Red Lion (
Red Lion | |
---|---|
![]() Original Japanese Poster. | |
Directed by | Kihachi Okamoto |
Written by | Sakae Hirosawa Kihachi Okamoto |
Produced by | Toshiro Mifune Yoshio Nishikawa |
Starring | Toshiro Mifune Shima Iwashita |
Cinematography | Takao Saito |
Music by | Masaru Sato |
Distributed by | Toho Company Ltd. |
Release dates | Japan: October 10, 1969 United States: December 17, 1969 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Plot summary
editGonzo (
The director, Kihachi Okamoto, is well known for introducing plot twists and surprising endings in his films,[3] and Red Lion is no exception. What starts out as an almost comedic series of misunderstandings between almost comically drawn characters ends up turning far more serious as the film progresses. Tomi (Shima Iwashita), as Gonzo's old flame, is tragically torn between her hopes that Gonzo's new marriage proposal is genuine, and her fears that her life will never improve unless she "goes along" with the corrupt and powerful who rule over the peasant's lives. The film ends with the peasants dancing to the cry of "Ee ja nai ka" ("Why not!?", "Whatever!", or "Nevermind!"), which fatalistically refers to the tumultuous 1866-67 period of Japanese history immediately preceding the imperial restoration and the end of the Edo period.
Cast
edit- Toshirō Mifune : Gonzo
- Shima Iwashita : Tomi
- Takahiro Tamura : Sagara Sōzō
- Etsushi Takahashi : Ichinose Hanzo
- Nobuko Otowa : Oharu
- Shigeru Kōyama : Aragaki Yaichirō
- Yūnosuke Itō :Kamio Kintarō
- Hideyo Amamoto : Gensai
- Takeo Chii : Spy
- Gorō Mutsumi
- Shin Kishida : Usakichi
- Jun Hamamura : Kanbei
- Sachio Sakai : Kesaji
- Bokuzen Hidari : Gohei
See also
edit- Eijanaika, a 1981 film by Shōhei Imamura set in the same historical period.
References
edit- ^ ""
世界 の三船 "の軌跡 たどる特集 上映 「生誕 100年 映画 俳優 三船 敏郎 」2日 から". zakzaknews. Retrieved 2020-12-30. - ^ "
赤毛 ". Kinema Junpo. Retrieved 27 December 2020. - ^ Onchi, Hideo; Okamoto Kihachi (1998). "Waga eiga jinsei: Okamoto Kihachi kantoku" (in Japanese). Directors Guild of Japan. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23.
External links
edit