The Women around the Shogun / 続大奥 (秘) 物語 / Zoku ooku maruhi monogatari (‘Secret Tales of the Inner Palace Sequel’, 1967)

Obscure Japanese Film #258

Tomoko Ogawa

This Toei production is a sequel to The Shogun and His Mistresses of the same year, and I recommend reading my review of that film first, even though this one has an entirely separate story.

It’s now 1786 and the 10^th shogun, Ieharu (Masao Mishima), is in power. Ochisa (Tomoko Ogawa), the adopted daughter of Lord Abe (Eitaro Ozawa), is sent to serve the shogun at Edo Castle, where her older sister Oshino (Hiroko Sakuramachi) is one of the shogun’s concubines. It’s not long before Ochisa is forced into the same position, but the sisters try not to become enemies despite the bitchy machinations of the other women around them. However, when the shogun suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, Ochisa finds herself sent to a nunnery with the other concubines, where they’re expected to spend the rest of their lives praying for Ieharu’s soul. The head nun (Chieko Hagashiyama) ensures that the women are cut off from the outside world with the result that one goes mad, another turns to lesbianism and a third starts an affair with a priest – but what will become of Ochisa?

Ogawa with Masao Mishima

Dropping the anthology structure of the first film and released just three months later, it’s no surprise that this rushed-into-production sequel is weaker, especially as it relies on an inexperienced actor to carry it – in her first leading role, 18-year-old Tomoko Ogawa was a last-minute replacement for Yoshiko Sakuma (who reportedly objected to what she saw as an increasing sexual emphasis, although the finished product is probably tamer than the first). As if this were not challenging enough, Ochisa is not a terribly interesting character in the first place, although she does eventually reveal another dimension towards the end and Ogawa does a fair job under the circumstances. However, although her performance was well-received and Toei planned to star her in further similar pictures, disappointing box office led them to insist that she do nude scenes from then on, causing her to quit films and turn to singing, where she found considerable success. Incidentally, Yoshiko Sakuma was not the only one to be replaced – shooting began with Michiko Saga as the older sister, but she apparently got in a strop due to too much waiting around and left after three days, forcing Toei to replace her with Hiroko Sakuramachi.

Hiroko Sakuramachi

Casting shenanigans aside, this is still a decent movie, and one which also benefits from the splendidly villainous presence of Ko Nishimura, who instigates an impressively bloody sword fight with multiple opponents at the film’s climax. Composer Sei Ikeno’s score might have been better suited to a horror movie, but it’s not ineffective, while director Sadao Nakajima (who also made the previous film) is adept at extracting the maximum amount of drama from every scene. The original screenplay by Takeo Kunihiro and Takehiro Nakajima might seem too similar to the original at first, but goes off in some interesting directions before finally revealing its surprising theme of an individual rebelling against the oppressive feudal system. Unusually, in this case, the turning worm is no put-upon samurai, but a concubine who has finally had enough of having no say in her own destiny.

Ko Nishimura

DVD at Toei Video (no English subtitles)

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Black Torrent/ 黒の奔流 / Kuro no honryu (1972)

Obscure Japanese Film #91

Tsutomu Yamazaki and Mariko Okada

 

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. 

Kaoru Taniguchi

 

Keiko Matsuzaka

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… 

 

Kei Sato

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 raison d’etre. Based on a 1967 short story by Seicho Matsumoto entitled ‘Shuzoku domei’ (‘Tribal Alliance’), Black Torrent 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). 

Tsutomu Yamazaki

 

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 High and Low) 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. 

Mariko Okada

 

Intriguingly, the previously-reviewed Kao 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, Mushukunin-betsucho (1963).

For more on director Yusuke Watanabe, see my review of Wild Detective.

Tsutomu Yamazaki and Mariko Okada