is a

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

Japanese film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune and Shima Iwashita.

Plot summary

Gonzo (権三, Toshiro Mifune), a member of the

Sekihōtai The was a group of Japanese political extremists formed in 1868 during the Boshin War. History Formation During the Boshin War, the Sekihōtai was formed on February 1, 1868 at Kongōrin-ji temple in Matsuoji, Ōmi Province with the support ...

, is being asked by the emperor to deliver official news to his home village of a New World Order. Wanting to pose as a military officer, he dons a peculiar officer's wig. Upon his return, his attempt to tell the village about a brand-new tax cut is quashed when the townfolk mistakenly assumes that he is there to rescue them from corrupt government officials. He learns that an evil magistrate has been swindling them for years. Now, he has to help the village, ward off Shogunate fanatics, along with the fact that he can't read his own proclamations. The director, Kihachi Okamoto, is well known for introducing plot twists and surprising endings in his films, 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 was a complex of carnivalesque religious celebrations and communal activities, often understood as social or political protests, which occurred in many parts of Japan from June 1867 to May 1868, at the end of the Edo period and the start of t ...

" ("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

* Toshirō Mifune : Gonzo * Shima Iwashita : Tomi * Takahiro Tamura : Sagara Sōzō * Etsushi Takahashi : Ichinose Hanzo *

Nobuko Otowa was a Japanese actress who appeared in more than 100 films between 1950 and 1994. A graduate of Takarazuka Girl's Opera School, Otowa was first signed to Daiei studios, before becoming a freelance actress by the early 1950s. After starring in ...

: Oharu * Shigeru Kōyama : Aragaki Yaichirō *

Yūnosuke Itō was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than ninety films from 1947 to 1979. Career Itō made his film debut at Toho in 1946, and although mostly a prominent supporting actor—playing memorable figures such as the novelist in Akira ...

:Kamio Kintarō * Hideyo Amamoto : Gensai *

Takeo Chii was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1968 and 2012. Biography Chii was the youngest of eight brothers. He made his acting debut in 1968. He made his film debut with Kihachi Okamoto's ''Kill!''. Chii married actress Sa ...

: Spy * Gorō Mutsumi * Shin Kishida : Usakichi * Jun Hamamura : Kanbei * Sachio Sakai : Kesaji *

Bokuzen Hidari was a Japanese actor and comedian born in Kotesashi Village (now part of Tokorozawa), Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Lower Depths'' and ''Ikiru''. Hidari was f ...

: Gohei

References

External links

* 1969 films 1960s Japanese-language films Jidaigeki films Samurai films Films directed by Kihachi Okamoto Films scored by Masaru Sato Films produced by Toshiro Mifune Films set in Bakumatsu 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-Japan-film-stub

Plot summary

Cast

See also

References

External links