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Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate
| image =
| image_size =
| caption = Japanese theatrical release poster
| director = Yz Kawashima
| producer =
| writer = Yz Kawashima, Shhei Imamura, Keiichi Tanaka
| narrator =
| starring = Frankie Sakai
Sachiko Hidari
Yko Minamida
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| distributor = Nikkatsu
| released =
| runtime = 110 minutes
| country = Japan
| language = Japanese
| budget =
}}
is a 1957 Japanese comedy film directed by Yz Kawashima with a screenplay by Kawashima, Shhei Imamura and Keiichi Tanaka. It was voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in a poll of 140 Japanese critics and filmmakers conducted by the magazine 'Kinema Junpo' in 1999.
Plot
It is set during the last days of the Bakumatsu era (1862), six years before the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu returned power to the Emperor. The plot is centered around the rogue city dweller Saheiji (played by comedian Frankie Sakai), who arrived to have fun with three friends. They visit a brothel in the Shinagawa entertainment district. After spending the night, he was forced to admit that he lacked money to pay. So he must stay in order to settle his debt. Saheiji seeks to outwit the inhabitants of a brothel in order to survive in straitened times.[http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/bakumatsu-taiyo-den-dvd/ Masters of Cinema] Meanwhile, a group of samurai seek to destroy any foreigners that cross their path. Saheiji attracts all employees, from brothel owners to prostitutes, successfully resolves any disputes with clients by using his inherent brilliance, wit and fill his pockets. However, gradually it turns out that the seemingly life-loving Saheiji suffers from tuberculosis and his future is uncertain.
Notes
Parallels are drawn between the world of the samurai and the world of Kawashima's Japan. The hypocrisy surrounding prostitution, about to be outlawed in Japan at that time in 1950s Japan, the abuse of power, and financial greed at a time of crisis, are all portrayed.Moviemail catalogue, April 2013, p.13
Cast
* Frankie Sakai as Saheiji
* Yko Minamida as Koharu
* Sachiko Hidari as Osome
* Yujiro Ishihara as Takasugi Shinsaku
* Nobuo Kaneko as Denbei, the owner of the Sagami-ya
* Masumi Okada as Kisuke
* Tomio Aoki as Chusuke
* Shichi Ozawa as Kinz, the book lender
* Shbun Inoue as Genta
* Toshio Takahara as Kaneji
* Izumi Ashikawa as Ohisa
* Akira Nishimura as Shink
* Taiji Tonoyama as Kuraz
* Hideaki Nitani as Shid Monta (a.k.a. Inoue Kaoru)
* Akira Kobayashi as Kusaka Genzui
References
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