A musical comedy where dreamy Hibari Misora messes up the young lord's plans and even the film itself.
Talk: Isshin Inudo〔Film and Commercial Director〕
Rantaro Mine
| Director | Tadashi Sawashima |
|---|---|
| Cast | Hibari Misora, Koji Tsuruta, Kokichi Takada |
| Country | Japan |
| Year | 1961 |
| Time | 85min |
| Language | Japanese |
| Subtitles | English |
| Distribution | Toei |
Okimi (Hibari Misora) is a weaver of a poor village by the Hakuba Castle, who dreams of the fairy tale that a young lord is looking for a bride. There, the handsome Kiritaro (Koji Tsuruta) comes to visit. Okimi believes that he is the lord in disguise, but in fact he is just a thief, the rascal lord, who had come to steal some money from a trunk. Sweet-talked by Kiritaro, Okimi brings a fortune for her young lord, and travels with Kiritaro and his party to Edo; however, the money gets stolen by some thugs on the way.
A successful attempt to broaden the range of period films by portraying the love story of a handsome thief and innocent girl as a musical comedy. The delights of film are accentuated with Hibari's songs thrown in from time to time. The contrast between the incomplete symbolic art expressing the depth of fiction, and the realistic set of the pub from its stone flooring to the second storey shows the density of Sawashima team's work.
Joined Toyoko Film (predecessor of Toei Studio) in 1950 and worked as assistant director by Masahiro Makino, Kunio Watanabe and Sadatsugu Matsuda. Made his debut as director in 1957 with "Torakawamaru the Koga Ninja". He then led the golden age of Toei period films with a rapid pace making four to five films a year. His eventful stories, told babbling on in modern language, and introduction of musical, comedy and suspense, overwhelmed pre-Sawashima period films with velocity. Drawing out the best from Hibari Misora and Kinnosuke Nakamura, he was an entertainment director who represented the luxurious quality of the Japanese cinema golden age. This is a significant screening that questions the world about period films which covers a great range of genres. He passed away on 27th January 2018 at 91 years old. He never gave up on creating a new film to the very end.
Hosted by: Kyoto HISTORICA International Film Festival Committee
[Kyoto Prefectural Government, The Museum of Kyoto, Toei Company, Ltd, Kyoto Movie Studios, Shochiku Studio Co., Ltd., Toei Kyoto Studio Co., Ltd., Iwamoto Metal Co., Ltd., Directors Univ,inc., Ritsumeikan University]
Co-hosted by: KYOTO CMEX Executive Committee
Sponsors: TESPAC Co., Ltd./Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo/TSUKUMO
With the Association of: Kyoto Crossmedia Promotion Agency/Venice Film Festival/Istituto Italiano di Cultura - Osaka/The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office/National Film Archive of Japan/Kyoto V-REX Executive Committee/Demachi za/TOYOSU CO.,LTD.
Presented Under the Auspices of: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc./Foreign Film Importer-Distributors Association of Japan/Motion Picture and Television Engineering Society of Japan Inc.
Supported by: Japan Arts Council
