEVAffq2YSIIRuFCuj36GbYs588FBJ1dlCPjLdJWOLsJrtQRDA42Xsv7pnLFkG7zE/w458-h344/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-15h17m08s436.png" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaoru Yachigusa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Also notable in a
remarkable ensemble cast featuring a number of Kurosawa regulars are Keiju
Kobayashi as a young policeman, a very young-looking Kaoru Yachigusa as a
nurse, Isao Yamagata as a friend of Noro’s fallen on hard times, Eiko Miyoshi
as Noro’s opportunistic landlady, Kamatari Fujiwara as her more understanding
husband, Yoko Sugi as Kanko’s best friend and, of course, the great Daisuke
Kato as Noro’s nasty boss – the kind of guy who smiles and tells you it’s all
for your own good while casually cutting your throat. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVj6Hca4LpsJ76YCoPRO8cjnIVrBOxU_jR3oA5AyzCtLdPeBFun4MWIe2RZ-jM_bOx-6EA2plh-RUSX3baGx9MMXxnbtTeCcsFovsxvonmJsX5pov_kDNf14GqIZTN7tE1LFxE4GDj-35oXnT6g5M6yyKKGxWHKW5nbVYiCvwIfKSOwTJwpXxFNQSPLDQ/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h14m41s153.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVj6Hca4LpsJ76YCoPRO8cjnIVrBOxU_jR3oA5AyzCtLdPeBFun4MWIe2RZ-jM_bOx-6EA2plh-RUSX3baGx9MMXxnbtTeCcsFovsxvonmJsX5pov_kDNf14GqIZTN7tE1LFxE4GDj-35oXnT6g5M6yyKKGxWHKW5nbVYiCvwIfKSOwTJwpXxFNQSPLDQ/w445-h334/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h14m41s153.png" width="445" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisuke Kato<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Ably abetted by
Kurosawa cameraman Asakazu Nakai, Ichikawa shows considerable invention throughout,
often using extreme close-ups and unusual framing but, overall, I’d say that <i>Pu-san</i> is more in the nature of a
fascinating oddity than a complete success – the first few scenes flit
confusingly from one seemingly random group of characters to another and it
remains all over the place until the end. In fact, I doubt I’ve seen another film
with as many extraneous characters – a narrower focus would surely have been preferable. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLEN_r26Z7n4m9aLnzEVesJw3otDTwljhHkVUpakZG_YVCyq7Js_jE6knEUmwYt4Qb5W8a-2f1P2l2FEe2G98iCufyTIxSsCllNlAWJxADNXZtNe_aIEiT8u9GYaR63NXeMGyUiTrzVtu09cqPvS-Fn17IysfymM_PYbjyea1uK91kCJlHG1ONartvzGT/s768/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h21m49s319.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLEN_r26Z7n4m9aLnzEVesJw3otDTwljhHkVUpakZG_YVCyq7Js_jE6knEUmwYt4Qb5W8a-2f1P2l2FEe2G98iCufyTIxSsCllNlAWJxADNXZtNe_aIEiT8u9GYaR63NXeMGyUiTrzVtu09cqPvS-Fn17IysfymM_PYbjyea1uK91kCJlHG1ONartvzGT/w455-h342/vlcsnap-2023-10-21-16h21m49s319.png" width="455" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Composer Toshiro Mayuzumi in a rare screen appearance with Fubiki Koshiji </span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p>
<p><br /></p>Martin Dowsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06621841594017879161noreply@blogger.com0