or ''Distant Thunder'' is a 1981 Japanese

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

of Wahei Tatematsu's novel of the same name, directed by

Kichitaro Negishi is a Japanese film director. Although his films are admired by critics in Japan for their intelligence, Negishi has received little international recognition for his work. He has not been credited with a distinctive style but he has been called a ...

Synopsis

''Enrai'' is a low-key study of a farmer, Mitsuo Wada, in 1980s Japan when modernization and urbanization were threatening rural areas. After his father leaves his wife to run off with his mistress, Mitsuo struggles to preserve his livelihood with the help of his mother, grandmother, and his arranged marriage bride, Ayako.

Cast

Toshiyuki Nagashima is a Japanese actor. He won the award for Best Newcomer at the 3rd Hochi Film Awards for '' Kaerazaru hibi'' and for Best Actor at the 6th Hochi Film Awards for '' Enrai''. Selected filmography Film *'' Kaerazaru hibi'' (1978) *''Third Base'' ...

as Mitsuo Wada * as Hirotsugu Nakamori * Eri Ishida as Ayako Hanamori * as Kaede * as Mitsuo's father * as Mitsuo's mother * as Mitsuo's grandmother *

Yumiko Fujita Yumiko Fujita (藤田弓子; born 12 September 1945 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress. Selected filmography Film * '' If You Were Young: Rage'' (1970) * ''Under the Flag of the Rising Sun'' (1972) * ''Karafuto 1945 Summer Hyosetsu ...

as Chii * Keizō Kanie as Kaede's husband

Background

''Enrai'' is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Wahei Tatematsu. The film, financed by ATG,

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

, and the smaller Nikkatsu-related company New Century Producers, marked director Negishi's breakthrough into mainstream film after several ''Roman porno'' features for Nikkatsu. ''Enrai'' was released in Japan as a VHS tape by in July 1998 and subsequently as a DVD in February 2008 by .

Awards and nominations

3rd

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

* Won: Best Director -

* Won: Best Screenplay -

Haruhiko Arai is a Japanese screenwriter. He is also a publisher and an editor of the ''Eiga Geijutsu'' magazine and a professor of the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. Career Arai won the Mainichi Film Award for best screenplay for the film '' W's Traged ...

* Won: Best Cinematography - Shohei Ando * Won: Best Actor -

6th Hochi Film Awards * Won: Best Film * Won: Best Actor -

* Won: New Face Award - Eri Ishida

References

External links

* * * 1981 films Films directed by Kichitaro Negishi 1980s Japanese-language films 1980s Japanese films {{1980s-Japan-film-stub